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If You Loved Me, You Would…
Justice, reason, truth once shone in the Jacobin heaven, performing the function of fixed stars, which can, at least, serve as guidelines. The reason for this was the fact that German nineteenth-century thinkers, particularly Hegel, wanted to continue the work of the French Revolution while suppressing the causes of its failure. Hegel thought that he discerned the seeds of the Terror contained in the abstract principles of the Jacobins. According to him, absolute and abstract freedom must inevitably lead to terrorism; the rule of abstract law is identical with the rule of oppression. For example, Hegel remarks that the period between the time of Augustus and Alexander Severus (A.D. 235) is the period of the greatest legal proficiency but also the period of the most ruthless tyranny. To avoid this contradiction, it was therefore necessary to wish to construct a concrete society, invigorated by a principle that was not formal and in which freedom could be reconciled with necessity. German philosophy therefore finished by substituting, for the universal but abstract reason of Saint-Just and Rousseau, a less artificial but more ambiguous idea: concrete universal reason. Up to this point, reason had soared above the phenomena which were related to it. Now reason is, henceforth, incorporated in the stream of historical events, which it explains while deriving its substance from them. #RandolphHarris 1 of 27
It can certainly be said that Hegel rationalized to the point of being irrational. However, at the same time, he gave reason an unreasonable shock by endowing it with a lack of moderation, the results of which are now before our eyes. Into the fixed ideas of this period, German thought suddenly introduced an irresistible urge to movement. Truth, reason, and justice were abruptly incarnated in the progress of the world. However, if there was to be one, by committing them to perpetual acceleration, German ideology confused their existence with their impulse and fixed the conclusion of this existence at the final stage of this historical future. These values have ceased to be guides in order to become goals. As for the means of attaining these goals, specifically life and history, no preexistent value can point the way. On the contrary, a large part of Hegelian demonstration is devoted to proving that moral conscience, by being so banal as to obey justice and truth, as though these values existed independently of the world, jeopardizes, precisely for this reason, the advent of these values. The rule of action has thus become action itself—which must be performed in darkness while awaiting the final illumination. Reason, annexed by this form of romanticism, is nothing more than an inflexible passion. #RandolphHarris 2 of 27
The ends have remained the same, only ambition has increased; thought has become dynamic, reason has embraced the future and aspired to conquest. Action is no more than a calculation based on results, not on principles. Consequently, it confounds itself with perpetual movement. In the same way, all the disciplines that characterized eighteenth-century thought as rigid and addicted to classification were abandoned in the nineteenth century. Just as Dr. Darwin replaced Linnaeus, the philosophers who supported the doctrine of an incessant dialectic replaced the harmonious and strict constructors of reason. From this moment dates the idea (hostile to every concept of ancient thought, which, on the contrary, reappeared to a certain extent in the mind of revolutionary France) that man has not been endowed with a definitive human nature, that he is not a finished creation but an experiment, of which he can be partly the creator. With Napolean and the Napoleonic philosopher Hegal, the period of efficacy begins. Before Napolean, men had discovered space and the universe; with Napolean, they discovered time and the future in terms of this world; and by this discovery the spirit of rebellion is going to be profoundly transformed. #RandolphHarris 3 of 27
In any case, it is strange to find Hegel’s philosophy at this new stage in the development of the spirit of rebellion. Actually, in one sense, his work exudes an absolute horror of dissidence: he wanted to be the very essence of reconciliation. However, this is only one aspect of a system which, by its very method, is the most ambiguous in all philosophic literature. To the extent that, for him, what is real is rational, he justifies every ideological encroachment upon reality. What has been called Hegel’s panlogism is a justification of the condition of fact. However, his philosophy also exalts destruction for its own sake. Everything is reconciled, of course, in the dialectic, and one extreme cannot be stated without the other arising; there exists in Hegel, as in all great thinkers, the material for contradicting Hegel. Philosophers, however, are rarely read with the head alone, but often with the heart and all its passions, which can accept no kind of reconciliation. Nevertheless, the revolutionaries of the twenty-first century have borrowed from Hegel the weapons with which they definitively destroyed the formal principles of virtue. All that they have preserved is the vision of a history without any kind of transcendence, dedicated to perpetual strife and to the struggle of wills bent on seizing power. #RandolphHarris 4 of 27
In its critical aspect, the revolutionary movement of our times is primarily a violent denunciation of the formal hypocrisy that presides over bourgeois society. The partially justified pretension of modern Communism, like the more frivolous claims of Fascism, is to denounce the mystification that undermines the principles and virtues of the bourgeois type of democracy. Divine transcendence, up to 1789, served to justify the arbitrary actions of the kind. After the French Revolution, the transcendence of formal principles of reason or justice serves to justify a rule that is neither just nor reasonable. This transcendence is therefore a mask that must be torn off. God is dead, but Stirner predicted, the morality of principles in which the memory of God is still preserved must also be killed. Therefore, atheist not only want you to believe God is dead, they want to remove Him from the government, and banish Him from your memory so society can totally decay and the world become unlivable due to harsh climate changes, sharply rising housing and food prices, and social chaos. The hatred of formal virtue—degraded witness to divinity and false witness in the service of injustice—has remained one of the principal themes in history today. #RandolphHarris 5 of 27
Nothing is pure: that is the cry which convulses our period. Impurity, the equivalent of history, is going to become the rule, and the abandoned earth will be delivered to naked force, which will decide whether or not man is divine. Thus, lies and violence are adopted in the same spirit in which a religion is adopted and on the same heartrending impulse. Still, the feelings of callousness and ruthlessness can also be exaggerated. The taboos on feelings of tenderness, sympathy, and confidence can be just as great in some neurotics as the taboos on hostility and vindictiveness are in others. These people feel that they should be able to live without any close personal relations, so they believe that they do not need them. They should not enjoy anything; so, they believe they do not care. Their emotional life then is less distorted than plainly impoverished. Naturally, the emotional pictures engendered by the inner commanders are not always streamlined. The orders issued can be contradictory. You should be so sympathetic that you shun no sacrifices whatever, but you should also be so coldblooded that you can carry out any act of vengeance. As a result, a person is convinced at times that he is callous and at others that he is extremely kindhearted. In other people so many feelings and wishes are checked that a general emotional deadness ensues. #RandolphHarris 6 of 27
There may be, for instance, a taboo on wanting anything for themselves, which puts the lid on all alive wishes and create pervasive inhibitions about doing anything for themselves. Then, partly because of these inhibitions, they develop just as pervasive claims on the grounds of which they feel entitled to have everything in life presented on a silver platter. And then, the resentment over the frustration of such claims may be choked off by a dictate that they should put up with life. We are less aware of the harm done our feelings by the pervasive should than of other damage inflicted by them. Yet, it is actually the heaviest price we pay for trying to mold ourselves into perfection. Feelings are the most alive part of ourselves; if they are put under a dictatorial regime, a profound uncertainty is created in our essential being which must affect adversely our relations to everything inside and outside ourselves. We can hardly overrate the intensity of the impact of the inner dictates. The more the drive to actualize his idealized self prevails in a person, the more the shoulds become the sole motor force moving him, driving him, whipping him into action. When a patient who is still far removed from his real self discovers some of the cramping effects of his should, he can nevertheless be entirely unable to consider relinquishing then because without them—so he feels—he would or could not do anything. He may sometimes express this concern in terms of the belief that one cannot make other people do the “right” thing except by force, which is an externalized expression of his inner experience. The shoulds then acquire a subjective value for the patient which he can dispense only when he experiences the existence of other spontaneous forces in himself. #RandolphHarris 7 of 27
When we realize the enormous coercive power of the shoulds, we must raise one question. What does it do to a person when he recognizes that he cannot measure up to his inner dictates? To anticipate the answer briefly: then he starts to hate and despise himself. We cannot, in fact, understand the full impact of the should unless we see the extent to which they are interwoven with self-hate. It is the threat of a punitive self-hate that lurks behind them, that truly makes them a regime of terror. When all five feelings, anger, fear, hurt, joy, love, are expressed honestly, the individual is more real, more actualized. However, manipulators, aware of the power of feelings, will try to use them to control others. By using anger, a manipulator attempts to intimidate and create fear in others. All of us have met manipulators who by their shouting and screaming keep others from communicating with them. Some manipulators provoke anger in others in order to play the role of the weak victim of the brutal attack. The weak victim can then easily shame the others into compliance. “Gotcha!” A manipulator also uses fear in tandem with hate. He sits at the console and gives ‘em what he thinks they need; a little fear today, a little hate tomorrow. Some days he gives them both. And they stand together and shiver and think he is the greatest guy in the world and [they] love him. #RandolphHarris 8 of 27
The “silent treatment” is a tried-and-true favorite of manipulators. The manipulator looks as if he or she has been auditioning for a sinus medication commercial. Note the squint of the eyes, the furrow of the brow, the downward curve of the lips—the pained expression that can only come from eight undrained sinus cavities. However, no matter how many entreaties the victim makes to find out what is wrong, the response is always, “I am okay. What makes you think something is wrong? Do not mine me, I will just go to bed early.” Manipulators do not like to express joy they might feel, and they sure do not want anyone else to either. They are the joy killers: “You are sure lucky you got an A on your term paper, but I have heard that Professor Winchester grades easy on papers and hard on the final exam.” Love, perhaps the least likely to be thought is as a manipulative weapon, is paradoxically one of the most common manipulative techniques. How often has the phrase, “If you loved me, you would…” been used to win a point, gain a goal, or exert control over a partner? A clever manipulator can use love to dominate a relationship or, conversely, to bring one to an end by saying, for example, “If you really loved me, you would let me go.” #RandolphHarris 9 of 27
However, we do not overcome our doubts by suppressing them, we do not meet our misgivings by denying them, and we do not refute falsehood by shirking questions which happen to be inconvenient. I am too much aware of the diversity of intellectual truths to regard them as other than merely relative. Therefore, I prefer a light skepticism. Is it not ironic that the only creature in the universe which doubts God’s existence is also the only one—up to that grade—which contains the proof of that existence? The countless germs, worms, insects, reptiles, and mammals below man lack the rational capacity to question, while the higher types of individuated beings above him know too much to utter such a doubt. Reason begins by being skeptical of everything else. It ends by becoming skeptical about itself. It is unwise skeptically to let these truths vanish from our sight, as though we had not even heard of them, for then the grove of old suffering will have to be cut anew. These secret doubts, these inward vacillations, must be faced and overcome. To doubt is not to deny. If we were to end in it, we must begin with doubt in order to clear the ground, but we would be in a sorry state. No doctrine is so sacred that it is not to be questioned. Man cannot escape from his duty to doubt. #RandolphHarris 10 of 27
Each generation must reflect in its own way on the conundrums of existence and be vigorously alive to its own problems, which are not wholly the problems of other epochs, and must face them in a fresh living manner. However, when uneasy doubt is pushed to the extreme of settled cynicism, when needful caution is elongated to paralyzing cowardice, when skepticism is grown so big that it cannot let the divine get past it into his heart, then the man falls into a bog of materialism and becomes its pitiable victim. Doubt has a legitimate use in the would of thought. Without it, we should be at the mercy of every charlatan, every fool, every exploiter, and every false doctrine. We need not be ashamed therefore to avail ourselves of it at times. Doubt tears the veil off deceit and exposes humbug hidden beneath benevolence. We need not be afraid to question everything, to doubt everything, even the words we use and our own very selves. If we take nothing for granted, we have nothing but falsehood, illusion, and self-deception to lose. How shall we begin this study? The best way is the only way for us. We must begin by doubting everything; thus, alone may we hope to end by knowing everything. Although we have to begin our metaphysical life by doubting accepted values, we cannot end there; we cannot love forever in an atmosphere of suspended judgment. If tentative, even without reaching absolute certainty, the process of active living demands that sooner or later, we commit ourselves to a definite standpoint. #RandolphHarris 11 of 27
In adulthood, many of us are live deviant school boys. Perhaps without realizing it, we continue to play the same childish game and risk far more than a bruised shoulder in the process. Unwillingness to accept the responsibility for and consequences of one’s actions is an all-too-common condition in today’s world. Who has not hurt of the drunken driver who uses his host for allowing him to get drunk, or of the accident victim who claims damages from the physician who tries to help him? Perpetrators of the most heinous crimes often plead guilty by reason of insanity or claim that they are victims of society’s ills. The reckless blame alcohol. Christians blame the devil. Abusers and adulterers blame the broken homes of their childhood. And, if they do not want to, there are enough who agree with them to ensure that no one need feel terribly guilty for long. The habit of shifting the burden of guilt onto someone else, while perhaps understandable in a secular setting, has more serious consequences in a spiritual one. There too it has an ancient but not honorable tradition. When his sacrifice was not accepted, Cain blamed God. “I was worth,” he said, “for his offering thou didst accept and not mine,” reports Moses 5.38. Even the very elite have sometimes succumbed to the temptation to blame others for their disobedience or their failure to receive blessings. #RandolphHarris 12 of 27
When faced with the consequences of transgression, rather than looking to ourselves as the source of the discomfort which always accompanies sin, many of us tend to blame someone else. Rather than getting out of a vicious and senseless circle, we fault our neighbor for our pain and try to pass it on. However, to repent, we must leave the circle. The first step in the repentance process has always been simply to recognize that we have done wrong. If we are so hedged about by pride, rationalization, machismo, or a misdirected sense of self-esteem as to prevent us from every admitting that we are part of the problem, we are in trouble. We then may not even know of our need to repent. We will have no idea whether the Lord is pleased with us or not and may become past feeling. “We are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were divided,” reports 1 Nephi 17.45. To fail to repent is to perish. “And except ye repent, ye shall perish; yea, even your lands shall be taken from you, and ye shall be destroyed from off the face of the earth,” reports Helaman 7.28. To excuse misconduct by blaming others is presumptuous at best and is fatally flawed with regard to spiritual things, for “we believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression,” reports Articles of Faith 1.2. #RandolphHarris 13 of 27
People typically eat without consideration of what they need for optimum nourishment or for full consciousness of body and world. Excessive eating is a sedative, insuring that persons will not feel the impact of their life styles upon them. Fasting has played a crucial role in every religious tradition and every discipline that aims at enlightenment. Avoiding food for periods ranging from a day to a month or longer will result not only in some loss of weight, but also in heightened somatic perception and keener senses of touch, taste, and smell. In my own experiences at fasting, I have gone no longer than six days without food; I completed a partial fast for forty days, however, limiting my nourishment to vegetable and fruit juices. The fasting was not unlike a trip to another culture—it gave me a changed perspective upon the situation within which I had been enmeshed. Many persons in recent years have begun to experiment with vegetarian diets, with organically grown foods, with foods that have not been preserved with chemicals. Such intelligent concern with one’s nourishment is quite compatible with healthy personality, and it certainly contributes to the experience of re-embodiment. Just as we need nourishing food to survive physically, we need the gospel of Jesus Christ to survive spiritually. Our souls are nourished by whatever speaks of Christ and lead us to Him, whether it is written in the scriptures, spoken by latter-day prophets, or taught by other humble servants of God. #RandolphHarris 14 of 27
Paramedics, EMTs, and firefighters with the Sacramento Fire Depart also save our souls and lives by providing medical care, and identifying and remediating hazards and teaching us how to rectify those threats. To bring their vision to life and accomplish their personal mission, members of the Sacramento Fire Department set definite goals. One way they think about these goals is by thinking of their vision and mission as their life strategy and their goals as tactics that will help then work within and toward that strategy. The Sacramento Fire Department thinks of goals as dots they connect to create the picture described by their vision and mission. They are the short-term milestones that keep them on track and help them achieve their greater mission. However, how do they write effective goals? One technique is that they write SMART goals. SMART goals have built-in features that help the Sacramento Fire Department attain them. Here is an example of how they write SMART goals. If your vision, is to be an excellent firefighter and your mission in support of that is to attain excellent performance reviews, how exactly do you get there? A SMART goal that implements those vision and mission statements might be to eat a balanced diet, get proper rest, go to the gym, show up for work early, and display discipline and determination. Notice how the goals seta specific measurable benchmark and an attainable deadline. If you find it helpful, you can write goals for your job, class, home or whatever you want to exceed in. #RandolphHarris 15 of 27
The last step in this process is to prioritize your SMART goals. Put them in order of importance, time due, or time required to complete, overall attainability, cost, geographic location, outside help, required, or another organizing scheme. You should not randomly list your goals; otherwise, you will waste time and effort. Whether you do the small stuff first and the challenging ones later—or vice versa—is up to you, but organize your time and effort. Leadership is not magnetic personality—that can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not “making friends and influencing people”—that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. Crafting a personal vision statement, mission statement, and SMART goals is a key step in how members of the Sacramento Fire Department develop their identity as adults and members of a team. Vision, mission, and goals help bring out the best qualities of personality in the Sacramento Fire Departments and makes them desirable role models for their peers and the public. You never know the limit of your potential until you reach it—and then step further. A clear vision, a specific mission, and definite goals are important tools that will help you reach and then exceed your expectations. #RandolphHarris 16 of 27
“It can’t be the money that keeps me in, I’ll tell you that. It can’t be the money. It’s just that, even after I’ve been off a week, I still have that desire to get back and get in there. I like the action. I enjoy getting out there and helping people. A lot of guys don’t like to say that. It’s not the macho image. But there are so many out there who need some help, it’s unreal. Especially in the areas where I’ve been working. I never worked in high-class areas, but in my areas it gives you a good feeling to help people who need it. I can go home and say I love life. Very seldom am I down, very seldom. I think that the department has helped. I would say to a young man coming in that it’s going to be a rough road ahead, it’s not going to be easy by a long shot. You have to put a lot into it. Of course, the outlook is different now than when I came in, and much to the better. It’s tough for old-timers to give up the old macho way with smoke, for instance. That’s dumb. I did it, but it’s dumb. Now the new guys are oriented to wearing a mask at all times, and this is a great safety feature. With a young guy coming in now, it’s a good job, and you get out of it what you put into it. There are guys that come in strictly for security, and there are guys that come in for the love of the job. There’s a twenty-two-year-old fellow coming in now, and that’s all he wants—the fire department. Luckily he got up on the list, and he was sweating taking the physical, and he was sweating taking the interview. He finally got appointed, and he’s elated. #RandolphHarris 17 of 27
“He called me up at work. ‘Hey, are there any openings at your house? I want to come and work with you.’ I said, ‘You don’t want to come here.’ He said, ‘Yes, I do.’ ‘Well, I’ll tell you what,’ I said. ‘You couldn’t make a better choice if you want to get experience and work with a bunch of guys that are like a top-notch baseball team. It’s a team that’s always there. If someone has a problem, somebody can look out for you.’ I love it. I feel good about my life. I enjoy the department, and with working on the side on my other jobs, I have enough money to enjoy the other things in life, vacations, taking trips. If I had stayed with the post office, I would have been a different person. In the Sacramento Fire Department, when I’ve been off for a week or two, either sick or on a double, I think, ‘Boy, I hope I can get back to work soon. I’m ready to go back.’ A week off, fine, that’s enough. I’m ready to get back.” Because truth has been bound up with such absurdities, often for self-interested motives, it behooves us to accept no message without due investigation and deep caution. Because people do not feel their inward divinity, they often deny it. In ancient and even medieval times, they were satisfied that it did exist because their simplicity, their uncultivated intellects, created no barriers to this feeling or to faith in it on the authority of tradition and their prophets. We must understand the inevitability of their present skepticism and prove the fact of the Soul as logically, as evidentially as possible. Yet to offer intellectual proof alone is not enough, although a truly excellent step forward. We must also show them how to get the experience of verification for themselves. #RandolphHarris 18 of 27
If you see a fire truck stopped in the street without the lights on, be very careful. Sometimes there is an emergency situation and you should not pass the fire truck. It might be a good idea to safely turn around and go another way. Sometimes fire fighters are getting back into their vehicle and if you pass the apparatus, you may collide with a firefighter who is on foot. Also, be sure to look at their signals, sometimes emergency vehicles are in motions, albeit, slowly, and drivers try to pass them, and this could lead to a dangerous situation. Also, if you are in an intersection when you see an emergency vehicle, continue through the intersection. Drive to the right as soon as it is safe and stop. Obey any direction, order, or signal given by a law enforcement officer, or a firefighter. Even if they conflict with existing signs, signals, or laws, follow their orders. When their siren or flashing lights are on, it is against the law to follow within 300 feet of any fire engine, law enforcement vehicle, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle. If you drive to the scene of a fire, collision, or other disaster, you can be arrested. When you do this, you are getting in the way of firefighters, ambulance crews, or other rescue and emergency personnel. The concept of professional courage does not always mean being as tough as nails, either. It also suggests a willingness to listen to other peoples’ problems, to go to bat for them in a tough situation and it means knowing just how far they can go. It also means being willing to tell the boss when he or she is wrong. #RandolphHarris 19 of 27
As a reminder, parents, pleasure teach your children love America and be patriotic citizens and to buy goods and services made in America. It is also important to respect law and order and treat your elders with respect. To help our firefighters, pleasure donate to the Sacramento Fire Department to ensure they have all the resources they require. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. The concept of professional courage does not always mean being as tough as nails, either. It also suggests a willingness to listen to other peoples’ problems, to go to bat for them in a tough situation and it means knowing just how far they can go. It also means being willing to tell the boss when he or she is wrong. Islam is the fastest growing religion in America, out pacing Christianity. While American was once a nation of generations, there are still many indigenous people lift and others who have been here for generations. To protect America and make sure it will remain a land of the free and home of the brave, we must be patriotic and put Americans first. Democrats and Atheists would like nothing more than red blooded American warriors to become slaves in their own country. They would like nothing more than to close American schools so children can be forced into child labor again. It is not time to roll back, nor will it ever be to remove protection for American citizens. If you have not noticed, crime is spreading to communities that had never seen crime before. Homelessness is on the rise. #RandolphHarris 20 of 27
In fact, Democratic controlled California brags about being the world’s “fifth largest economy,” but it also has the largest homeless population in the nation. If they are all officially counted, California has approximately 4 million homeless people. The highest home prices in the nation, the highest taxes and the most unfriendly business regulations known to man. The average home price in California is nearly $1,000,000.00 USD, while the average salary is $96,036.00, meaning that most Californians cannot even afford to buy a home. California is having an affordability crisis. In 2025, many people in California saw their bills increase by an estimated $500 a month. This includes things like food, automobile insurance, homeowner’s insurance, electricity. In fact, more than 3 million people in California are facing household hardship, and more than 300,000 of them are facing eviction soon. This comes at a time when California is having a shortage of affordable housing. This is caused by nearly half a century’s old laws that discourage homes sales and encourage higher rents. Meanwhile, China, where we are sending all of our jobs and money has more than 50 ghost cities. Ghost cities are regions will housing has been overdeveloped to the point that these places are uninhabited. Because California is so hostile towards people and businesses, more than 360 companies have fled the state since 2020. Businesses like Chevron, SpaceX, Oracle, and Hewlett Packard are amongst the names on that list. #RandolphHarris 21 of 27
Also, more than 500,000 people a year are abandoning California because it is too expensive to live in, crime is out of control, and they are losing their jobs due to companies relocating. More than 100 companies have announced layoffs in California for 2025. Intel is cutting 15,000 jobs, PayPal 2,500 and Meta has terminated 4,000 employees. The California crisis created by Democrats is driving up home prices and mortgages and rents all over the nation and the world, making living unaffordable for all, and advocates say the crisis is far from over. Accordingly, California has more than 3.5 million illegal immigrants. Having the Southern American boarder open and not having American farmland protected, not producing beef, poultry, fish, fruit, produce and dairy in America, and without American goods and services being our number one manufactured and selling items, America has created a dangerous and significantly elevated risks to national security, national economic security, and national public health. Some people may believe that these claims are overstated, but by not routinely monitoring Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CEVs) or other security relevant alerts, such as end-of-life of machinery is how the Oroville Dam Crisis occurred in 2017. Other crises that have occurred due to neglect of critical infrastructure is the 2025 Palisades fires because Southern California ran out of water, when they are located next to an ocean and they could have simply created desalinating plants to help with the water shortage. The water is so plentiful that it is currently eroding land and causing homes to fall into the sea. #RandolphHarris 22 of 27
The American government should know all exploitable vulnerabilities and fix them prior to the situation becoming a crisis. Failure to take such mitigating actions is dangerous and significantly elevates risk to national security, national economic security, and national public health and safety. The American government must understand that significant time and resources must be invested in America. They must also encourage corporations to plan for both mitigating safety vulnerabilities in the short term and eliminating them in the long term. For instance, a company might begin by reaching out to the federal, state or local government and requesting tax incentives to provide security to dangerous communities, to help the government repair bridges and potholes. America needs an approach to eliminate safety vulnerabilities in American cities. There needs to be a road map by the end of 2025, outlining a prioritized approach to eliminate crisis situations in America. There is enough money to send aid to foreign nations, but the American government does not have enough money to care their infrastructure, provide adequate resources, nor end the affordable housing crisis. Nor is there enough money to fund other national critical functions (NCFs). These bad practices of putting America and Americans last is considered exceptionally risky, particularly to national security, national economic security, and national public health and safety. In 2024, Americans spent $100 billion on Japanese cars. #RandolphHarris 23 of 27
In an effort to help America pull through the massive national deficit, please buy American made cars. American made cars used to be the envy of the World and because American car brands are offering a wide range of options, from family SUVs to electric vehicles and luxury sedans, we are now seeing a resurging interest. American made cars are equal or superior to those made overseas. The Chevrolet Trax, for instance, is a well-designed, fuel efficient, and safe SUV. And as you know, there is no better car on Earth than 1950-1970s American Muscle Car. As an incentive to buy American made cars, President Trump plans to made interest on loans for American cars tax deductible. Americans surely make superior products, but we are buying things from other nations. American food imports have risen by 300 percent since 1999. American farmland declined by nearly 20 million acres between 2017 and 2022. As of 2022, there were 880.1 million acres of land dedicated to farming, compared to 900.1 million in 2017. The data shows there are now little more than 1.9 million farms in the country. Americans and American corporations spent $136 billion on food and beverages from other countries. It is a national security risk to lose American Farms and farmers. If there is a war, and most of our meat, produce, poultry, dairy, and fruit is coming from foreign counties, we stand the risk of starving. With war breaking out all over the World, in these uncertain times, it is very important to bring American farms back. Las Vegas is running out of buildable land and is expected to reach its maximum number of homes in 2032. So, home prices are expected to rise dramatically. #RandolphHarris 24 of 27
Additionally, State Farm did ask the California Department of Insurance if they could raise homeowner insurance rates by 22 percent, but this request was denied. However, in 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1107, also known as the Protection California Drivers Act, into law which increases the minimum auto lability limits for bodily injury to $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident. Senate Bill 1107 also increased the minimum liability limits for property damage to $15,000 per accident and the DMV deposit for uninsured drivers to $75,000. The bill went into effect on January 1, 2025. This means that drivers with existing policies with lower limits will renew at the new minimum limits on or after January 1, 2025, and insurance premiums could increase by as much as 54 percent. America is in a state of crisis right now because of mismanagement by democrats. If elected for an unprecedented third term, to make housing more affordable and to offset the cost of homeowner’s insurance and auto insurance, President Trump plans to abolish property taxes. Much like the land crisis in Las Vegas, we could also run out of land to farm and will not be able to grow or cultivate our own food. We can protect American farmland and support American farmers by buying American made beef, poultry, dairy, and produce. Also, country of origin labeling is very important so Americans can know where their food is coming from and have the ability to support American farmers and ranchers. As money flows, it influences further investment. #RandolphHarris 25 of 27
Save the land that sustains us by protecting American farmland. Once the land is built on, we lose it forever. And in the future, there may be food wars. Also, to ensure that we have farmland and buildable land for future use, we need to start limiting the number of people allowed to immigrant to America. Perhaps with the immigrants we do allow into America, there needs to be a diversity program to make sure we have a population that equally represents all races of people. If Americans continue to spend money on American products, then more need to be made to keep up the inventory. When investors notice these goods are selling, it gives them the confidence to pour more money into that local business. It shows that people want these goods made in America and pressures investors to keep these goods and services in America. The jobs stay here, the business stays in American, wages naturally increase, and more money is invested to keep up with demand. This reduces the burden on the taxpayer. When you support American businesses, that money stays in our economy and can help to reduce the national debt. The government creates debt by borrowing from businesses in the private sector or from foreign countries. It also increases the national debt by spending more than it gains in tax revenue in a fiscal year. When people shop locally, more tax money stays in the economy and goes to the government. This way, it keeps more money in our national economy and keeps more jobs located in American which also sends more taxes to the government, which can again help to reduce the national debt. #RandolphHarris 26 of 27
When you buy foreign goods, these companies usually have lighter tax loads or exemptions, meaning less money for the nation debt, plus you are helping to strengthen these foreign nations by send more money overseas. Buying American made products is also better for the environment and helps to reduce the carbon footprint because these products do not have to travel nearly as far. Furthermore, American companies and manufacturers are held to much higher standards in regard to pollution. American companies have to be more careful about air, land, and water pollution and have proper ways to dispose of waste. Moreover, please remember to respect law and order and treat your elders with the utmost dignity and kindness possible. And take your education seriously so that you will be successful in life and make your family proud. It is inborn in the human minds to wish to know. If this begins with the endless surface questions of a child’s curiosity, if it continues into deeper questions of a scientist’s probing investigation, it cannot and does not stop there. For the higher part of the mind will eventually come into unfoldment, that union of abstract reflective thought with mystical intuition, which is true intelligence, which needs and sees a view of the whole of things. And so, the knowing faculty enters the realm of philosophy. As a reminder, parents, pleasure teach your children love America and be patriotic citizens and to buy goods and services made in America. It is also important to respect law and order and treat your elders with respect. As you can see, President Donald Trump and his pledge to “Make America Great Again,” is exactly what America needs to save the country and the American people. And yes, diversity is important, so you can see why it is also important to preserve blonde hair and blue eyes as the people with these characteristics are becoming a minority in America. “Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand between their loved home and the war’s desolation! Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, and this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.’ And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” #RandolphHarris 27 of 27
The Winchester Mystery House
Experience an unforgettable journey back to the time of kings and queens with this entry ticket for The Winchester Mansion in Santa Clara, California which was the residence of Sarah L. Winchester. Take advantage of this fascinating experience. After tour, there will be time enjoy the mansion’s splendor at your own pace. You might even discover secret passages.
Please come and enjoy a delicious meal in Sarah’s Café, stroll along the paths of the beautiful Victorian gardens, and wonder through the miles of hallways in the World’s most mysterious mansion.
For further information about tours, including group tours, weddings, school events, birthday party packages, facility rentals, and special events please visit the website: https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/
Please visit the online giftshop, and purchase a gift for friends and relatives as well as a special memento of The Winchester Mystery House. A variety of souvenirs and gifts are available to purchase. https://shopwinchestermysteryhouse.com/
We wish to express our gratitude to our families and friends and to our many associates and clients, whose lives touched our lives and whose ideas helped us to grow. We would also like to thank our employees and care takers for putting the technical ideas of this estate into conversational style, and we are, of course, extremely thank to all of our patrons for helping to keep the legacy of the Winchester Family alive. The Winchester Mystery House is full of surprises. What was your favorite, “Oooh!” moment during your visit at the mansion? (And for those of you who still have to check it off your bucket list… we will hopefully see you soon.) https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/
Harris Plumbing, Heating, Air, & Electric has been in business for 30 years. How many businesses can say that? We take pride in everything we do – no matter how big or small the service call might be. We’re here to help your home be as safe and comfortable as possible for you and your family. We take that responsibility very seriously as a company. Harris will ensure you have the information you need to decide what to do next, whatever your home is facing. We’ll perform a diagnosis and detail what issues are present before starting any work. This gives you a personalized quote and service plan specific to your home’s needs – not some random quote based on the best guess. The only way we can do our best work is to make sure we handle the issues at hand. https://www.callharrisnow.com/about-us/
BMW stands out due to its focus on driving dynamics and engineering excellence. While other luxury brands prioritize comfort and opulence, BMW is known for creating cars that are fun to drive and offer a unique connection between the driver and the machine. https://www.brianharrisbmw.com/
Randolph Harris San Francisco Taxation & Mergers
Randy advises clients with regard to business transition, taxable and tax deferred mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, restructuring, integrated tax planning, federal and state tax controversy resolution, and real estate transactions. https://www.jmbm.com/l-randolph-harris.html
Those Who Do Good Can Sleep Only in the Tomb
When people receive the necessities of life as a result of their trade-union movement, and the people are also properly educated about the movement, they will be greatly strengthened and the entire nation’s powers of resistance in the struggle for existence will be increased. The trade-unions are indispensable since they are the building blocks for the future council of economics and they will be the equivalent of our current parliamentary groups. It is always important that the most clearly capable and honest person is found to act as an official, administrator, or leader for the movement. When people are granted a high degree of personal liberty in their work, experience has shown that when a man is given extensive free, his capacity for work increases greatly, much more than it does by coercion from above. Lack of freedom prevents the natural process of elimination from occurring therefore the system that allows the most capable, able, and diligent people to be promoted is blocked. Do not let us confuse, even for a moment, the imposing figure of Saint-Just with the sad spectacle of Marat—Rousseau’s monkey, as Michelet rightly calls him. However, the drama of Saint-Just lies in having at moments joined force, for superior and much deeper reasons, with Marat. Factions join with factions, and marginalized people with marginalized people, and in the end, it is not even sure that the scaffold functions in the service of the will at all. #RandolphHarris 1 of 25
However, at least Saint-Just will affirm, to the bitter end, that it functions in the service of the general will, since it functions in the service of virtue. “A revolution such as ours is not a trial, but a clapt of thunder for the wicked.” Good strikes like a thunderbolt, innocence is a flash of lightning—a flash of lightning that brings justice. Even the pleasure-seekers—in fact, they above all—are counterrevolutionaries. Saint-Just, who said that the idea of happiness was new to Europe (actually it was mainly new for Saint-Just, for whom history stopped at Brutus), remarks that some people have an “appealing idea of what happiness is and confuse it with pleasure.” They, too, must be dealt with firmly. Finally, it is no longer a question of majority and minority. Paradise, lost and always coveted by universal innocence, disappears into this distance; on the unhappy earth, racked with the cries of civil and national wars, Saint-Just decrees, against his nature and against his principles, that when the whole country suffer, then all are guilty. The series of reports on the factions abroad, the law of the 22 Prairial, the speech of April 15, 1794, on the necessity of the police, mark the stages of this conversation. The man who with such nobility held that it was infamous to lay down one’s arms while there remained, somewhere in the world, one master and one slave, is the same man who had to agree to suspend the Constitution of 1793, and to adopt arbitrary rule. #RandolphHarris 2 of 25
In the speech that he made to defend Robespierre; he rejects fame and posterity and only refers himself to an abstract providence. At the same time, he recognized that virtue, of which he made a religion, has no other reward but history and the present, and that it must, at all costs, lay the foundations of its own reign. He did not like power which he called “cruel and wicked” and which, he said, “advanced toward repression, without any guiding principle.” However, the guiding principle was virtue and was derived from the people. When the people failed, the guiding principle become obscured and oppression increased. Therefore, it was the people who were guilty and not power, which must remain, in principle, innocent. Such an extreme and outrageous contradiction could only be resolved by an even more extreme logic and by the final acceptance of principles in silence and in death. Saint-Just at least remained equal to this demand, and in this way was at least to find his greatness and that independent life in time and space of which he spoke with such emotion. For a long time he had, in fact, had a presentiment that the demands he made implied a total and unreserved sacrifice on his part and had said himself that those who make revolutions in this world—“those who do good”—can sleep only in the tomb. #RandolphHarris 3 of 25
Convinced that his principles, in order to triumph, must culminate in the virtue and happiness of his people, aware, perhaps, that he was asking the impossible, he cut off his own retreat in advance by decaling that he would stab himself in public on the day when he despaired of the people. Nevertheless, he despairs, since he has doubts about the Terror. “The revolution is frozen, every principle has been attenuated; all that remains are red caps worn by intriguers. The exercise of terror has blunted crime as strong drink blunts the palate.” Even virtue “unites with crime in times of anarchy.” He said that all crime sprang from tyranny, which was the greatest crime of all, and yet, confronted with the unflagging obstinacy of crime, the Revolution itself resorted to tyranny and became criminal. Thus, crime cannot be obliterated, nor can factions, not the despicable desire for enjoyment; the people must be despaired of and subjugated. However, neither is it possible to govern innocently. Thus, evil must be either suffered or served, principles must be declared wrong or the people and mankind must be recognized as guilty. Then, Saint-Just averts his mysterious and handsome face: “It would be leaving very little to leave a life which ne must be either the accomplice or the silent witness of evil.” #RandolphHarris 4 of 25
Brutus, who must kill himself if he does not kill others, begins by killing others. However, the others are too many; they cannot all be killed. In that case, he must die and demonstrate, yet again, that rebellion, when it gets out of hand, swings from the annihilation of others to the destruction of the self. This task, at any rate, is easy; once again it suffices to follow logic to the bitter end. In his speech in defense of Robespierre, shortly before his death, Saint-Just reaffirms the guiding principle of his actions, which is the very dame principle that leads to his condemnation: “I belong to no faction, I shall fight against them all.” He accepted then, and in advance, the decision of the general will—in other words, of the Assembly. He agreed to go to his death for love of principle and despite all the realities of the situation, since the opinion of the Assembly could only really be swayed by the eloquence and fanaticism of a faction, which is to die for them. In the stifling heat of Paris in July, Saint-Just, ostensibly rejecting reality and the world, confesses that he stakes his life on the decision of principles. When this has been said, he seems to have a fleeting perception of another truth, and ends with a restrained denunciation of his colleagues Billaud-Varennes and Collot d’Herbois. “I want then to justify themselves and I want us to become wiser.” #RandolphHarris 5 of 25
The style and the guillotine are here suspended for a moment. However, virtue, in that it has too much pride, is not wisdom. The guillotine is going to fall again on that head as cold and beautiful as morality itself. From the moment that the Assembly condemns him until the moment when he stretches his neck to the knife, Saint-Just keeps silent. This long silence reigned around thrones and that is why he wanted to speak so much and so well. However, in the end, contemptuous of the tyranny and the enigma of a people who do not conform to pure reason, he resorts to silence himself. His principles do not allow him to accept things as they are; and, things not being what they should be, his principles are therefore fixed, silent, and alone. To abandon oneself to principles is really to die—and to die for an impossible love which is the contrary of love. Saint-Just dies, and, with him, all hope of a new religion. “All the stones are cut to build the structure of freedom,” said Saint-Just; “you can build a palace or a tomb of the same stones.” The very principles of The Social Contract presided at the erection of the tomb that Napoleon Bonaparte came to seal. Rousseau, who was not wanting in common sense, understood very well that the society envisioned by The Social Contract was suitable only for gods. His successors took him at his word and tried to establish the divinity of man. #RandolphHarris 6 of 25
The red flag—a symbol of martial law and therefore of the executive under the ancient regime—became the revolutionary symbol on August 10, 1792. A significant transfer about which Jaures comments as follows: “It is we the people who are the law. But it is not so easy as that to become God. Even the ancient gods did not die at the first blow, and the revolutions of the nineteenth century were intended to achieve the final liquidation of the principle of divinity. Paris rose to place the Kind under the rule of the people and to prevent him from restoring an authority of principle. The corpse which the rebels of 1830 dragged through the rooms of the Tuileries and installed on the throne in order to pay it derisory homage has no other significance. The king could still be, at that period, a respected minister, but his authority is now derived from the nation, and his guiding principle is the Charter. He is no longer Majesty. Now that the ancien regime had definitely disappeared in France, the new regime must again, after 1848, reaffirm itself, and the history of the nineteenth century up to 1914 is the history of the restoration of popular sovereignties against ancien regime monarchies; in other words, the history of the principle of nations. This principle finally triumphs in 1919, which witnesses the disappearance of all absolutist monarchies in Europe. (With the exception of the Spanish monarchy. But the German Empire collapsed, of which Wilhelm II said that it was “the proof that we Hohenzollerns derive our crown from heaven alone and that it is to heaven alone that we must give an accounting.”) #RandolphHarris 7 of 25
Everywhere, the sovereignty of the nation is substituted, in law and in fact, for the sovereign king. Only then can the consequences of the principles of 1789 be seen. We survivors are the first to be able to judge them clearly. The Jacobins reinforced the eternal moral principles to the extent to which they suppressed the things which up to then, had supported these principles. As preachers of a gospel, they wanted to base fraternity on the abstract law of the Romans. They substituted the law for divine commandments on the supposition that it must be recognized by all because it was the expression of the general will. The law found its justification in natural virtue and then proceeded to justify natural virtue. However, immediately a single faction manifest itself, this reasoning collapses and we perceive that virtue has need of justification in order not to be abstract. In the same way, the bourgeois jurists of the eighteenth century, by burying under the weight of their principles the just and vital conquests of their people, prepared the way for the two contemporary forms of nihilism: individual nihilism and State nihilism. Law can reign, in fact, in so far as it is the law of universal reason. (Hegel saw clearly that the philosophy of enlightenment wanted to deliver man from the irrational. Reason reunites mankind while the irrational destroys unity.) #RandolphHarris 8 of 25
However, it never is the law of universal reason, and it loses its justification if man is not naturally good. A day comes when ideology conflicts with psychology. Then there is no more legitimate power. Thus, the law evolves to the point of becoming confused with the legislator and with a new form of arbitrariness. Where turn then? The law has gone completely off its course; and, losing its precision, it becomes more and more inaccurate, to the point of making everything a crime. The law still reigns supreme, but it no longer has any fixed limits. Saint-Just had foreseen that this form of tyranny might be exercised in the name of a silent people. “Ingenious crime will be exalted into a kind of religion and criminals will be the sacred hierarchy.” However, this is inevitable. If major principles have no foundation, if the law expresses nothing but a provisional inclination, it is only made in order to be broken or to be imposed. Sade or dictatorship, individual terrorism or State terrorism, both justified by the same absence of justification, are, from the moment that rebellion cuts itself off from its roots and abstains from any concrete morality, one of the alternatives of the twenty-first century. The revolutionary movement that was born in 1789 could not, however, stop there. God, for the Jacobins, is not completely dead, any more than He was dead for the romantics. They still preserve the Supreme Being. #RandolphHarris 9 of 25
Reason, in a certain way, is still a mediator. It implies a pre-existent order. However, God is at least dematerialized and reduced to the theoretical existence of a moral principle. The bourgeoisie succeeded in reigning during the entire nineteenth century only by referring itself to abstract principles. Less worthy than Saint-Just, it simply made use of this frame of reference as an alibi, while employing, on all occasion, the opposite values. By its essential corruption and disheartening hypocrisy, it helped to discredit, for good and all, the principles it proclaimed. Its culpability in this regard is infinite. From the moment that eternal principles are put in doubt simultaneously with formal virtue, and when every value is discredited, reason will start to act without reference to anything but its own success. It would like to rule, denying everything that has been and affirming all that is to come. One day, it will conquer. Russian Communism, by its violent criticism of every kind of formal virtue, puts the finishing touches to the revolutionary work of the nineteenth century by denying any superior principle. The regicides of the nineteenth century, who draw the ultimate conclusions from the logic of rebellion and want to make the earth a kingdom where man is God. The reign of history begins and, identifying himself only with his history, man, unfaithful to his real rebellion, will henceforth devote himself to the nihilistic revolution of the twenty-first century, which denies all forms of morality and desperately attempts to achieve the unity of the human race by means of a ruinous series of crimes and wars. #RandolphHarris 10 of 25
The Jacobin Revolution, which tried to institute the religion of virtue in order to establish unity upon it, will be followed by the cynical revolutions, which can be either of the right or of the left and which will try to achieve the unity of the World so as to found, at last, the religion of man. All that was God’s will henceforth be rendered to Caesar. If he lacks it, just as the religious devotee will be moved sooner or later to seek personal experience, so the mystical votary will be moved to seek intellectual enlightenment if he too lacks it. However, such an inner movement will only develop where aspiration is strong and continuous, sincere and self-critical. A man’s consciousness of himself includes not only his thoughts and acts but also the understanding of them. The intellectual, the scientist or politician, businessman or professional, who has become cold, dry, materialistic, and insensitive, is unbalanced. Yet he thinks he is so levelheaded. A man can get intoxicated by his intellectual-logical thinking as he can with wine, or as the mystic with devotional rapture. The fine balance needed for the clear reception of truth is then absent. All correct thinking must be, and is, accompanied by intense reverence; whilst all ardent devotion of the Divine must be rightly directed towards That which is genuinely divine—and not towards that which is often erroneously thought to be so. #RandolphHarris 11 of 25
If this development is one-sided, there is then the danger that can be seen illustrated anywhere one foes—that is, of knowledge degenerating into dried-up intellectualism, no longer able to influence morals nor control conduct, and of devotion degenerating into superstitious hysteria. To perceive the truth intellectually for the first time through someone else’s eyes or book is very important. And to glimpse the truth intuitionally through one’s own experience is still more important. Many people lack the broad knowledge which is necessary to form proper judgments or humanitarian appeals; many lack the patience which is necessary to scrutinize these appeals at all adequately while most people lack the impartiality to analyze a situation with insight. This is where the philosopher’s counsel may be useful. Even from a rigorously practical standpoint, the man who is incapable of reasoned thoughts is less likely to get on in the World. He will not forget, in being reasonable, to be reverent also. Care is to be taken that the deceptions into which both his logic and his sentimentality are liable to fall, are avoided by the use of sharp discrimination. He has not only to guard against wishful thinking and comfortable believing whenever those collide with truth. He has also to guard against passion-distorted thinking and emotion-warped believing. #RandolphHarris 12 of 25
Where to from here? Liberation of the body is now a dom-species convention. A sizable predom elite is learning how to use their brains. This is neurogenetic progress. Self-actualization of body and brain are basic tools for creating future plan-its. Post-terrestrial futures can only be fabricated by women and men who have pride in their bodies, who understand how to use and direct their bodies precisely and who can fuse their aesthetics in exquisite love linkages with others. To move confidently into the future, we must be guided by men and women who understand that we can control and change our own realities by the responsible, self-actualized use of our brains. When the Mutation Time comes, those who do not want to be mutated can leave. Has the DNA code labored (or played) for two and a half billion years to produce as final product, you, the second post-Hiroshima, post-911 generation, suntanned, languorous, post-political, sophisticated, laid back, affluent, polymorphous orgasm, self-actualized, sensory consumers? You have arrived at this state of intelligent self-control and responsible self-expression, but I know that you want your evolution to continue. In the second stage of this program, we shall learn how to S.M.I.L.E. We shall consider three ideas that, ready or not, like it or not, will determine the future of every gene-pool on the planet. DNA Code labored (or played) for two and a half billion years to produce its final product: YOU. #RandolphHarris 13 of 25
In the Sacramento Fire Department, many assignments require specialized training. Indeed, most large departments have teams of fire fighters who respond to specific types of calls. Members of these teams are usually required to be fire fighters before they begin additional training. Your vision is the guiding theme of your personal life and career. Your vision is a long-term picture that establishes your priorities for making short-term decisions. Your vision grows out of your values and, as a fire fighter, EMT, or paramedic, from the core of the Sacramento Fire Department Values you have adopted. Vision provides direction for members of the Sacramento Fire Department; it motivates them to perform to their potential and beyond. A vision reduces the likelihood of complacency, drifting, and mediocre performance. The strong vision the members of the Sacramento Fire Department adhere to makes them great role models. When others see that the firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics have a clearly defined vision in their life and career, they imitate them. When one becomes a lieutenant, others look to you and your vision to provide the framework and context not only for your command decisions but also for the orders you give and the work you ask them to perform. #RandolphHarris 14 of 25
Many people and organizations find it helpful to record their vision as a vision statement. This forces you to ask yourself some profound questions: What should your vision statement day? What do you want to be known for? What are the most important things in your life? What do you want to achieve? Think also about the model you will want to project to trainees, your colleagues, and, when you become a lieutenant, to your crew members. You vision should include what matters most to you, so when you write your vision statement, you need to reflect on and clarify your values. Think about words that best express who you want to be. A vision statement is usually very concise—no more than a sentence or two. So you will need to select only about five or six values or characteristics to go into your vision statement. Of course, your priorities will shift as you get older, gain experience, and advance in your career. That is members of the Sacramento Fire Department think about their vision statement as a living document, something that can and will change with time. They are not carving their vision in stone. Many plan to revisit their statement, reflect on their priorities, and make changes every year or two. Here is an example of a possible vision statement: “I am determined to be the best firefighter among my peers, the best student to my teachers, the best athlete to my coaches, and the best son (or daughter) to my parents that I can possibly be. I pledge to use my strengths to better my weaknesses in all areas of my life.” #RandolphHarris 15 of 25
Sounds like a promise, does it not? That is what a vision statement is: a commitment to your future, put into words to help guide your efforts. “Firefighting will always be part of my life. It becomes a major challenge at times, but I feel good about it. I’ve got too much invested. I’ve got ten years on the job, and with the ranks I’ve gone through, I can’t just say, ‘That’s enough, I want to quit.’ That’s what’s nice about the American way: if you’re dissatisfied with this fire service, there are a lot of other fire companies that could use your help, especially if you’re educated in the fire service. Operating as a chief at a house fire is a tremendous responsibility. It’s something you have to do. I don’t regret spending my whole professional life in firefighting, not one bit. I honestly can say I have not seen another profession or job that has interested me at all. It’s all I have ever wanted to do. When I was in the Army, I tried desperately to get into the fire service withing the military, but that turned out to be an impossibility. I’ve had other assignments in the Sacramento Fire Department, in fire prevention and even some office-type work I didn’t like at all. It was an education, and it helped me, but my first love is suppression. And I wanted out of those jobs as fast as I could get out of them to get back on the engine, so to speak. I’m not even interested in promotion above battalion chief level, because that means a desk job. And I want to be on the street. I hate to see somebody’s house burn down, I want to be there to say it.” #RandolphHarris 16 of 25
If you are in an intersection when you see an emergency vehicle, continue through the intersection. Drive to the right as soon as it is safe and stop. Obey any direction, order, or signal given by a law enforcement officer, or a firefighter. Even if they conflict with existing signs, signals, or laws, follow their orders. When their siren or flashing lights are on, it is against the law to follow within 300 feet of any fire engine, law enforcement vehicle, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle. If you drive to the scene of a fire, collision, or other disaster, you can be arrested. When you do this, you are getting in the way of firefighters, ambulance crews, or other rescue and emergency personnel. The concept of professional courage does not always mean being as tough as nails, either. It also suggests a willingness to listen to other peoples’ problems, to go to bat for them in a tough situation and it means knowing just how far they can go. It also means being willing to tell the boss when he or she is wrong. As a reminder, parents, pleasure teach your children love America and be patriotic citizens and to buy goods and services made in America. It is also important to respect law and order and treat your elders with respect. To help our firefighters, pleasure donate to the Sacramento Fire Department to ensure they have all the resources they require. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. #RandolphHarris 17 of 25
The concept of professional courage does not always mean being as tough as nails, either. It also suggests a willingness to listen to other peoples’ problems, to go to bat for them in a tough situation and it means knowing just how far they can go. It also means being willing to tell the boss when he or she is wrong. Islam is the fastest growing religion in America, out pacing Christianity. While American was once a nation of generations, there are still many indigenous people lift and others who have been here for generations. To protect America and make sure it will remain a land of the free and home of the brave, we must be patriotic and put Americans first. Democrats and Atheists would like nothing more than red blooded American warriors to become slaves in their own country. They would like nothing more than to close American schools so children can be forced into child labor again. It is not time to roll back, nor will it ever be to remove protection for American citizens. If you have not noticed, crime is spreading to communities that had never seen crime before. Homelessness is on the rise. In fact, Democratic controlled California brags about being the world’s “fifth largest economy,” but it also has the largest homeless population in the nation. If they are all officially counted, California has approximately 4 million homeless people. The highest home prices in the nation, the highest taxes and the most unfriendly business regulations known to man. #RandolphHarris 18 of 25
The average home price in California is nearly $1,000,000.00 USD, while the average salary is $906,036.00, meaning that most Californians cannot even afford to buy a home. California is having an affordability crisis. In 2025, many people in California saw their bills increase by an estimated $500 a month. This includes things like food, automobile insurance, homeowner’s insurance, electricity. In fact, more than 3 million people in California are facing household hardship, and more than 300,000 of them are facing eviction soon. This comes at a time when California is having a shortage of affordable housing. This is caused by nearly half a century’s old laws that discourage homes sales and encourage higher rents. Meanwhile, China, where we are sending all of our jobs and money has more than 50 ghost cities. Ghost cities are regions will housing has been overdeveloped to the point that these places are uninhabited. Because California is so hostile towards people and businesses, more than 360 companies have fled the state since 2020. Businesses like Chevron, SpaceX, Oracle, and Hewlett Packard are amongst the names on that list. Also, more than 500,000 people a year are abandoning California because it is too expensive to live in, crime is out of control, and they are losing their jobs due to companies relocating. More than 100 companies have announced layoffs in California for 2025. Intel is cutting 15,000 jobs, Pay Pal 2,500 and Meta has terminated 4,000 employees. #RandolphHarris 19 of 25
The California crisis created by Democrats is driving up home prices and mortgages and rents all over the nation and the world, making living unaffordable for all, and advocates say the crisis is far from over. Accordingly, California has more than 3.5 million illegal immigrants. Having the Southern American boarder open and not having American farmland protected, not producing beef, poultry, fish, fruit, produce and dairy in America, and without American goods and services being our number one manufactured and selling items, America has created a dangerous and significantly elevated risks to national security, national economic security, and national public health. Some people may believe that these claims are overstated, but by not routinely monitoring Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CEVs) or other security relevant alerts, such as end-of-life of machinery is how the Oroville Dam Crisis occurred in 2017. Other crises that have occurred due to neglect of critical infrastructure is the 2025 Palisades fires because Southern California ran out of water, when they are located next to an ocean and they could have simply created desalinating plants to help with the water shortage. The water is so plentiful that it is currently eroding land and causing homes to fall into the sea. #RandolphHarris 20 of 25
The American government should know all exploitable vulnerabilities and fix them prior to the situation becoming a crisis. Failure to take such mitigating actions is dangerous and significantly elevates risk to national security, national economic security, and national public health and safety. The American government must understand that significant time and resources must be invested in America. They must also encourage corporations to plan for both mitigating safety vulnerabilities in the short term and eliminating them in the long term. For instance, a company might begin by reaching out to the federal, state or local government and requesting tax incentives to provide security to dangerous communities, to help the government repair bridges and potholes. America needs an approach to eliminate safety vulnerabilities in American cities. There needs to be a road map by the end of 2025, outlining a prioritized approach to eliminate crisis situations in America. There is enough money to send aid to foreign nations, but the American government does not have enough money to care their infrastructure, provide adequate resources, nor end the affordable housing crisis. Nor is there enough money to fund other national critical functions (NCFs). These bad practices of putting America and Americans last is considered exceptionally risky, particularly to national security, national economic security, and national public health and safety. In 2024, Americans spent $100 billion on Japanese cars. #RandolphHarris 21 of 25
In an effort to help America pull through the massive national deficit, please buy American made cars. American made cars used to be the envy of the World and because American car brands are offering a wide range of options, from family SUVs to electric vehicles and luxury sedans, we are now seeing a resurging interest. American made cars are equal or superior to those made overseas. The Chevrolet Trax, for instance, is a well-designed, fuel efficient, and safe SUV. And as you know, there is no better car on Earth than 1950-1970s American Muscle Car. As an incentive to buy American made cars, President Trump plans to made interest on loans for American cars tax deductible. Americans surely make superior products, but we are buying things from other nations. American food imports have risen by 300 percent since 1999. American farmland declined by nearly 20 million acres between 2017 and 2022. As of 2022, there were 880.1 million acres of land dedicated to farming, compared to 900.1 million in 2017. The data shows there are now little more than 1.9 million farms in the country. Americans and American corporations spent $136 billion on food and beverages from other countries. It is a national security risk to lose American Farms and farmers. If there is a war, and most of our meat, produce, poultry, dairy, and fruit is coming from foreign counties, we stand the risk of starving. With war breaking out all over the World, in these uncertain times, it is very important to bring American farms back. Las Vegas is running out of buildable land and is expected to reach its maximum number of homes in 2032. So, home prices are expected to rise dramatically. #RandolphHarris 22 of 25
Additionally, State Farm did ask the California Department of Insurance if they could raise homeowner insurance rates by 22 percent, but this request was denied. However, in 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1107, also known as the Protection California Drivers Act, into law which increases the minimum auto lability limits for bodily injury to $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident. Senate Bill 1107 also increased the minimum liability limits for property damage to $15,000 per accident and the DMV deposit for uninsured drivers to $75,000. The bill went into effect on January 1, 2025. This means that drivers with existing policies with lower limits will renew at the new minimum limits on or after January 1, 2025, and insurance premiums could increase by as much as 54 percent. America is in a state of crisis right now because of mismanagement by democrats. If elected for an unprecedented third term, to make housing more affordable and to offset the cost of homeowner’s insurance and auto insurance, President Trump plans to abolish property taxes. Much like the land crisis in Las Vegas, we could also run out of land to farm and will not be able to grow or cultivate our own food. We can protect American farmland and support American farmers by buying American made beef, poultry, dairy, and produce. Also, country of origin labeling is very important so Americans can know where their food is coming from and have the ability to support American farmers and ranchers. As money flows, it influences further investment. #RandolphHarris 23 of 25
Save the land that sustains us by protecting American farmland. Once the land is built on, we lose it forever. And in the future, there may be food wars. Also, to ensure that we have farmland and buildable land for future use, we need to start limiting the number of people allowed to immigrant to America. Perhaps with the immigrants we do allow into America, there needs to be a diversity program to make sure we have a population that equally represents all races of people. If Americans continue to spend money on American products, then more need to be made to keep up the inventory. When investors notice these goods are selling, it gives them the confidence to pour more money into that local business. It shows that people want these goods made in America and pressures investors to keep these goods and services in America. The jobs stay here, the business stays in American, wages naturally increase, and more money is invested to keep up with demand. This reduces the burden on the taxpayer. When you support American businesses, that money stays in our economy and can help to reduce the national debt. The government creates debt by borrowing from businesses in the private sector or from foreign countries. It also increases the national debt by spending more than it gains in tax revenue in a fiscal year. When people shop locally, more tax money stays in the economy and goes to the government. This way, it keeps more money in our national economy and keeps more jobs located in American which also sends more taxes to the government, which can again help to reduce the national debt. #RandolphHarris 24 of 25
When you buy foreign goods, these companies usually have lighter tax loads or exemptions, meaning less money for the nation debt, plus you are helping to strengthen these foreign nations by send more money overseas. Buying American made products is also better for the environment and helps to reduce the carbon footprint because these products do not have to travel nearly as far. Furthermore, American companies and manufacturers are held to much higher standards in regard to pollution. American companies have to be more careful about air, land, and water pollution and have proper ways to dispose of waste. Moreover, please remember to respect law and order and treat your elders with the utmost dignity and kindness possible. And take your education seriously so that you will be successful in life and make your family proud. It is inborn in the human minds to wish to know. If this begins with the endless surface questions of a child’s curiosity, if it continues into deeper questions of a scientist’s probing investigation, it cannot and does not stop there. For the higher part of the mind will eventually come into unfoldment, that union of abstract reflective thought with mystical intuition, which is true intelligence, which needs and sees a view of the whole of things. And so, the knowing faculty enters the realm of philosophy. As a reminder, parents, pleasure teach your children love America and be patriotic citizens and to buy goods and services made in America. It is also important to respect law and order and treat your elders with respect. As you can see, President Donald Trump and his pledge to “Make America Great Again,” is exactly what America needs to save the country and the American people. And yes, diversity is important, so you can see why it is also important to preserve blonde hair and blue eyes as the people with these characteristics are becoming a minority in America. “Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand between their loved home and the war’s desolation! Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, and this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.’ And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” #RandolphHarris 25 of 25
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“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.” President Trump
Drinking and driving is dangerous, illegal, and irresponsible.
If you’re planning to drink tonight, arrange a safe ride in advance. Here are a few alternatives:
Use ride-sharing apps or a taxi.
Take public transportation.
Designate a sober driver.
If you think a Taxi is expensive, remember, driving while drunk can cost you your job, your home, your family, your life and the lives of others.
How Many of Us Know How to Love Ourselves?
We are now living in the Me-generation, hive—indulgence. All the realities we shall ever know are created by the conversation between DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) and CNS (Central Nervous System). The DNA blueprint of evolution, past and future, can be deciphered as we tap into the DNA-CNS channel. The higher the human neurogenetic caste, the more mobile the individual. Neural Caste is determined by voluntary mobility. The freer you are to “come and go,” the higher your intelligence. Metamorphosis to a higher stage involves movement to a new ecological niche. This process of movement involves wrenching “good-bytes” to those who shared the former niche—and the earlier stage of development. It is necessary that you make linkages at each stage of reality. Indeed, you must master each neural circuit before you can advance. The twenty-four neurogenic stages are motels up the highway of evolution—centers and pathways up through the global brain. At certain fuel-rest stops we form crew-linkages to lift us up to the next stage. The flight plan of evolution is a series of reality jumps where we cooperate with those in our present reality to help us ascend to the next. Logical thinking about a proposed course can never be equal to intuitive guidance about it. For the first is limited by the ego’s capacity and experience whereas the second transcends them. #RandolphHarris 1 of 24
The intellect cannot know itself; it must have an object; but that which is behind it does know it. That Overself is the only entity which can know itself, which fuses subject and object into one. The domesticated adult marriage is such a reality jump. It should be clear now that very different mating procedures operate at different stages of neurodevelopment. The retiring elder marriage is a state controlled. Barbarian teenager marriage is a feudal arrangement. Group=minded preadolescent marriage is priest-caste managed. Parrot-brained mimic marriage is bull-harem. Imagine two lusty, romantic barbarians from the domesticated adult gene pools meet at the High School Prom and decide to make the big jump up to parental reality. They form a two-person flight crew. The marriage ceremony is a metamorphic-migration Cape Canaveral ritual. The bride and groom blast up together—in a Ultimate Driving Machine with a flare of chrome wheels on their migration rocket—headed for a new plan-it called Matrimonial Fusion. After passing the Moon of Honey they eventually arrive, sometimes joltingly, in the New World where they discover that the metamorphosis has produced unexpected forms. As curious teenagers, they shared the same desire for pleasures of the flesh. As responsible parents, they discover that they are a very different species. The shy youth has become an aggressive, selfish father-type barking orders to his astonished mate. And the flamboyant, carefree, go-go teenage girl has become a serious, mature worrier. #RandolphHarris 2 of 24
Although the intellect in us cannot grasp the Real, cannot do more than think about what it is in relation to itself, there is something else in us which can successfully do so. This is insight which, unfortunately, few have cultivated although all have it. It can only be translated into thinkable languages by a process which elaborates this instantaneous and simple experience into a lengthy and complicated metaphysic. It is only through such insight that a man may attain enduring wisdom, not through intellect. Changes of view are inevitable so long as he has not attained insight, which is marked by its sureness of itself, thus contrasting with the intellect’s doubts, hesitations, and waverings. Only after reason matures to its fullest extent can we look to the dawning of a perfect intuition, or “insight” as I prefer to call it. The World’s great religions teach us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves, but here, unfortunately, we run into an operational slang. How many of us know how to love ourselves? Most are not even aware that we cannot love our neighbour until we love ourselves. We seem to assume that the more perfect we appear, the more flawless, the more we will be loved. Actually, the reverse is more apt to be true. The more willing we are to admit our weaknesses as human beings, the more loveable we are. Nevertheless, love is an achievement not easy to attain, thus the alternative that the manipulator has is a desperate one: that of complete power over the other person, the power that makes others do what we want, feel what we want, and think what we want, and that transforms others into things, our things. #RandolphHarris 3 of 24
Some men and women are governed by a code of behaviour for pleasures of the flesh that can best be described as “permissive.” They share several basic convictions. One is the pleasures of the flesh, like verbal intercourse, should in no way be limited by the fact that a couple are married or live together. Second, all relationships involving pleasures of the flesh must be acknowledged; the secrecy and deception commonly associated with infidelity are unacceptable. Third, pleasure with intimate passions is to be taken whenever, wherever, and however it is found—as part of a game in which any number can play. Colloquially, these individuals tend to be swingers with their pleasures of the flesh. It the Internet, blogs, vlogs, newspapers, books, pod casts, and magazines are to be believed swingers can be found in every major city in the United States of America and in a great many suburban communities as well. This may be true; there is no reliable statistical information to prove or disprove the contention. Some swingers get started going outside of their marriage by having a friend make a film of them involved with pleasures of the flesh. It is tastefully done—more along abstract lines, something like the film called Geography of the Body. Anyway, that is how some people introduce someone else into the room, and from there on it is usually a matter of evolution—getting involved in the arts and having the sketches shown publicly and so forth. #RandolphHarris 4 of 24
From there, swinging becomes something that can be discussed with other people, people the couple thinks this could never be mentioned to, and who turn out to be thinking the same things. And having done it, slept with others, a married couple sort of realizes how unimportant it is. Pleasures of the flesh outside of the marriage becomes trivial. However, the difficult part is how to introduce other people into their loves in a full meaningful way. Having people is only one small start because you have people over, or you go out with them, and you have pleasures of the flesh with them, but what about loading the dishwasher and having children and the 99.99 percent of other things you do in your life? Even though what many married couples want to do next is somehow live with other people in a meaningful way, most couples have not been able to achieve that status yet. They are not interested in living in a commune, but they do want to try to develop some type of social structure where they spend a lot more time with other people, sharing in all functions. Critics wonder: About swinging, what makes it important? The turn-on? The give and take of just basic human exchange? The fun of being close to other people? There is probably some of that, but in the process several couples lie to themselves a little, too. They sometimes swing with other people casually, just to indulge. The couples are able eliminate the erosive aspect of the extramarital relationship by not being involved in it that often. It is kind of like going out and playing bridge once a month. #RandolphHarris 5 of 24
It is also possible to get into ten couples swinging; some people have had that that experience, and say that everything went right. All of their emotions went well, and nobody got hassled. Of course, there is some kind of selection to make sure that it all goes well. It is not always difficult to make to make these types of connections. Some people have couples that they have swung with a few times, and with whom they also have some emotional ties though the intellectual things is just not very much there. And their talent for finding other people is just incredible, and they provide about half the party—people they have never seen before, but who are beautiful people, and they find about four couples themselves; all in all, the selection turns out to be impressive. This is what some refer to as “Sliving.” However, there is a difference between swinging with people with whom you have developed a relationship and swinging for fun on a spontaneous basis with a very large group of people you do not know and cannot get terribly close to because there is not very much time. Besides, there is too much stimulation in a large group. It is not erosive of your closer relationships, and to do it with a large group can be just a grand amount of fun. Fun expresses it for these types of people, rather than saying there is nothing happening there. It is like going to a picnic. However, who wants to go to a picnic all of their lives? The notion of it is to do something unique. Some couples are looking for something unique because it has to do with their own ego needs, and their own strengths and weaknesses, with wanting to do something special or to be with other people. #RandolphHarris 6 of 24
People want to try swinging to find out what this strange new thing is. They find that it is not really something they have to do, but on the other hand, it is fun for them. Also, in the beginning of it, they find that it is a stimulating thought and a stimulating thing to act on; and brining more people into both of their lives which involves intimate passions eliminates the conflicts of jealousy and the insecurities of each member of the couple going outside of their marriage separately. They are doing something together that is enhancing their own relationship with pleasures of the flesh. We are living today in a very permissive society. Having abandoned the ancient Christian morality, many people claim to accept a new morality, which in reality is to live contrary to the laws of chastity as proclaimed by God. We are living in a day when a sexual revolution has been proclaimed and given birth to serial killers like Jack the Ripper. Jack the Ripper was known as a “Ripper,” for more reasons than one, and I am sure your imagination can further elaborate on that colloquial term. Enticements to illicit behaviour are found everywhere. Day by day, a flood of them is growing worse in novels, magazines, movies, TV, Internet, and advertising. Even people throughout the Church and, generally speaking, throughout the World have now abandoned the anciently cherished Hebraic-Christian moral standard of chastity. Frequently married people commit adultery and single people indulge their passions in acts of fornication. #RandolphHarris 7 of 24
The results of fornication have been disastrous–unhappiness, murder, violence, disease, viruses, the loss of love, breaking up of homes and destroying of family life, increase in the number of divorces, shame, loss of spirituality, apostasy, and eventually loss of eternal salvation for “wickedness never was happiness,” reports Alma 41.10. Several religious leaders have ceased teaching that sin exists because if they do not make you feel bad for sinner, you are more likely to donate to the church. What we need are the Christian ministers who stir their audiences with sermons on chastity; who proclaim condemnations of adultery and of all manners of immoral acts. However, those of us in the Church still hear the voice of God as it thundered down from Mount Sinai, commanding, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” reports Exodus 20.14. For over three thousand years, this commandment has reverberated throughout the Hebrew and Christian World. It has been the guideline by which millions of people have patterned their lives. Having an understanding of the plan of salvation and a thorough knowledge of the seriousness of the gross sins of adultery and murder which he had committed, King David, in anguish cried out unto the Lord, “thou wilt not leave my should in hell,” reports Psalms 16.10. God, the Eternal Father, through Jesus Christ, has revealed to mankind a gospel plan of salvation. Its purpose is to give all who will accept and obey it peace and happiness in this World and eventually life in the presence of God in celestial glory. #RandolphHarris 8 of 24
The greatest of all laws in this gospel plan pertains to marriage for life and eternity. Thus, it pertains to the family eternal. The sweetest joys and greatest blessings that can be gained in morality and in the life to come are attained through family life lived in accordance with the gospel plan. Thus, a basic law in marriage is the law of chastity. Men and women cannot defile the fountain of life and reap a fullness of joy. Happiness and purity of heart and mind go hand in hand. The more we get a feeling for the nature of the should, the more clearly do we see that the difference between them and real moral standards or ideals is not a quantitative but a qualitative one. It was one of Dr. Freud’s gravest errors to regard the inner dictates (some of the features of which he had seen and described as superego), as constituting morality in general. To begin with, their connection with moral questions is not too close. True enough, the commands for moral perfection do assume a prominent place among the should, for the simple reason that moral questions are important in all our lives. However, we cannot separate these particular should from others, just as insistent, which are plainly determined by unconscious arrogance, such as “I should be able to get of out a Sunday-afternoon traffic jam,” or “I should be able to paint without labourious training and working.” We must also remember that many demands conspicuously lack even a moral pretense, among them, “I should be able to get away with anything,” “I should always get the better of others,” and “I should always be able to get back at others.” #RandolphHarris 9 of 24
Only by focusing on the totality of the picture are we able to get the proper perspective on the demands for moral perfection. Like the other shoulds, they are permeated by the spirit of arrogance and aim at enhancing the neurotic’s glory and at making him godlike. They are, in this sense, the neurotic counterfeit of normal moral strivings. When one adds to all this the unconscious dishonesty necessarily involved in making blemishes disappear, one recognizes them as an immoral rather than a moral phenomenon. It is necessary to be clear about these differences for the sake of the patient’s eventual reorientation from a make-believe World into the development of genuine ideals. There is one further quality of the should that distinguishes them from genuine standards. That is their coercive character. Ideals, too, have an obligating power over our lives. For instance, if among them is the belief in fulfilling responsibilities which we ourselves recognize as such, we try our best to do so even though it may be difficult. To fulfill them is what we ourselves ultimately want, or what we deem right. The wish, the judgment, the decision is ours. And because we are thus at one with ourselves, efforts of this kind give us freedom and strength. In obeying the should, on the other hand, there is just about as much freedom as there is in a “voluntary” contribution or ovation within a dictatorship. In both instances, if we do not measure up to expectations, there are quick retributions. #RandolphHarris 10 of 24
In the case of the inner dictates, this means violent emotional reactions to nonfulfillment—reactions which traverse the whole range of anxiety, despair, self-condemnation, and self-destructive impulses. To the outsider, they appear entirely out of proportion to the provocation. However, they are entirely in proportion to what it means to the individual. For instance, Jack’s father was a war hero who got killed in battle when Jack was a little boy, and his mother died soon after. He was raised by his Uncle Homer who was a poor sport, a boaster, and not above cheating. He taught jack all sorts of athletic and competitive games. However, if Jack won, Homer would fly into a rage and say: “You think your (expletive) don’t stink?” If Jack lost, his uncle would laugh at him in a contemptuous, friendly way. So after a while, Jack began to lose on purpose. The more he lost, the happier and more friendly his uncle became. Jack wanted to be a photographer, but his uncle said that was for sissies, and told him he should be an athletic hero instead. So, Jack became a professional baseball player. What Homer really wanted was for Jack to try to be an athletic hero and fail. With his uncle for a friend, it was not surprising that just as Jack was on his way up into the big leagues, he sprained his arm and had to retire from the dame. As he said later, it was hard to explain how an experienced player life himself could get such a bad sprain in spring training, when everybody was taking it easy so as not to get injured before the beginning of the season. #RandolphHarris 11 of 24
Jack then became a salesman. He always started off very well, and got bigger and bigger orders until he became a favourite of the boss. At that point, he felt a compulsion to goof off. He would sleep late and neglect his paperwork, so that his deliveries were late. He was such a good salesman that he did not even have to go out and sell, the customers would call him; but he would forget to put in their orders. As a result of all this, he had to have long, helpful dinners with the boss to discuss his problems in a personal way. After each dinner, he would perk up a little, but after a while, things would start to slide again. Sooner or later, there would be a final dinner during which he would be fired in a friendly way. Then he would look for another job and start the whole cycle over. One difficulty was that he felt salesmen always had to lie and cheat a little, and that bothered him. As a result of his treatment, Jack broke loose from his uncle and decided to go back to school and become a social worker. Thesis: Sisphus works very hard to get things right to the brink of success. At that point he gives up, stops working, and loses everything he has gained. Then he has to start over from the bottom, and repeats the cycle. Clinical Diagnosis: Depressive reaction. Myth: Sisyphus. Role: Deserted Child, Persecutor, Rescuer. Switches: Hero (success) to Victim (failure) to Rescuer. Parental Precept: “Be a tough hero, not a sissy.” Parental Pattern: “Cheat a little.” Parental Injunction: “Do not succeed.” Childhood Slogan: “I am the son of a hero.” Position: “I am not-O.K. because I am really a sissy.” “They are O.K. because they are successful.” #RandolphHarris 12 of 24
Decision: “I have got to be a hero.” Script: “Do not make it.” Sweatshirt: Front—“I’m A Super-Salesman.” Back—“But Do Not Buy Anything From Me.” Games: “There I Go Again,” “Schlemiel.” Trading Stamps: Depression and guilts. Final Payoff: Impotence and suicide. Epitaphs: “He Tried Hard.” “I did not make it.” Antithesis: Stop listening to your uncle. Permission: To go back to school and be a social worker for deserted children. Classification: Sisyphus is a loser’s script, since every time he gets near the top, he rolls all the way down again. It is a Goal-Structured Cannot Script, with the slogan: “Without me, you cannot make it.” It is based on an “Over and Over” plan, “Try as often as you want to.” The time between Hello and Good-by is structured with a game of “There I Go Again.” Therefore, do not be an ammunition wagon. Be a rifle! Also, keep in mind, any connection between grades and learning is illusion. There is not only what I “learn” for exams and forget, but also what I do not learn and get good grades anyway. You can look at the present state of man with joy for the possibilities or with sadness for the actuality. You can choose. However, neither of those choices make sense to some people because they can choose one or the other—and slip from one to the other unless one holds oneself to one’s choice. This makes each unreal to most, a fiction. However, with the acceptance of both realities, they become one: your actuality softens and dissolves into the stream of your potentiality and this flowing is you. Where were you? You no longer remember. Where are you? What does it matter? It is already gone. Where are you going? You do not know but you like it. #RandolphHarris 13 of 24
Persons have become “disabled” by accident or by disease. They may lose a limb, their sight, or their strength. Whatever the impairment, the persons’ capacity to come to terms with their environment has not been eliminated completely. A blind person can still be sensitive to all the properties of the physical environment save those meditated by vision. When a person suffers some affliction that results in a disability, there may be, quite naturally, some rather devastating emotional reactions. These include a sense of hopelessness, anxiety about the future, and loss in self-esteem. Once the fact of disability has been accepted by the individual, however, the healthy thing to do is to make an assessment of the residual capacities of the body and the person’s goals in life. If the person’s goals remain fixed, then he or she must experiment to find new ways of reaching those goals. Thus, a professional dancer, following the amputation of a leg, may wish to continue in the profession. The dancer will be obliged to acquire an artificial leg and practice until he or she once again can move with skill and grace. It is probably easier for persons to retain their goals and seek new ways of achieving them than to change their goals. It is common for disabled persons to feel hopeless and sorry for themselves, but with resolve, courage, and encouragement, they can find new ways to engage in active life. The most helpful people in rehabilitation work are those who have themselves been disabled and have found the strength to overcome passive dependency and self-pity. #RandolphHarris 14 of 24
Even if it takes a long time before this goal is realized, a man will ultimately create an understanding among members that leaves do doubt about the duty and ability of a leader, and this will allow only those who are truly called-forth and chosen to become leaders. He must make sure that all members cooperate, or he must establish cooperation by choosing men who can work together and by establishing general guiding principles. The religion of reason quite naturally establishes the Republic of law and order. The general will is expressed in laws codified by its representatives. “The people make the revolution, the legislator makes the Republic.” Immortal, impassive” institutions, “sheltered from the temerity of man,” will govern in their turn the lives of all men by universal accord and without possibility of contradiction since by obeying the laws all will only be obeying themselves. “Outside the law,” says Saint-Just, “everything is sterile and dead.” It is the formal and legalistic Republic of the Romans. We know the passion of Saint-Just and his contemporaries for ancient Rome. The decadent young man who, in Reims, spent hours in a room painted black and decorated with white teardrops, with the shutters closed, dreamed of the Spartan Republic. The author of Organt, a long and licentious poem, was absolutely convinced of the necessity for frugality and virtue. #RandolphHarris 15 of 24
In the institutions that he invented, Saint-Just refused to allow children to eat meat until the age of sixteen, and he dreamed of a nation that was both vegetarian and revolutionary. “The World has been empty since the Romans,” he exclaimed. However, heroic times were at hand. Cato, Brutus, Scaevola, had become possible once more. The rhetoric of the Latin moralist flourished once again. Vice, virtue, corruption, were terms that constantly recurred in the oratory of the times, and even more in the speeches of Saint-Just, of which they were the perpetual burden. The reason for this is simple. This perfect edifice, as Montesquieu had already seen, could not exist without virtue. The French Revolution, by claiming to build history on the principle of absolute purity, inaugurate modern times simultaneously with the era of formality. What, in fact, is virtue? For the bourgeois philosopher of the period it is conformity with nature and, in politics, conformity with the law, which expresses the general will. “Morality,” says Saint-Just, “is stronger than tyrants.” It has, in fact, just killed Louis XVI. Every form of disobedience to law therefore comes, not from an imperfection in the law, which is presumed to be impossible, but from a lack of virtue in the refractory citizen. That is why the Republic not only is an assembly, as Saint-Just forcibly says, but is also virtue itself. Every form of moral corruption is at the same time political corruption, and vice versa. A principle of infinite repression, derived from this very doctrine, is then established. #RandolphHarris 16 of 24
Undoubtedly Saint-Just was sincere in his desire for a universal idyl. He really dreamed of a republic of ascetics, of humanity reconciled and dedicated to the chaste pursuits of the age of innocence, under the watchful eye of those wise old men whom he decked out in advance with a tricolour scarf and a white plume. We also know that, at the beginning of the Revolution, Saint-Just declared himself, at the same time as Robespierre, against the death penalty. He only demanded that murderers should be dressed in black for the rest of their lives. He wanted to establish a form of justice which did not attempt “to find the culprit guilty, but to find him weak”—and admirable ambition. He also dreamed of a republic of forgiveness which would recognize that though the fruits of crime are bitter, its roots are nevertheless tender. One of his outbursts, at least, came from the heart and is not easily forgotten: “it is a frightful thing to torment the people.” Yes indeed, it is a frightful thing. However, a man can realize this and yet submit to principles that imply, in the final analysis, the torment of the people. Morality, when it is formal, devours. To paraphrase Saint-Just, no one is virtuous innocently. From the moment that laws fail to make harmony reign, or when the unity which should be created by adherence to principles is destroyed, who is to blame? Factions. Who composes the factions? Those who deny by their very actions the necessity of unity. #RandolphHarris 17 of 24
Factions divide the sovereign; therefore, they are blasphemous and criminal. They, and they alone, must be combated. However, what if there are many factions? All shall be fought to the death. Saint-Just exclaims: “Either the virtues or the Terror.” Freedom must be guaranteed, and the draft constitution presented to the Convention, already mentions the death penalty. Absolute virtue is impossible, and the republic of forgiveness leads, with implacable logic, to the republic of the guillotine. Montesquieu had already denounced this logic as one of the causes of the decadence of socieities, saying that the abuse of power is greatest when laws do not anticipate it. The pure law of Saint-Just did not take into account the truth, which is as old as history itself, that law, in its essence, is bound to be transgressed. We need a fulltime, paid party official to manage our business affairs. This has been difficult for us with a democratic majority. However, we now have, in Republican President, Donald Trump, the infinite value of our first business manager, who has a strong business knowledge, and has brought order and integrity into the departments of the Party. This establishes a method of operation that is unequaled and certainly cannot be surpassed by any of the movement’s subdivisions. As frequently happens in life, success often causes envy and ill-will. The same has been expected in this case and it is tolerated with patience. The Republican Party’s greatest goal was achieved when they appointed the sub-committee Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is poking its nose expertly into the work of others and controlling everything to achieve maximum efficiency of taxpayers’ resources. #RandolphHarris 18 of 24
It is also important to make sure the Sacramento Fire Department is receiving all of the required resources. At the personal level, a firefighter injury can have a damaging effect on the involved families. Stress permeates the injured firefighter’s family life. Many of the Sacramento Fire Department’s firefighters know of a peer who has resigned, been divorced, or otherwise suffered following a comrade’s injury. Firefighters who have survived an incident in which another firefighter was killed are considered at risk of experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental health disorder that can develop in those who have experienced a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or threat of harm. Alarmingly, the rate of firefighter suicides are increasing, likely dye to the repeated exposure to trauma, line of duty deaths (LODDS), and job stress. The responsibility of an Incident safety Officer (ISO) is to make sure “everyone goes home.” The ISO is a member of the command staff and is responsible for the following: Monitoring incident conditions and activities, evaluating hazards and unsafe conditions, developing measures that promote safe incident handling, intervening when an immediate or potential threat exists, communicating urgent and advisory safety messages that help prevent injuries or deaths. Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type (FITT) is a fitness training program you Sacramento Fire Fighters and EMTs undertakes to help combat injuries. FITT is just one method of developing a proper long-term physical fitness regime, fitness experts agrees that these factors are needed to have effective, sage daily workout programs. #RandolphHarris 19 of 24
Frequency is the number of workouts the Sacramento Fire Department and EMTs perform each week. A basic guideline is three to five cardiovascular workouts, two to three strength workouts, two to five calisthenics workouts, and three to six flexibility workouts weekly. Intensity is how hard you work out. You can measure intensity by something called RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion), which is a psychological scale and reflects how hard the workout feels to you. The most commonly used indicator of your workout intensity is your heart rate. Ideally, you should stay within a productive heart-rate zone. You can use your age to find your Target Heart Rate (THR). Finding Your THR: Your maximum heart rate (MHR) is approximately 220 minus your age, your lowest target heart rate is equal to MHR X .60, your highest target heart rate is equal to MHR X .85. Your THR zone is between the lowest and highest THR calculated above. As you begin your exercise routine, your heart rate should be on the lower end of your THR zone. Exercising above the zone increases your risk of injury and reduces your ability to perform optimally. Exercise in moderation. Never exercise a particular muscle group hard (at a high intensity for a long time) two days in a row. You should always follow a hard workout with a light day or a day off. For the best development, more is not always better. #RandolphHarris 20 of 24
Time. Like intensity, the time you spend exercising depends on the type of exercise you are doing. At least 20 to 30 minutes continuous minutes of intense exercise will improve cardiorespiratory endurance. For muscular endurance and strength, exercise time equals the number of repetitious you do. For the average person, eight to 12 repetitions with enough resistance to cause muscle failure will improve both muscular endurance and strength. As you progress, you will make better strength gains by doing two or three sets of each resistance exercise. Use flexibility exercises or stretches for varying times, depending on the objective of the session. While warming-up before a run, for example, hold each stretch for 10 to 15 seconds. To improve flexibility, stretch during your cool-down as well, holding each stretch for 30 to 60 seconds. If flexibility improvement is your goal, devote at least one session per week to developing that component. Type refers to the kind of exercise you perform. When choosing the type, consider the principle of specificity. Some people overemphasize cross training and you should avoid this pitfall. For example, to improve your level of CR fitness (the major fitness component in the two-mile run), the Sacramento Fire Department and EMTs do CR type types of exercises. The basic rule is that to improve performance, you must practice the particular exercise, activity, or skill you want to improve. For example, to be good at push-ups, you must do push-ups. No other exercise will improve push-up performance effectively. #RandolphHarris 21 of 24
“In the Sacramento Fire Department, we work in the darkness of smoke. There’s a special point in a firefight when I wonder if I’m going to be able to put the fire out. That was my darkness in the process of growing in this profession. I was a very physical firefighter. I always did things that required a certain amount of strength. I was an athlete when I was going to school, I lifted weights, that sort of thing, and that was part of the process, the physical part of it. It still is. I am still attracted to that part of it. That you put fires out with firefighters, with strength. Then we started to develop the state-of-the-art envelop of firemen, protect them, communicate with them, and write procedures. But you still dress firefighters up in those suits and you send then out, and you gotta kick butt or the fire kicks butt, and I think that’s the part of it that’s challenging. That is the part that a lot of us are attracted to. There is a certain fascination with that darkness. You don’t move away from it, you move toward it, and that’s why firefighting is dangerous, and I think it always will be. There is that special moment where it’s you against whatever is behind that darkness—it’s where life and death come together—and that is an interesting place for a human being. I reflect on it a little differently now that I manage people who do that. I don’t think you ever really understand it, but you expand your ability to deal with it as, say, a battalion chief. You look at the whole system, but it always comes down to the fact that we operate on the task level, it’s just that simple. #RandolphHarris 22 of 24
You still dress those firefighters up, and there they go. You do all the things to help them. You can belt them in and put them inside a cab, and you can communicate with them, and you can give them books to read, and videos to watch. Then you face the enemy, and you face the darkness. People don’t understand firefighter, because they do very special, esoteric things, and they do them in a special way. Firefighting becomes a subculture, and we firefighters with the Sacramento Fire Department tend to hang around with one another, for the darkness is hard to explain to an outsider. Its like trying to describe what ice cream tastes like—it’s cold, and it’s sweet, and it’s vanilla, and it’s different eating it. It’s hard to describe. I don’t think people really have to understand the details of what you do. They relate to you in a different way, in knowing that you are going to help them and that you are going to come quick. The response I usually get from the general public is that you came quickly and you were skillful and cared. That’s what I want. You can’t get any netter. Basically, my life is all fire department. I ski, and swim, all activity-related. You gotta keep doing and thinking and using your hands. There are no two situations alike in firefighting. Always, you go out there, and it won’t be the same thing. That’s what I like about it.” The belief that the unaided reason of man can solve all his problems is merely an expression of reason’s own arrogance. Unless it co-operates with mystical insight, its best solutions of ultimate questions will either be fictitious ones or contradictory ones. Men who have daily experience of a divine presence will not waste their time arguing whether or not a divine power exists. #RandolphHarris 23 of 24
To help save lives and keep the community safe, if you are in an intersection when you see an emergency vehicle, continue through the intersection. Drive to the right as soon as it is safe and stop. Obey any direction, order, or signal given by a law enforcement officer, or a firefighter. Even if they conflict with existing signs, signals, or laws, follow their orders. When their siren or flashing lights are on, it is against the law to follow within 300 feet of any fire engine, law enforcement vehicle, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle. If you drive to the scene of a fire, collision, or other disaster, you can be arrested. When you do this, you are getting in the way of firefighters, ambulance crews, or other rescue and emergency personnel. The concept of professional courage does not always mean being as tough as nails, either. It also suggests a willingness to listen to other peoples’ problems, to go to bat for them in a tough situation and it means knowing just how far they can go. It also means being willing to tell the boss when he or she is wrong. As a reminder, parents, pleasure teach your children love America and be patriotic citizens and to buy goods and services made in America. It is also important to respect law and order and treat your elders with respect. To help our firefighters, pleasure donate to the Sacramento Fire Department to ensure they have all the resources they require. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. #RandolphHarris 24 of 24
The Winchester Mystery House
Step into the shadows of the Northern California’s most legendary estate, The Winchester Mystery House, for a Halfway-to-Halloween Flashlight Tour. Available for a limited time only on April 19, April 26, May 3 and May 10. With only a flashlight to guide you, explore the mansion’s twisting corridors and uncover its chilling mysteries.
Once inside, enjoy the freedom to roam the path at your own pace—giving you the chance to linger in each room to uncover its secrets. This includes venturing into areas that are off-limits on the Mansion Tour, offering access to more spaces where guests and mediums have reported paranormal activity. Outside the mansion, immerse yourself in ghostly décor, capture hauntingly beautiful photos, and indulge in themed cocktails and treats inspired by the Halloween season.
Make Halfway to Halloween a Bay Area tradition—because the spirits never rest, and neither should the celebrations. Get your tickets early before they are gone!
TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW!
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Did You Foul the Nest?
There is a huge social pressure not to complain about what is generally seen as a benefit of privilege. Social dominance theory suggests that a group’s status in the social hierarchy is determined by the groups access to power. There is abundant evidence that social dominance is a characteristic of both human and animal groups. Picture this scene: An African plain lies in the distance. It is peaceful, and a herd of kudu is grazing in the twilight. Suddenly, a young buck enters the herd, challenging the leader. A fight ensues. Nearby a lioness is stalking a few stragglers from the herd intent on killing one to provide food for herself and her cubs. And picture this scene: It is morning rush hour in Manhattan. Nothing is peaceful in the blare of horns, roar of traffic and shouts of frustration. A city bus, by virtue of its size, manages to cut in front of an ordinarily aggressive taxi driver, who yells in impotent rage at the indifferent bus driver. Above the city in a luxury penthouse, several children are playing on a terrace in a sandbox. One of them has just wrested a particularly prized toy from another child. Loud screaming ensures. The babysitter, observing the incident, returns the toy to the crying toddler, who whimpers in satisfaction. It seems that the World is filled with struggle and that “might makes right.” It seems that the bigger, the stronger, the more powerful rule. #RandolphHarris 1 of 23
Even the forces of nature—hurricanes, tornadoes, oppressive heat, drought—are humbling experiences to humans who seem helpless against such power. Nations with great military arsenals seem impervious to threats from countries with less military might. Wealthy individuals control and direct. Impoverished individuals accept and endure. Big adults make the rules. Little children obey them. It is a World of the strong and the weak—the people with the most authority, power, or influence in a group or organization, and the loser or predicted loser in a struggle or contest. Experience has shown, however, that in the face of the destructive forces of nature, humans prepare, adapt, and survive. Nations with great military arsenals have fallen to weaker nations whom they have oppressed. Wealthy individuals are often controlled and directed by the responsibilities their positions impose. Impoverished individuals are able to transform their conditions. And, every day, little children subvert the rules their parents make. One of the characteristics of humans is that they can adapt to their environment, a trait that partially accounts for the survival and development of our species. Socialization, or the formation of groups of individuals who agree to work together to promote the safety and prosperity of each member, attests to human initiative and adaptability. #RandolphHarris 2 of 23
On a global level, nations of individuals agree to common goals among themselves and negotiate agreements with other nations of individuals. On the World scene, however, the dance continues between those with the power and those without the power, the strong and the weak—macro-manipulation interspersed here and there, now and then, with impulses of a higher nature, which is called civilization. Wherever two individuals are in interaction, the same dance is performed. The person with the power is righteous and authoritarian; he or she knows best. He is sometimes right, but always righteous. The person with the authority is a bully, and works with “You should,” and “You should not.” The person in control manipulates with demands and threats of catastrophe, such as, “If you do not, then—you will not be loved, you will not get to Heaven, you will die,” and so on. The person who does not have authority or is projected to be the loser manipulates with being defensive, apologetic, wheedling, playing the role of the person who complains a lot, especially for little reason and such. The marginalized individual has no power. The one who lacks authority is the Mickey Mouse. The person with the authority is Superman. And the people who lack authority work like this: “Manana.” “I try my best.” “Look, I try again and again; if I fail, I cannot help it.” “If I forgot your birthday, I cannot help it.” “I have such good intentions.” #RandolphHarris 3 of 23
So, you see the person who lacks authority is cunning, and usually gets the better of the person with power because the marginalized individual is not as primitive as the person with authority. So, the person with authority and the marginalized person strives for control. The person is fragmented into controller and controlled. This inner conflict, the struggle between the person in power and the person who lacks authority, is never complete, because the person who has all of the power as well as the marginalized person fight for their lives. Understanding these elements of human interaction, the person in a position of great authority and the marginalized, and the techniques each uses in trying to survive and prevail provides a model of our own inner World. The person with authority in us accounts for our perfectionism, our expectations of ourselves and others that can never be satisfied. And the marginalized person in us accounts for our rationalizations and our abdication of responsibility. A lot of manipulations sometimes goes on in marriages, which leads to conflict. Nina has been married for fourteen years. She has no children. She and her husband are very close—they work together. However, Nina has had three extramarital affairs—you might even call them foreign affairs, because one was in India, one in France and one in Italy. #RandolphHarris 4 of 23
These extramarital affairs were very interesting to her and each one was marvelous. She loved all of the men and affair went on for about two years each. Nina has never had an affair in New York because she believes that she would be fouling her own nest. She claims that her husband is very much in love with her and that she could not marry anyone else and be as happy as she is with him. Nina got married at the age of twenty-five. However, she had a lot of experience with premarital pleasures of the flesh. She once dated a doctor and lived with him, but was heartbroken to find out his was a player and had women all over town. Nina did not consider herself promiscuous and usually dated a series of men, over long periods of time. This is most likely due to the fact that one of her first relationships with not monogamous. She claims that although she was initially bitter, her affairs make her feel free and happy. She is so confident in her marriage that she has even brought some of the guys she has affairs with around her husband. Her husband has been totally committed to their marriage. Nina is an interesting example of the individual—male or female—who breaks certain basic socially accepted rules and substitutes an almost rigid set of substitute rules. In this case, infidelity is not only justified but validated by living according to very special standards. #RandolphHarris 5 of 23
When these arrangements are successful, they seem to create a kind of “extended family,” in which the third partner involved with the pleasures of the flesh is somehow brought in touch with the existing marriage. To some extent, of course, this might be described as a self-imposed compartmentalization. Thus, extramarital pleasures of the is made “right” by the imposition of intricate rationales on the lives of all concerned, with great emphasis based on ostensible kindness, devotion, responsibility and so forth. Nina’s emphasis on the fact that she still “loves” the men with whom she had her affairs, even though she no longer has pleasures of the flesh with them, is just one example of the kind of cliched requirements that such people use to maintain their meticulous sense of themselves as decent human beings—or, as she puts it, a person who does not want to be guilty of “fouling the nest.” Most often these individuals are genuinely talented people with a considerable capacity for creative work and they characteristically make use of whatever circumstances are at hand to enhance their total way of life, including pleasures of the flesh. If he were indeed having any, Nina, in this case, remains true to such a philosophy as is evidenced by the fact that she would not want to know about her husband’s extramarital affairs. Again, she makes clear that this kind of gamboling with pleasures of the flesh should be as pristine as possible. #RandolphHarris 6 of 23
If not dictated, all this is based on the idea that the experience of pleasures of the flesh can be dominated by the intellect. Of course, this completely ignores one of the most important aspects of human sexuality—namely, its ability to invoke in human beings far deeper passions than they themselves might ever have dreamed they possessed. If, in order to have affairs of this civilized kind, men and women are willing to regulate their emotional responsiveness, they may succeed in doing so, paying a price that they themselves may not be aware of: a lost capacity for powerful emotions, emotions which will not listen to reason and might therefore upset the marital applecart. We understand now why some people respond with only lukewarm interest in seeing the damaging effects which their claims have upon their actual lives. Although, in many cases, people do not dispute the damage, the present is negligible in view of the prospect of the glorious future. Sometimes people are like individuals who believe that they have a warranted claim to an inheritance; instead of making constructive effort in living, they put all their energies into a more effective assertion of their claims. In the meantime, their actual life loses interest for the individual; one becomes impoverished; one neglects all that could make life worth living. And so, the hope for the future possibilities becomes more and more the only thing one lives for. #RandolphHarris 7 of 23
The neurotic actually is worse off than the hypothetical person claiming an inheritance. For one has the underlying feeling that one would lose one’s title for future fulfillment if the individual became interested in oneself and one’s growth. This is logical on the basis of one’s premises—for, in that case, the actualization of one’s self would indeed become meaningless. As long as one is possessed by the lure of that goal, the alternative way is absolutely deterring. It would mean seeing oneself as a mortal like everybody else, harassed by difficulties; it would mean assuming responsibility for oneself and recognizing that it is up to one to outgrow one’s difficulties and to develop whatever potentialities one has. It is deterring because it would make the individual feel as though one was losing everything. One can consider this alternative road—which is the way to health—only to the extent that one becomes strong enough to dispense with the solution one finds in self-idealization. We do not fully understand the tenacity of the claims so long as we regard them merely as a “naïve” expression of what the neurotic, with one’s glorified image of oneself, feels is coming to one; or as an understandable desire to have one’s many compulsive needs fulfilled by others. The tenacity with which the neurotic adheres to any attitude is a sure indication that the attitude fulfills functions which seem indispensable in the framework of one’s neurosis. #RandolphHarris 8 of 23
We have seen that claims seem to solve many problems for this person. Their over-all function is to perpetuate one’s illusions about oneself, and to shift responsibility for oneself on other people, on circumstances, or on fate. It is unfair that one had any difficulties in first place, and one is entitled to life’s being so arranged that they should not trouble one. For example, one is asked for a loan or for a contribution. One becomes upset and, in one’s mind, heaps abuse on the person asking one. Actually, the individual is indignant because of one’s claim not to be bothered. What makes one’s claim so necessary? The request actually confronts one with a conflict within oneself, which is roughly that between one’s need to comply and one’s need to frustrate others. However, so long as one is too scared or too unwilling to face this conflict—for whatever reason—one must hold on to one’s claim. One puts it in terms of not wanting to be bothered, but more precisely it is the claim that the World should behave in such a way as not to mobilize (and make one aware of) one’s conflicts. Claims prevent some people from squaring themselves with difficulties, and they thereby perpetuation an individual’s neurosis. I have a letter from a young woman saying, “I must lead two lives, one to get on in the World of every day and the other one to be really me, to be with the comfortable one, like, you, well I cannot name them now, but with these people I could be in the really good World for me. #RandolphHarris 9 of 23
“But I must learn to live also in this safe conformed World because I have to work and bring up a child and be married to a man I confuse. I mut try to confuse him less. I am too odd, too exhausting for others. But when I am with you or the mountains—then I am really happy and feel really good.” Odd. Non-conventional. Unpredictable. However, the creative is unpredictable. Perhaps even God is a little surprised. Some kinds of therapy seek to make man more predictable. Behaviourism and B.F. Skinner do this too. Certainly, this can be done. Parents and society have been doing it for centuries, with enough success to encourage further moves in this direction—and with sufficient failure to permit some changes to take place. Modern techniques to make it possible to improve the score for those who wish to control others. There is no question that this can be done, but as one young man says, “A bullet in the head will make a man quite predictable too.” The question is: Do I want this—not just for others, but for myself? I do not. Unlike scientific goals, the goals of a humanistic psychotherapy are neither predictability or control. In fact, the more successful psychotherapy is, the less predictable the individual becomes, because one’s rigidity is reduced and one’s spontaneity and creativity are increased. #RandolphHarris 10 of 23
“Unpredictable” scares some people. They think of rape, arson, armed robbery and murder. However, the people who make these pursuits their profession are very rigid and predictable. The repetition of their acts in the same pattern is very helpful to those who seek to capture them. They do the same thing in the same way, repeatedly. They can be counted on. To learn that Reality is beyond the intellect’s capacity to know it is to learn something about it. To learn what it is not may seem useless to some people but that does prepare the mind, as well as the way, for beneficial knowledge of it through insight. A reality which is not conceivable by human thought because it transcends thought itself, therefore it is also not describable. However, what thought can do is to establish what IT is not, and even more important that IT is. It is by its pondering over these very contradictions, paradoxes, and puzzles of an intellectually scientific view of the World that the intellect itself is unconsciously led first to engender and ultimately to accept a mystically intuitive view of the World. Why must we always try to arrive at formal conclusions? Why not let ideas work of themselves in the subconscious? Truth itself is beyond thought and speech, but the way to it embraces it. Reality itself is beyond touch and ideation but the way to it can be pointed out. #RandolphHarris 11 of 23
You must eliminate from the definitions of both truth and reality everything which might mislead you to regard concepts as the final goal. Just as a man may use one thorn to pick another from his flesh and then throw both away, so you must use right concepts to remove erroneous ones. Finally, you must discard them all. Because critical, rational thinking has to be transcended during certain phases of this quest, we should not overvalue it. However, let us not therefore fall into the opposite error and undervalue it. Even if it could no nothing more than keep us from stumbling, it would be worthwhile. However, it can do much more than that. When intuition quietly confirms what intellect argues, when it gives a deeper sanction to reasoned conclusions, we come closer to the truth of the matter. The intellect has its own limitations but it can lead a man—if properly guided by correct thinking or by hearing and reflecting upon words of those who have already written them—to the very verge of the limitations where a single leap into passivity will dispel darkness and bring light. The ways of filling in short periods of social time withdrawal, rituals, pastimes, activities, games, and intimacy. Each of these has a beginning and an ending called a switch point. Over a longer period, the script also has its switch points, which usually mean that the players switch from one role to another in the drama triangle. #RandolphHarris 12 of 23
With a careful and scholarly analysis of time patterns in the theater which also applies to the dramaturgy of real-life scripts, the two most important types are called “set time” and “event time.” Set times runs by a clock or calendar. The action begins and ends at a certain moment, or a certain time is given for its performance, as with a football game. For script analysis, we can call this clock time (CT). In event time, the activity is to be completed, like a baseball game, no matter how long or short a time it takes by the clock. We will call this goal time (GT). There are also combinations of these. A boxing match can terminate either when all rounds are completed, which takes a set time or clock time, or when there is a knockout, which is event time or goal time. These ideas are useful to the script analysts, particularly in dealing with “Can” and “Cannot” scripts. A child doing his homework can be given five different instruction. “You need plenty of sleep, so you can stop at nine o’clock.” This is called Clock Time Can. “You need plenty of sleep, so you cannot work after nine o’clock.” This is called Clock Time Cannot. “Your homework is important, so you can stay up and finish it.” This is Goal Time Can. “Your homework is important, so you cannot go to bed until you finish it.” This is Goal Time Cannot. The two Cans may relieve him, and the two Cannots may irritate him, but none of them box him in. #RandolphHarris 13 of 23
“You have to finish your homework by nine o’clock so you can get to sleep.” Here Clock Time and Goal Time are combined, which is called a “Hurryup.” It is evident that each of these instructions can have a different effect on his homework and on his sleep habits. From a Martian point of view, the effects on the child’s script may be quite different from what the parents say they meant. For instance, Clock Time Cannot may end up with insomnia, and Goal Time Cannot may throw in the sponge someday. This list is important because it helps to explain how people choose to fill in their time while following their script injunctions. “You can live until you’re forty” (CT Can) is usually busy trying to get done what he wants to do; “You can live until your wife dies” (GT Can) is likely to spend more time worrying about how to postpone the event and keep his wife alive. “You cannot do it until you meet the right men” (GT Cannot) may spend a lot of time looking for men, where “You cannot do it until you are twenty-one” (CT Cannot) has time for other things. It also explains why some people are run by the clock while others are goal oriented. Abstract thinking shifts the mind’s attention to quite a different level. Such thoughts do not have an outer appearance. They take no shape. They are to be comprehended—know by being understood. #RandolphHarris 14 of 23
Aging is naturally a retrospective time, a time when examine and reassess past life both for our own purposes and because younger people think we have some wisdom to offer. The appearance of wrinkles in the facial skin and on the neck is an inevitable part of aging. Yet many, women especially, become panic-stricken at the first appearance of a wrinkle. This panic derives from a dread of being old and from the cultural overemphasis on the importance of appearance as a basis for security and self-esteem. The person who panics at wrinkles and goes to any length to regain, at age forty, the complexion of a sixteen-year-old, is an unhealthy person. Such an individual might well seek to find more stable sources of self-esteem than facial appearance. Furthermore, people have all kinds of problems in connection with their sexual organs. If they have what seem to be small genital organs, some men feel they are inferior. There are cases on record where an entire neurotic personality structure began from the belief that the sex organs were smaller than those of other men. There is no connection between “manliness” and the size of the genitalia. Many people in our society are prudish about, almost ashamed of, the reproductive and eliminative functions of their bodies. They become panic-stricken at the prospect of being seen nude. If it requires that the genitalia be exposed, some may actually avoid a medical examination. #RandolphHarris 15 of 23
Indeed, their concept of their own genitalia and those of the opposite gender may be autistic. These unreal concepts may involve notions that the female organs are dangerous and castrating or that penises are destructive weapons. Some women may acquire attitudes of resentment and shame over their menstrual functions and needlessly isolate themselves through the duration for their periods—as is done in some primitive societies. In response to the cultural ideal of a muscular male, many sedentarily occupied men undergo strenuous weight-lifting and body-building courses to become visibly muscular. There is nothing inherently healthy or unhealthy in such efforts. If they result in an improvement of appearance, vigour, and health without loss of other values, they are healthy. If they are expressions of unnecessary compensation or overcompensation for other kinds of deficiencies and inferiorities, they are unhealthy. Freedom is defined as the amount of mobility-velocity-altitude, and communication-scope attained by the individual. It is fashionable for intellectuals to complain about humanity’s destructive and pessimistic trend. While, in all charity we can understand the hive meaning of this pessimism, it is the task of Evolutionary Agents to counter it by repeatedly showing that the genetic plan is working out perfectly. #RandolphHarris 16 of 23
The human cards are in no position to interfere with the DNA deal. Remember that for the last 5,000 years—a mere micro0flick in genetic time—the species haves been in a continual frenzy of mutation and migration. A species, or an individual without genetic consciousness, caught in the midst of all-out-high-velocity changes, buffeted, overwhelmed by no-let-up metamorphosis, pushed into rapid migration, is understandably confused and a bit fatigued. The will of the people is, in fact, coercive; its power has no limits. However, the punishment it inflicts on those who refuse to obey it is nothing more than a means of “compelling them to be free.” The deification is completed when Rousseau separating the sovereign from his very origins, reaches a point of distinguishing between the general will and the will of all. This can be logically deduced from Rousseau’s premises. If a man is natural good, if nature as expressed in him is identified with reason, he will express himself freely and naturally. He can no longer, therefore, go back on his decision, which henceforth hovers over him. The will of the people is primarily the expression of universal reason, which is categorical. The new God is born. That is why the words that are to be found most often in The Social Contract are the words absolute, sacred, inviolable. The body politic thus, defined, whose laws are sacred commandments, is only a by-product of the mystic body of temporal Christianity. #RandolphHarris 17 of 23
The Social Contract, moreover, terminates with a description of a civil religion and makes of Rousseau a harbinger of contemporary forms of society which exclude not only opposition but even neutrality. Rousseau is, in fact, the first man in modern times to institute the profession of civil faith. He is also the first to justify the death penalty in a civil society and the absolute submission of the subject to the authority of the sovereign. “It is in order not to become victim of an assassin that we consent to die if we become assassins.” A strange justification, but one which firmly establishes the fact that you must know how to die if the sovereign commands, and must, if necessary, concede that he is right and you are wrong. This mystic idea explains Saint-Just’s silence from the time of his arrest until he goes to the scaffold. Suitably developed, it equally well explains the enthusiasm of the defendants in Moscow trials. We are witnessing the dawn of a new religion with its martyrs, its ascetics, and its saints. To be able to estimate the influence achieved by this gospel, one must have some ides of the inspired tones of the proclamations of 1789. Fauchet, confronted with the skeletons discovered in the Bastille, exclaims: “The day of revelation is upon us…The very bones have risen at the sound of the voice of French freedom; they bear witness against the centuries of oppression and death, and prophesy the regeneration of human nature and of the life of nations.” #RandolphHarris 18 of 23
Then he predicts: “We have reached the heart of time. The tyrants are ready to fall.” It is the moment of astonished generous faith when a remarkably enlightened mob overthrows the scaffold and the wheel at Versailles. Scaffolds seemed to be the very altars of religion and injustice. The new faith could not tolerate them. However, if it becomes dogmatic, a moment comes when faith erects its own altars and demands unconditional adoration. Then scaffolds reappear and despite the altars, the freedom, the oaths, and the feasts of Reason, The Masses of the new faith must now be celebrated with blood. In any case, in order that 1789 shall mark the beginning of the reign of “holy humanity” and of “Our Lord the human race,” the fallen sovereign must first of all disappear. The murder of the King-priest will sanction the new age—which endures to this day. If you know the precise sources of man’s inspiration, you will be able to measure more correctly the truth of his proclamations. However, you cannot discover them for his own statement, for he may be mistaken or unaware. To get at them, you must add critical analysis to sympathetic self-identification with him. When you approach a volume containing the true LIGHT, it was better that you put aside the old and established canons of criticism which elsewhere serve you so well, but here are about as useful as a candle on a stormy night. #RandolphHarris 19 of 23
At a time when society, at every level, and in every community face the possibility of a crisis event, the Sacramento Fire Department makes sure they are equipped with leaders who have the skills and knowledge to keep our communities safe. In daily peacetime or training and operations, the primary responsibility of the Sacramento Fire Department is to help the organization function effectively. The Sacramento Fire Department must accomplish their mission despite any surrounding chaos. This all begins with a well-thought-out-out plan and thorough preparation. Planning reduces confusion, builds the teams confidence in themselves and in the organization, and allows the flexibility to adjust to changing situations. Good planning boosts shared understanding and ensures that a mission is accomplished with a minimum of wasted effort and fewer, if any, casualties in emergency situations. The Sacramento Fire Department prepares by making sure that they have detailed coordination with other organizations involved or affected by the operation or project. Rehearsals are critical elements of preparation. It allows the Sacramento Fire Department in a mission to develop a mental picture of responsibilities and what should happen. It helps the team synchronize operations at times and places critical to successful mission accomplishment. Rehearsing key emergency situations allows the Sacramento Fire Department to see how things are supposed to work and builds confidence in the plan. #RandolphHarris 20 of 23
Successful execution of a plan is based on all the work that has gone before. Executing for success requires situational understanding, supervising task completion, assessing progress, and implementing required execution or adjustment decisions. Executing in fighting fires means putting a plan into action by applying emergency techniques and power to accomplish the mission. It also means that the Sacramento Fire Department is using situational understanding to assess progress and make execution and adjustment decisions. When in an emergency situation, the Sacramento Fire Department strives to integrate and synchronize all elements of their team. The goal is to assign specific tasks or objectives to the most capable organization and empower firefighters to execute and exercise initiative within the given intent. Achieving consists results hinges on doing all the right things that come under other leadership competencies—having a clear vision, taking care of people, setting the right example, building up the organization, encouraging leader growth, and so on. The Sacramento Fire Department achieves consistent performance by monitoring collective performance, reinforcing good performance, and implementing systems to improve performance. #RandolphHarris 21 of 23
“Lately we ‘ve had a rash of arson fires. We have an industrial area, but basically it’s a residential area. We’ve been lucky, we haven’t had too many hazmat incidents or other kind of catastrophes. Right now we’re going through a pretty tough time. Sometimes a run of bad things happen, but then there’s always that one time where you get a lot of self-satisfaction and gratitude, and it makes up for everything that was bad earlier. I’ve had a thought of quitting. Sometimes it can be frustrating. But then you get something that makes you feel great. Even something small, like helping people in a power failure. It doesn’t matter how big or small. If it brings happiness to somebody, then that’s good enough for me. I have the responsibility to make sure my men come home safely after every fire. Safety is the number one priority for myself and the men. To me, every fire I go to is a tight situation. We’ve had major structural calls comes in as a Dumpster fire. I never take anything lightly when we go out the door, I like to get on the scene and make sure what we got.” Communication can only come into actual being where the collective verbal symbolism is understood in a similar manner by all who use it. If such common understanding is absent or only partial, then the representational value of the symbolism breaks down. Many people know the meaning of a word without really understanding the meaning. The ignorance was shown up by Sokrates in the simple but celebrated case of an onion. They manage to pack the smallest quantity of thought into the largest quantity of words. #RandolphHarris 22 of 23
If you are in an intersection when you see an emergency vehicle, continue through the intersection. Drive to the right as soon as it is safe and stop. Obey any direction, order, or signal given by a law enforcement officer, or a firefighter. Even if they conflict with existing signs, signals, or laws, follow their orders. When their siren or flashing lights are on, it is against the law to follow within 300 feet of any fire engine, law enforcement vehicle, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle. If you drive to the scene of a fire, collision, or other disaster, you can be arrested. When you do this, you are getting in the way of firefighters, ambulance crews, or other rescue and emergency personnel. The concept of professional courage does not always mean being as tough as nails, either. It also suggests a willingness to listen to other peoples’ problems, to go to bat for them in a tough situation and it means knowing just how far they can go. It also means being willing to tell the boss when he or she is wrong. As a reminder, parents, pleasure teach your children love America and be patriotic citizens and to buy goods and services made in America. It is also important to respect law and order and treat your elders with respect. To help our firefighters, pleasure donate to the Sacramento Fire Department to ensure they have all the resources they require. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. #RandolphHarris 23 of 23
Never has there been a building so talked about. You will find The Winchester Mystery House in what was once the countryside known as “Winchester Valley,” where it has left past guests feeling a little spooked passing through certain rooms. It is well known for its reputation of being the world’s most haunted location.
The Winchester Estate dates back to the late 19th century, and it has a history that is packed full of legends and stories of spirits. The guided post-sunset walk takes visitors through the history of the mansion, while also offering a chance to spot some of the more well-known Winchester ghosts. There are stories of a little girl playing in the hallways and tugging at bedcovers at night and a woman in white who crosses the courtyard and passes through the walls.
The carpenters who worked day and night for 36 years to build the mansion that was once nine stories high, containing as many as 600 rooms, knew the area was dense in spiritual energy. The mansion is situated over the crossing of two Ley Lines. In these areas, the veneer between the physical and spirit realms is thinner and much more permeable. This permeability and natural energy allow entities to manifest much more readily than in a normal location. Any thought or action in these areas, whether positive or negative has a much stronger and more focused effect. In the case of The Winchester Mansion decades of compounded suffering, negativity and strong emotional experiences have left a marked effect on the atmosphere in and around the mansion.
Some tour guides have heard chanting coming from outside the mansion and have heard their names being called. Others have reported seeing a woman hovering in the mansion. Although her journals are sometimes vague, Mrs. Winchester experienced bizarre poltergeist activity during construction. She mentions to a friend the incredible amount of poltergeist activity that occurred during the time spent building the front of the mansion.
Mr. Hasen, one of Mrs. Winchester’s foremen, had written about his tools getting moved to the far corners of the room when his back was turned. Although they were paid three times the going rate and lived in Victorian cottages once on the estate, carpenters employed by Mrs. Winchester left suddenly and did not come back, never giving a reason to their departure. On September 5, 1922, construction efforts were suddenly stopped when the ladders several carpenters were working from were pushed away from the wall, forcing them to jump several stories. Moments later, it was discovered that Mrs. Winchester had passed away in her sleep.
The mansion that has survived such a long history, is a marvel to see in person. Today, it stands four stories high, and has an estimated 160 rooms, of which 110 are open for tour. There has been some restoration over the years and ongoing maintenance. Come inside the mansion to see the priceless architecture and learn of its history. The guided tours are exquisitely led by a well prepared and enthusiastic team, who make sure that you and all guests are entertained by the great stories. Take advantage of this fascinating experience. After tour, there will be time enjoy the mansion’s splendor at your own pace. You might even discover secret passages.
Please come and enjoy a delicious meal in Sarah’s Café, stroll along the paths of the beautiful Victorian gardens, and wonder through the miles of hallways in the World’s most mysterious mansion. Even if you do not believe ghost stories, you might still get goosebumps passing through the most infamous basement. Enjoy panoramic views and discover quirky features such as secret staircases, doors that open to nowhere, stairs to the ceiling, hidden trapdoors, and other unusual features.
For further information about tours, including group tours, weddings, school events, birthday party packages, facility rentals, and special events please visit the website: https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/
Please visit the online giftshop, and purchase a gift for friends and relatives as well as a special memento of The Winchester Mystery House. A variety of souvenirs and gifts are available to purchase. https://shopwinchestermysteryhouse.com/
Why Are We Here?
If you do not make the unconscious conscious, it will control your life and many will call it fate. I am still grateful for an incident which occurred during the last war, because it opened my eyes to unconscious claims I haboured and, from these, to those of others. Coming back from a visit to Mexico, I was put off the flight in Corpus Christi because of priorities. Although I considered this regulation perfectly justified in principle, I noticed that I was furiously indignant when it applied to me. I was really exasperated at the prospect of a three-day train ride to New York, and became greatly fatigued. The whole upset culminated in the consoling thought that this might be a special provision by providence, because something might happen to the plane. At that point, I suddenly saw the ridiculousness of my reactions. And, starting to think about them, I saw the claims: first, to be the exception; second, to be taken special care of by providence. From then on, my whole attitude toward the train ride changed. It was no less uncomfortable to sit day and night in overcrowded day coaches. However, I was no longer tired, and even began to enjoy the trip. I believe that anyone can easily duplicate and extent this experience with observations of himself or others. The difficulties many people have, for instance, in observing traffic regulations—and pedestrian or as driver—often result from an unconscious protest against them. They should not be subjected to such rules. Other resent the “insolence” of a bank in drawing their attention to the fact that they have overdrawn their account. #RandolphHarris 1 of 23
Again, many fears of examinations, or the inability to prepare for them, stem from a claim to exemption. Similarly, indignation at seeing a bad performance may derive from feeling entitled to first-class entertainment. This claim of being the exception pertains also in regard to natural laws, psychic or physical. It is amazing how obtuse otherwise intelligent patients can become when it is a matter of seeing the inevitability of cause and effect in psychic matters. I am thinking of rather self-evident connections such as these: if we want to achieve something, we must strive toward assuming responsibility for ourselves. Or: so long as we are arrogant, we will be vulnerable. Or: so long as we do not love ourselves, we cannot possibly believe that others love us, and must by necessity be suspicious toward any assertion of love. Patients presented with such sequences of cause and effect may start to argue, to become befogged or evasive. Many factors are involved to produce this peculiar denseness. We must realize in the first place that to grasp such cause-and-effect relations means confronting the patient with the necessity of inner changes. Of course, it is always difficult to change any neurotic factor. However, in addition, as we have already seen, many patients have an intense unconscious aversion to the realization that they should be subject to any necessity. If they let their meaning penetrate at all—the mere words “rules,” “necessities,” or “restrictions” may make them shudder. In their private World everything is possible to them. #RandolphHarris 2 of 23
The recognition of any necessity applying to themselves, therefore, would actually pull them down from their lofty World into actuality, where they would be subject to the same natural laws as anybody else. And it is this need to eliminate necessity from their lives which turns into a claim. In analysis, this shows in their feeling entitled to be above the necessity of changing. Thus, if they want to become independent or less vulnerable, or want to be able to believe in being love, they must see that they have unconsciously been refusing to change attitudes within themselves. The intellect ought to work only as a servant, obeying intuition’s orders in practical life or filling in details for intuition’s discoveries in the truth-seeking quest. These competing tendencies of intuition and reason may, however, be harmonized in a balanced personality. All mystics have not advocated the paralysis of intellect—even Jacob Boehme wrote: “Human reason, by being kept within its true bounds and regulated by a superior light, is only made useful. Both the divine and natural life may in the soul subsist together and be of mutual service each to the other.” We should not rightly expect such a deliberately evoked intuition to act always as a substitute for reason. Its help is to be sought only when reason is baffled. We must not on the plea of the superiority of intuition desert our parallel duty of evolving reasoning power. We are endowed with intelligence, with the faculty to reason things out, with the ability to box the compass of our own life, and it is our task to use this most common of all potential qualities a little more frequently than we appear to do at the present time. #RandolphHarris 3 of 23
The greatest intellect is as nothing when compared with the intelligence, the so-called subconscious mind, which directs the involuntary functions of the body. Intellect, reason, and intelligence are not convertible terms in this teaching. The first is the lowest faculty of the trio, the third is the highest, the second is the medial one. Intellect is logical thinking based on all available and impartially collected facts. Intelligence is the fruit of a union between reason and intuition. The truth is not against intellect but above it, not opposed to thought but beyond it. None of these ultimate problems can be solved by the intellect: those who imagine they do so, deceive themselves. And if they communicate their specific solutions to disciples or followers they, unintentionally perhaps, mislead them. Human thought can go so far but no farther. The “truth” which intellect can attain is a perpetually moving one. Thinking can never arrive at a final conclusion that is completely final, or at an absolutely true “truth.” Outside my window is an oak tree. Every time I see it, it says something different. Today a woodpecker works on its side which is riddled with woodpecker hoes. Peck, peck, peck, peck—it says impatient. Not thorough. Other days I see it strong limbs cast eternally in a face posture saying “thus” like a symbol of endless meaning. Now the branches hang down leafless and say “go to Earth, peaceful.” Such an eloquent tree. Its massive trunk goes to Earth and says, “I am real before you.” And so it is. In this relaxed perception of things each wordlessly reveals something and endlessly changes in nuances of meaning. Obviously, the eloquence of the tree is mine. It says my meanings. Other see another tree there. Dull wits see merely an oak tree. In the relaxed, congruent, empathetic, unconditional regard for things they become beautifully eloquent of their/your nature. The perceived and apperceived World is one’s own representation. #RandolphHarris 4 of 23
Any meaning in the World has one’s own signature on it. Insofar as this deepest nature stands forth. The little enclosed self or ego can open inwardly into its own wiser aspects. Or it can open outwardly until it is nothing but all things. One can be friend to and enjoy all of one’s selves! It is difficult for ego to give up its little defended citadel. Ego doubts the wisdom of its inner aspects, such as dreams or fantasies. The less it knows of it, the more it doubts. Ego is afraid to open its door outwardly to others. If they knew my real feelings, how might they hurt me? And, why should I pay so much attention to them?—they are so dull and routine! Others are dull insofar as they are unknown. It continually amazes me how interesting anyone can be insofar as I open to understand them. And even these interesting ones become dull when I quit paying them heed. They become routine and dull again. The same is true for the material World. The major difference between one who enjoys art and a clod is that the first opens himself to appreciate what is before him. Did I ever tell you of the beauty of cobwebs on a dirty window? That is another long story. The journey from manipulation to mastery is unlike most other journeys in that its destination is not a place, but a process. What does this process look like? It looks a lot like another destination-less journey; it looks like life. The process called mastery consists of growth and contraction, opening and closing, like the petals of a flower. It consists of tension and relaxation, like the beating of your heart. It consists of progress and setback, success and failure, victory and defeat, joy and suffering, safety and fear—all the things that make life the delightful, maddening process it is. #RandolphHarris 5 of 23
Mastery consists of most of the same things manipulation does. What makes the two of them different is that, as a manipulator, you refuse to drive, but insist on driving the driver. As a master, you take the wheel. You become the driver. You take responsibility for your life and you know that wherever you get, however you get there and how much you enjoy the trip is strictly up to you—and no one else. When you reach your destination, when you become a master, what will you look like? Maybe you will look like the earlier masters. If we compare the faces of Christ and the Madonna of Michelangelo’s Pieta in St. Peter’s, Rome, with that astonishing statue of Saint Aldric of Le Mans, what do we find? Anxiety? Anguish? On the contrary, there is in all three faces an incredible mixture of tenderness, wise sadness, serene—and somehow utterly confident—resignation, all with the slightest hint of a smile. Each face is young and unwrinkled and yet immeasurably old—in the sense that these are the faces of immortal archetypes who have seen everything, understood everything, and endured everything without the least bitterness, at one extreme, or sentimentality, at the other. None are without concern or sorrow, and yet there is not the faintest trace of guilt or apprehension. These are the faces of great masters of the World and they all show mixtures of emotions. They show the polar dimensions of courageous vulnerability which are the marks of their mastery. #RandolphHarris 6 of 23
They are intensely human faces—and at the same time, intensely spiritual: not unlike the polarities, which are human, and the core, which is spiritual. It is the integration of the intensely spiritual and the intensely human which makes for the power of mastery. Even under the best circumstances, however, the work-ethic principle of self-discipline exerts an undesirable influence on response with involving pleasures of the flesh. If nothing else, it exists as a force to be overcome; some effort is required by man or woman seeking to regain freedom of the expression of pleasures of the flesh. A husband, for example, wanders into the kitchen, moved by an unexpected wish to touch his wife. He hugs her from behind, as she stands at the sink; she smiles perfunctorily and tells him that dinner will be ready in twenty minutes; and he nods and returns to the television set. Neither partner may be particularly disappointed by the sequence of events because neither one realizes that both of the are creatures of habit who have unwittingly arranged their intimate emotional life to conform to patterns established by impersonal on-the-job conditioning. For them to have behaved otherwise in the kitchen, to have enjoyed a moment’s pleasure even though it might interfere with the task at hand, would have required making a conscious effort to alter the habits of a lifetime. The wife would have had to stop herself from reacting as though her husband was just getting in her way, that he was expressing affection of pleasures of the flesh in the wrong place and at the wrong time. #RandolphHarris 7 of 23
And her husband would have had to summon his own convictions so that if his wife failed to respond to his touch, he could gently but firmly remind her without words that a loving gesture has its own priority. Such a change in conventional attitude is not easy to accomplish. It is most difficult for those individuals who have not been privileged to learn, as they grew up, that feelings involving pleasures of the flesh in their fullest expression deserve to be protected in a kind of sacrosanct domain. Even in a disciplined scheme of living, with a husband and wife who by nature and upbringing need always to be efficiently organized, it is possible to include protected time to be alone together—not necessarily in order to engage in pleasures of the flesh but simply in order to have the freedom to respond as a man and woman in a natural, unpressured and unscheduled way. For couples who do not honour their own sexuality, the capability to interact freely is never developed because it is not valued. Being alone together doing nothing is precisely that: doing nothing. They feel they are wasting time. If their relationship involving pleasures of the flesh is to flourish, for men and women who do not accept and value their intimate passions, the problem lies in understanding that they very part of themselves that they must discipline for purposes of work—their true emotions at any given moment—is the part that needs to be free of discipline. It is striking to note that during vacations, the one time when it is socially approved for people to do what they feel like doing at the moment they feel like doing it, non-“excitable” women frequently become “excitable” and minimally functional men are frequently revitalized. #RandolphHarris 8 of 23
This was the case with a young couple we mentioned in the past, who went off on vacation without their children. The absence of daily worries and intrusions will surely contribute to the resurgence of vigor involving pleasures of the flesh—but beyond that is the fact that when a husband and wife are vacationing, they feel free of the presumed cultural requirement to discipline their feelings. The impulse to touch, for example, can be immediately translated into touching; the wish to talk becomes a conversation that can take its own time wandering where it will; being silent and lying side by side is experienced as an intimate unity. All this and more can be profoundly intimate and passionate. Husbands and wives who fail to gain this insight, who persist in the belief that pleasures of the flesh should be scheduled for a specified time and place and that physical desire, like the capacity to work, is subject to will power, run the very real risk of returning home after a fulfilling vacation only to find themselves unresponsive to pleasures of the flesh again. Little ego is concerned for its individuality. Insofar as it is little more than the reflected opinions of parents, friends, and society, it is little more than an average, a cheap common item on the market. The more interesting individuality, such as that of a tree, lies in every aspect in which it is unique, one of a kind, different. It may seem paradoxical, but the more an individual permits expression of his uniqueness (becomes individuated in Dr. Jung’s sense) the more universal social values (Dr. Alder’s social interest) emerge. #RandolphHarris 9 of 23
It is the repeated experience of psychotherapists to see these core social values emerge with the fuller expression of a person’s potential. The ego can overlook the sufferings of people rejected for their skin colour. The inner cannot, for these people, too, are its representation. Insofar as the individual allows himself to be as he is, he is inclined to allow others to be also. This is simply another aspect of the way all others are one’s own representation. We can accurately measure what goes on in the deep recesses of the inner World of a person by measuring what he does with others. It is more than curious fancy that dreams represent one’s relationship to aspects of one’s self by relations to others in dreams. One is not simply the image of the other. They are one. In success scripts, this is usually visualized with good reality sense. Jeder has built up a large organization, or left a large body of work, or a lot of children and grandchildren who are well taken care of, and he knows that his life production will survive him and that those connected with it will see him to his grave. Those with tragic scripts, however, have a pathetic fallacy about what will happen after their deaths. The romantic suicide, for example, says: “They will be sorry,” and imagines a sad, sentimental funeral which may or may not come to pass. The angry suicide says: “I will fix them,” and may be equally misguided, since they may be glad to have him out of the way. “I will show them,” may fail by not getting his name in the papers much beyond the obituary file. On the other hand, the futility or frustration suicide, who tries to kill himself unobtrusively with the fantasy that nobody will really notice or care, may make the front-page headlines due to some unforeseen complication. If he had neglected to read his policy carefully, even the man who kills himself so his wife can have the insurance money may be foiled. #RandolphHarris 10 of 23
In general, the consequences of death by suicide are no more predictable than the consequences of killing someone else. Except for soldiers and gangsters, death, either suicide or homicide, is a poor way to try to solve life’s problems. Certainly, prospective suicides should be firmly told the two inviolable rules of death: (1) No parent is allowed to die until all of the children are over eighteen. (2) No child is allowed to die while either of his or her parents are still living. The cases of people who have no minor children and no living parent have to be considered on their individual merits, but every patient who is accepted for treatment must make a firm commitment not to violate ither of the two rules, if one or both apply. A similar commitment required of certain patients is that they will never use for improper purposes (including suicidal attempts) any medications prescribed by the therapist. A challenge confronting scientists is to explore how “inspirited” states of being—being engaged in meaningful tasks and projects—are reflected in bodily states, such that immunity mechanisms are most efficient, the nuclei of cells do not release cancerous growth, and the mechanisms of wound healing and recovery from fatigue are most rapid and efficient. Conventional up brining in Western World produces a partial sense of unembodiment in the majority of persons so socialized. This unemodiment manifests itself in interpersonal duplicity (playacting, pretense, role-playing, pseudo-self-disclosure) and in diminished awareness of one’s own bodily being. Unembodiment is the outcome of the repression of the early experience of pleasure and pain that young children undergo in the process of growing up, and that such repression produces a loss of a very important dimension of consciousness called somatic perception. #RandolphHarris 11 of 23
Somatic perception refers to persons’ awareness of the responses of their bodies to the situations in which they find themselves. They perceive the World somatically by “tuning in” on their bodily states as they go through life situations. Thus, their eyes see a person smiling; their ears hear that person say “I love you”; yet they continue to feel tense and on guard. They do not feel loved. Somatically, they are perceiving that all is not well; more information is called for before a less defensive posture will be taken. Reduction of the capacity for somatic perception appears to be a factor in the development of physical and psychological breakdown. If persons cannot discern how their relationships with others and their physical regimens are affecting them, they will continue to live in a way that generates harmful stress. They will be anesthetized to the pain and dispiritedness that are being generated, and hence will not change what they are doing in some life- and health-saving way. Consequently, unembodied persons behave their way into situations of stress and entrapment so overpowering that physical and psychological collapse are their only ways out. Medical care that does not seek to “reembody” persons and to sensitize their somatic perception is, at best, only first aid. Any sedating or tranquilizing medical care that further destroys the capacity for somatic perception is ultimately a menace to health, according to this perspective. If it is true that conventional socialization results in unembodiment in varying degrees, then the salutary functions of certain embodying disciplines and techniques become understandable. #RandolphHarris 12 of 23
Why are we here? How did life get started on this planet? These are crucial questions because your answer determines how you live your life here, and defines your goal. Your answer to the creation questions (how you got here) determines what the next stop is, and where you are going. There are two conventional theories of creation. The first, the scientific, is the most popular now. It is quite unique! It is the Darwinian doctrine of accidental, statistical mutation—natural selection. A blind, aimless, accidental forward lurching of evolution. Urey and Miller performed an experiment in Chicago years ago. They put ammonium, methane and water vapour in a jar, blasted it with an electrical charge and found prebiotic molecules. Then, they claim that is how life started. Look at any biological textbook! And marvel at the superstitions of current salaried scientists! Here is the orthodox hive scientific fantasy of evolution: Billions of years ago, there was this bunch of methane molecules and they had a parry one night with some ammonia molecules and invited a few carbon girls over, and started drinking water vapour, and the joint got hit by lightning. And they began to copulate! None of the biology textbooks explains self-replication, by the way. They quickly slide over the key issue. How did prebiotic amino acid become living organism? Now the other orthodox theory is a vulgar, populist misinterpretation of the Christian Bible. I am sure that the pre-civilized writers of the Christian Bible did not mean this, but the parrot-version taught in Sunday School is that life was designed by some kind of police-type God Almighty. An Arab desert macho character who went around interrogating, arresting and condemning anyone that he did not like, and stationed an Irish police officer named Michael at the gate of the Oasis to keep dissidents out. #RandolphHarris 13 of 23
Another view is Directed Panspermia—the theory that life was seeded on this planet by higher intelligence and evolves, stage by stage, according to a preprogrammed plan. The Panspermia theory was developed by a Swedish biologist named Svante Arrhenius who suggested that this planet was seeded by spores from outer space. Dozens of prebiotic-organic molecules have been found floating around in pre-stellar cloud complexes and in a type of meteorite called carbonaceous chondrites. The French were uninterested in Panspermia until they discovered that alcohol was one of the biological molecules in space. Paris Match immediately ran an article on the existence of extra-terrestrial intelligence! Then in 1973, a distinguished scientist, a geneticist named Sir Francis Crick—he decoded the DNA code with Watson—and his colleague Orgel suggested the theory of Directed Panspermia: This planet may have been deliberately seeded. It is possible, and it is certainly fun to believe, that there are millions or even billions of planets like ours in this small galaxy alone, that have been similarly seeded. And that the same process of evolution is taking place here and on many other planets. Some sophisticated geneticists now agree with the Panspermia theory because they say it is impossible that in two and a half billion years, accidental copying-error mutations could have taken us from simple, unicellular life to Monday night football and Howard Cosell. DNA does not play dice with the Universe. #RandolphHarris 14 of 23
The protest against evil which is at the very core of metaphysical revolt is significant. It is not the suffering children, which is repugnant in itself, but the fact that the suffering is not justified. After all, pain, exile, or confinement are sometimes accepted when dictated by good sense or by the doctor. In the eyes of the rebel, what is missing from the misery of the World, as well as from its moments of happiness, is some principle by which they can be explained. They insurrection against evil is, above all, a demand for unity. The rebel obstinately confronts a World condemned to death and the impenetrable obscurity of the human condition with his demand for life and absolute clarity. He is seeking, without knowing it, a moral philosophy or a religion. Rebellion, even though it is blind, is a form of asceticism. Therefore, if the rebel blasphemes, it is in the hope of finding a new god. He staggers under the shock of the first and most profound of all religious experiences, but it is a disenchanted religious experience. It is not rebellion itself that is noble, but its aims, even though its achievements are at times ignoble. At least we must know how to recognize the ignorable ends it achieves. Each time that it defines the total rejection, the absolute negation, of what exists, it destroys. Each time that it blindly accepts what exists and gives voice to absolute assent, it destroys again. Hatred of the creator can turn to hatred of creation or to exclusive and defiant love of what exists. However, in both cases it ends in murder and loses the right to be called rebellion. One can be a nihilist in two ways, in both by having an intemperate recourse to absolutes. #RandolphHarris 15 of 23
Apparently there are rebels who want to die and those who want to cause death. However, they are identical, consumed with desire for the true life, frustrated by their desire for existence and therefore preferring generalized injustice to mutilated justice. If it is true that the instinctive rebellion of the human heart advances gradually through the centuries toward its most complete realization, it has also grown, as we have seen, in blind audacity, to the inordinate extent of deciding to answer universal murder by metaphysical assassination. The even if, which we have already recognized as marking the most important moment of metaphysical rebellion, is in any case only fulfilled in absolute destruction. It is not the nobility of rebellion that illuminates the World today, but nihilism. And it is the consequences of nihilism that we must retrace, without losing sight of the truth innate in its origins. Even if God existed, Ivan would never surrender to Him in the face of the injustice done to man. However, a longer contemplation of this injustice, a more bitter approach, transformed the “even if you exist” into “you do not deserve to exist,” therefore “you do not exist.” The victims have found in their own innocence the justification for the final crime. Convinced of their condemnation and without hope of immortality, they decided to murder God. If it is false to say that from that day began the tragedy of contemporary man, neither is it true to say that there in was where it ended. On the contrary, this attempt indicates the highest point in a drama that began with the end of the ancient World and of which the final words have not yet been spoken. From this moment, man decides to exclude himself from grace and to live by his own means. #RandolphHarris 16 of 23
Fieldcraft describes the skills the Sacramento Fire Department and EMTs require to sustain themselves in the field. Proficiency in fieldcraft reduces the likelihood of casualties. Understanding and excelling at fieldcraft sets conditions for mission success. The Sacramento Fire Department makes sure that their team members take care of themselves, and they provide them with the means to do so. They gain proficiency in field craft through formal training, studying, and practice. Fieldcraft takes time to learn. That is why the Sacramento Fire Department strictly enforces tactical discipline and makes sure their skills are at top levels of performance. During training, skilled observers and controllers assess appropriate training casualties and make recommendations to reinforce the appropriate fieldcraft standards. Culture consists of shared beliefs, values, and assumptions among a group of people about what is important. The Sacramento Fire Department is mindful of cultural factors in three contexts: Team members: They are sensitive to their different backgrounds in order to best leverage their talents. Countries: They are aware of the culture of the nations in which the people they are assisting come from. Partners: They consider and evaluate the possible implications of partners’ customs, traditions, doctrinal principles, and operational methods when working with team members from different regions or countries. The Sacramento Fire Department believes that understanding the culture of others is just as important as understand their own culture. They are aware of current events—particularly those which interest the United States of America. #RandolphHarris 17 of 23
Before heading out to an emergency, the Sacramento Fire Department and EMTs are properly prepared to deal with the population of particular areas. The more everyone knows about them, including their language, the better off the unit will be. Working in a multicultural environment requires the Sacramento Fire Department to keep plans and orders as simple as possible to prevent misunderstandings and unnecessary losses. Cultural awareness has played a major role in saving lives and property. To be in intelligent fire fighter or EMT, you need to be mentally agile, sound in judgment, innovative, tactful, and knowledgeable in many areas. Being physically fit and ready for duty is difficult enough. To be mentally ready can be even more challenging. However, the nation expects the Sacramento Fire Department and their EMTs to be up to the challenge, and they work hard to succeed. They are trained very well and geared up to meet the challenge. “My wife and I are Catholic, and we’re raising our children Catholic. We maintain a Christian life. We like to go bowling. We take the kids bowling. I like to ski. My wife doesn’t like it too much. We go on trips. We do a lot of things. We like sports, all kinds of sports. I go to the gym three times a week, and I work out. I try to keep in shape. I came on the job when I was thirty-five, and guys with ten or more years on the job are my age. Luckily, I have always been in good shape. I went through the Marine Corps with no problem. I’m able to do the job, and I’m in pretty decent shape now, and I just try to maintain that. It keeps me a lot healthier on the job. My wife is thrilled to pieces that I got the job. Sometimes she worried about the dangers of the job. When I leave for work, I can see it in her face: “Be careful, and come home safe. Keep your eyes open.” #RandolphHarris 18 of 23
One thing we witness all the time during emergency situations is people ignoring the sirens of fire trucks and ambulances. Often times, people even try to outrun the emergency vehicles and this can create dangerous situations. Citizens, remember to give the right-of-way to any law enforcement vehicle, fire engine, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle using a siren and red lights. Failure to pull over may result in a ticket. Drive to the right edge of the road and stop until the emergency vehicles(s) have passed. When approaching a stationary emergency vehicle with flashing emergency signal lights (hazard lights), move over and slow down. If you are in an intersection when you see an emergency vehicle, continue through the intersection. Drive to the right as soon as it is safe and stop. Obey any direction, order, or signal given by a law enforcement officer, or a firefighter. Even if they conflict with existing signs, signals, or laws, follow their orders. When their siren or flashing lights are on, it is against the law to follow within 300 feet of any fire engine, law enforcement vehicle, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle. If you drive to the scene of a fire, collision, or other disaster, you can be arrested. When you do this, you are getting in the way of firefighters, ambulance crews, or other rescue and emergency personnel. Moral courage is the willingness to stand firm on values, principles, and convictions. It enables you to stand up for what you believe is right, regardless of the consequences. #RandolphHarris 19 of 23
The concept of professional courage does not always mean being as tough as nails, either. It also suggests a willingness to listen to other peoples’ problems, to go to bat for them in a tough situation and it means knowing just how far they can go. It also means being willing to tell the boss when he or she is wrong. As a reminder, parents, pleasure teach your children love America and be patriotic citizens and to buy goods and services made in America. It is also important to respect law and order and treat your elders with respect. Having the Southern American boarder open and not having American farmland protected, not producing beef, poultry, fish, fruit, produce and dairy in America, and without American goods and services being our number one manufactured and selling items, America has created a dangerous and significantly elevated risks to national security, national economic security, and national public health. Some people may believe that these claims are overstated, but by not routinely monitoring Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CEVs) or other security relevant alerts, such as end-of-life of machinery is how the Oroville Dam Crisis occurred in 2017. Other crises that have occurred due to neglect of critical infrastructure is the 2025 Palisades fires because Southern California ran out of water, when they are located next to an ocean and they could have simply created desalinating plants to help with the water shortage. The water is so plentiful that it is currently eroding land and causing homes to fall into the sea. #RandolphHarris 19 of 23
The American government should know all exploitable vulnerabilities and fix them prior to the situation becoming a crisis. Failure to take such mitigating actions is dangerous and significantly elevates risk to national security, national economic security, and national public health and safety. The American government must understand that significant time and resources must be invested in America. They must also encourage corporations to plan for both mitigating safety vulnerabilities in the short term and eliminating them in the long term. For instance, a company might begin by reaching out to the federal, state or local government and requesting tax incentives to provide security to dangerous communities, to help the government repair bridges and potholes. America needs an approach to eliminate safety vulnerabilities in American cities. There needs to be a road map by the end of 2025, outlining a prioritized approach to eliminate crisis situations in America. There is enough money to send aid to foreign nations, but the American government does not have enough money to care their infrastructure, provide adequate resources, nor end the affordable housing crisis. Nor is there enough money to fund other national critical functions (NCFs). These bad practices of putting America and Americans last is considered exceptionally risky, particularly to national security, national economic security, and national public health and safety. In 2024, Americans spent $100 billion on Japanese cars. #RandolphHarris 20 of 23
In an effort to help America pull through the massive national deficit, please buy American made cars. American made cars used to be the envy of the World and because American car brands are offering a wide range of options, from family SUVs to electric vehicles and luxury sedans, we are now seeing a resurging interest. American made cars are equal or superior to those made overseas. The Chevrolet Trax, for instance, is a well-designed, fuel efficient, and safe SUV. And as you know, there is no better car on Earth than 1950-1970s American Muscle Car. Americans make sure superior product, but we are buying things from other nations. American food imports have risen by 300 percent since 1999. American farmland declined by nearly 20 million acres between 2017 and 2022. As of 2022, there were 880.1 million acres of land dedicated to farming, compared to 900.1 million in 2017. The data shows there are now little more than 1.9 million farms in the country. Americans and American corporations spent $136 billion on food and beverages from other countries. It is a national security risk to lose American Farms and farmers. If there is a war, and most of our meat, produce, poultry, dairy, and fruit is coming from foreign counties, we stand the risk of starving. With war breaking out all over the World, in these uncertain times, it is very important to bring American farms back. Las Vegas is running out of buildable land and is expected to reach its maximum number of homes in 2032. So, home prices are expected to rise dramatically. #RandolphHarris 21 of 23
Additionally, State Farm did ask the California Department of Insurance if they could raise homeowner insurance rates by 22 percent, but this request was denied. However, in 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1107, also known as the Protection California Drivers Act, into law which increases the minimum auto lability limits for bodily injury to $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident. Senate Bill 1107 also increased the minimum liability limits for property damage to $15,000 per accident and the DMV deposit for uninsured drivers to $75,000. The bill went into effect on January 1, 2025. This means that drivers with existing policies with lower limits will renew at the new minimum limits on or after January 1, 2025, and insurance premiums could increase by as much as 54 percent. America is in a state of crisis right now because of mismanagement by democrats. If elected for an unprecedented third term, to make housing more affordable and to offset the cost of homeowner’s insurance and auto insurance, President Trump plans to abolish property taxes. Much like the land crisis in Las Vegas, we could also run out of land to farm and will not be able to grow or cultivate our own food. We can protect American farmland and support American farmers by buying American made beef, poultry, dairy, and produce. Also, country of origin labeling is very important so Americans can know where their food is coming from and have the ability to support American farmers and ranchers. As money flows, it influences further investment. Save the land that sustains us by protecting American farmland. Once the land is built on, we lose it forever. And in the future, there may be food wars. Also, to ensure that we have farmland and buildable land for future use, we need to start limiting the number of people allowed to immigrant to America. Perhaps with the immigrants we do allow into America, there needs to be a diversity program to make sure we have a population that equally represents all races of people. If Americans continue to spend money on American products, then more need to be made to keep up the inventory. When investors notice these goods are selling, it gives them the confidence to pour more money into that local business. It shows that people want these goods made in America and pressures investors to keep these goods and services in America. The jobs stay here, the business stays in American, wages naturally increase, and more money is invested to keep up with demand. This reduces the burden on the taxpayer. #RandolphHarris 22 of 23
When you support American businesses, that money stays in our economy and can help to reduce the national debt. The government creates debt by borrowing from businesses in the private sector or from foreign countries. It also increases the national debt by spending more than it gains in tax revenue in a fiscal year. When people shop locally, more tax money stays in the economy and goes to the government. This way, it keeps more money in our national economy and keeps more jobs located in American which also sends more taxes to the government, which can again help to reduce the national debt. When you buy foreign goods, these companies usually have lighter tax loads or exemptions, meaning less money for the nation debt, plus you are helping to strengthen these foreign nations by send more money overseas. Buying American made products is also better for the environment and helps to reduce the carbon footprint because these products do not have to travel nearly as far. Furthermore, American companies and manufacturers are held to much higher standards in regard to pollution. American companies have to be more careful about air, land, and water pollution and have proper ways to dispose of waste. Moreover, please remember to respect law and order and treat your elders with the utmost dignity and kindness possible. And take your education seriously so that you will be successful in life and make your family proud. It is inborn in the human minds to wish to know. If this begins with the endless surface questions of a child’s curiosity, if it continues into deeper questions of a scientist’s probing investigation, it cannot and does not stop there. For the higher part of the mind will eventually come into unfoldment, that union of abstract reflective thought with mystical intuition, which is true intelligence, which needs and sees a view of the whole of things. And so, the knowing faculty enters the realm of philosophy. As a reminder, parents, pleasure teach your children love America and be patriotic citizens and to buy goods and services made in America. It is also important to respect law and order and treat your elders with respect. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. #RandolphHarris 23 of 23
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The Theme of the Devil’s Pact Begins to Emerge
Imagination is a way to escape reality and fulfill unconscious desires. The role imagination plays in the search for glory may show unmistakably and directly in daydreams. In the teenager, they may have a frankly grandiose character. It is a way to bridge the gap between imagination and reality. There is for instance the college boy who, although timid and withdrawn, has daydreams about being the greatest athlete, or genius, or Don Juan. There are also in later years people like Paris Hilton, who almost constantly indulge in dreams of romantic expression, of a mystic perfection, or of a mysterious saintliness. Sometimes these take the form of imaginary conversations in which others are impressed or put to shame. Others, more complicated in their structure, deal with shameful or noble suffering through being exposed to cruelty and degradation. Frequently daydreams are not elaborate stories but, rather, play a fantastic accompaniment to the daily routine. When tending her children, playing the piano, or combing her hair, a woman may for instance see herself in much the way a tender mothers, a rapturous pianist, or an alluring beauty would be presented in the movies. In some cases, such daydreams show clearly that a person may, like Paris Hilton, constantly live in two World. Again, in others equally engaged in the search for glory daydreams are so scarce and abortive that they may say in all subjective honesty that they have no fantasy life. Needless to say, they are mistaken. Even if they only worry about possible mishaps that might be fall them, it is after all their imagination that conjures up such contingencies. #RandolphHarris 1 of 23
However, daydreams, while important and revealing when they occur, are not the most injurious work of imagination. For a person is mostly aware of that fact that he is daydreaming, id est, imagining things which have not occurred or are not likely to occur in the way he is experiencing them in fantasy. At least it is not too difficult for him to become aware of the existence and the unrealistic character of the daydreams. The more injurious work of imagination concerns the subtle and comprehensive distortions of reality which he is not aware of fabricating. The idealized self is not completed in a single act of creation: once produced, it needs continuing attention. For its actualization the person must put in an incessant labour by way of falsifying reality. He must turn his needs into virtues or into more than justified expectations. He must turn his intentions to be honest or considerate into the fact of being honest or considerate. The bright ideas he has for a paper make him a great scholar. His potentialities turn into factual achievements. Knowing the “right” moral values make him a virtuous person—often, indeed, a kind of moral genius. And of course, his imagination must work overtime to discard all the disturbing evidence to the contrary. Imagination also operates in changing the neurotic’s beliefs. He needs to believe that others are wonderful or vicious-and lo! there they are in a parade of benevolent or dangerous people. It also changes his feelings. He needs to feel invulnerable—and behold! His imagination has sufficient power to brush off pain and suffering. He needs to have deep feelings—confidence, sympathy, love, suffering: his feelings of sympathy, suffering, and the rest are magnified. #RandolphHarris 2 of 23
The perception of the distortions of inner and outer reality which imagination can bring about when put to the service of the search for glory leaves us with an uneasy question. Where does the flight of the neurotic’s imagination end? He does not after all lose his sense of reality altogether; where then is the border line separating him from the psychotic? If there is any border line with respect to feats of imagination, it certainly is hazy. We can only say that the psychotic tends to regard the process in his mind more exclusively as they only reality that counts, while the neurotic—for whatever reasons—retains a fair interest in the outside World and his place in it and has therefore a fair gross orientation in it. Nevertheless, while he may stay sufficiently on the ground to function in a way not obviously disturbed, there is no limit to the heights to which his imagination can soar. It is in fact the most striking characteristic of the search for glory that it goes into the fantastic, into the realm of unlimited possibilities. All of the drives for glory have in common the reaching out for greater knowledge, wisdom, virtue, or powers than are given to human beings; they all aim at the absolute, the unlimited, the infinite. Nothing short of absolute fearlessness, mastery, or saintliness has any appeal for the neurotic obsessed with the drive for glory. He is therefore the antithesis of the truly religious man. #RandolphHarris 3 of 23
For the latter, only to God are all things possible; the neurotic’s version is: nothing is impossible to me. His will power should have magic proportions, his reasoning be infallible, his foresight flawless, his knowledge all encompassing. The theme of the devil’s pact begins to emerge. The neurotic is the Prince Lestat who is not satisfied with knowing a great deal, but has to know everything. This soaring into the unlimited is determined by the power of the needs behind the drive for glory. The needs for the absolute and the ultimate are so stringent that they override the checks which usually prevent our imagination from detaching itself from actuality. For his well-functioning, man needs both the vision of possibilities, the perspective of infinitude, and the realization of limitations, of necessities, of the concrete. If a man’s thinking and feeling are primarily focused upon the infinite and the vision of possibilities, he loses his sense for the concrete, for the hear and now. He loses his capacity for living in the moment. He is no longer capable of submitting to the necessities in himself, “to what may be called one’s limit.” He loses his sight of what is actually necessary for achieving something. “Every little possibility even would require some time to become actuality.” His thinking may become too abstract. His knowledge may become “a kind of inhuman knowing for the production of which man’s self is squandered, pretty much as men were squandered for the building of the Pyramids.” His feelings for others may evaporate into an “abstract sentimentality for humanity.” #RandolphHarris 4 of 23
If, on the other hand, a man does not see beyond the narrow horizon of the concrete, the necessary, the finite, he becomes “narrow-minded and mean-spirited.” It is not, then, a question of either-or, but of both, if there is to be growth. The recognition of limitations, laws, and necessities serves as a check against being carried away into the infinite, and against the mere “floundering in possibilities.” The checks on imagination are malfunctioning in the search for glory. This does not mean a general incapacity to see necessities and abide by them. A special direction in the further neurotic development may make many people feel safer to restrict their lives, and they may then tend to regard the possibility of being carried away into the fantastic as a danger to be avoided. They may close their minds to anything that to them looks fantastic, be averse to abstract thinking, and overanxiously cling to what is visible, tangible, concrete, or immediately useful. However, while the conscious attitude toward these matters varies, every neurotic at bottom is loath to recognize limitations to what he expects of himself and believes it possible to attain. His need to actualize his idealized image is so imperative that he must shove aside the checks as irrelevant or nonexistent. There are over one million people locked up in mental hospitals because they cannot shut up about the crime. One thing is clear in my years with these people—the more mentally ill they are, the more they are caught in egocentricity, selfishness, and uselessness. #RandolphHarris 5 of 23
In mental hospitals, there are many relics of people with vaunted selfhood even though their World is riddles with strange influences. The more vaunted, the more riddled. It is apparent to us, but not to the mentally ills, that this diseased World is representative of them since the disease walks where they walk. They contend that it occurs only in the hospital, but when they visited a large city, there is this same monstrous business going on. It is the same thing whether we say they are diseased or their World is diseased. The two are really one. In ordinary social intercourse with others, or in the more intense experience of group psychotherapy, there is a manifest difference between the person who must explain and must defend their view from the person who enjoys and easily accepts the Worlds of other persons. The first is a bore, a difficult person, one who rouses anger or needs to be treated carefully. The second is an easier, more likeable person. In group psychotherapy one often sees the clever professional or layman who must tell, must be right, must interpret what the other person really means. A less obnoxious egotism is the one who is very concerned what to say, how a thing will be taken, whether he is understood or appreciated. These people are painfully trapped in the evaluations of others because they are so concerned for themselves. In my own little World, it has become clear to me that I am of use to others insofar as I am not concerned for my reputation. I have seen brilliant intuitive insights come out of me when I was only aware of the other person. #RandolphHarris 6 of 23
I have also seen miserable failure when I was out to prove that I was clever. I look for pride in me, and if it is there, I had best be silent. In both therapy and social relations, there is an almost mystic beauty when my self vanishes and the style, nuances of bodily movement, voice inflection and concerns of the other person fill the whole stage. I am liked best when I am not. For most of my young life, I had been told it was not okay to display anger. Thus, the journey from manipulation to mastery is not a neat, two-dimensional, passionate, random, helter-skelter journey, with our emotions swinging from one polarity to another, from love to dependency to weakness to criticalness—often many times in a matter of minutes. Exactly how the process takes place should not concern you, unless you are a therapist. All you need to be concerned with is that the process does work—and you can use it to improve the quality of your life, the dynamism of your relationships. What therapy does is start a person on the road to mastery. It starts them looking at their internal conflicts. The process of dealing with polarities goes on through life—at all times and on all fronts. Those who follow spiritual ideals will have to take their stand. Nonviolence is a good. Violence is an evil. However, in the compulsory choice between violent defense against violent aggression or passive submission to such aggression, it is often the lesser of the two evils. For the first may bring the aggressor to suffer the consequences of his crime whereas the second may condone it. The first may re-educate him to abandon his evil ways whereas the second may encourage him in them. #RandolphHarris 7 of 23
There are savage creatures, moral monsters and insane animals who look like men but have only partially risen into the human species in their passage from the lower ones. Having human faces and limbs, digestive and sense organs, is not enough to render them worthy of human classification. With a wise mercy, which need not be stretched too far but must not be stretched too little, we must temper natural desire to punish the violent criminal adequately. The pacifist who believes that his attitude will affect the war-makers and alter their attitude is as irrational as the sparrow who appeals to the hawk for his life to be spared. However, pacifism has a far sounder basis than this weak one. The adherence to nonviolence is not a sign of ignorable weakness but rather of noble wisdom. The folly of war cannot be reconciled with the dictates of reason. To use violent means for the defense of nonviolent ideals can only lead to the loss of those ideals. To use violent means for the defense of nonviolent ideals can only lead to the loss of this ideals. What is conquered by violence must be maintained by violence. Every form of totality is restrictive. Surrealism is not concerned with action, but with asceticism and spiritual experience. The profound originality of the movement is the restoration of the sacred and the conquest of unity, which make surrealism so invaluable for a consideration of the problem of rebellion. Surrealism—the fusion of a dream and of reality, the sublimation of the old contradiction between the ideal and the real. We know the surrealist solution: concrete irrationality, objective risk. #RandolphHarris 8 of 23
Poetry is the conquest, the only possible conquest, of the “supreme position.” A certain position of the mind from where life and death, the real and the imaginary, the past and the future…cease to be perceived in a contradictory sense. What is this supreme position that should mark the “colossal abortion of the Hegelian system”? It is the search for the summit-abyss, familiar to the mystics. Actually, it is the mysticism without God which demonstrates and quenches the rebel’s thirst for the absolute. The essential enemy of surrealism is rationalism. Should we dissolve contradictions in the fires of love and desire and demolish the walls of death? Magic rites, primitive or naïve civilization, alchemy, the language of flowers, fire, or sleepless nights, are so many miraculous stages on the way to unity and the philosophers’ stone. Vitality on old age depends on three factors: constitutional robustness; physical health; type of script. The onset of old age is determined by the same three factors. Thus, some people are vital at eighty and others start vegetating at forty. Constitutional robustness is a force majeure, that is, it cannot be changed by Parental programing. Physical disability is sometimes a force majeure, and sometimes a script payoff. In the “Cripple” Script it is both. The crippling itself may occur because of unavoidable physical illness, but it is welcomed because it is part of the script and fulfills mother’s injunction to end up disabled. #RandolpHarris 9 of 23
This occurs occasionally in cases of poliomyelitis in young adults, where the man in the wheel chair says: “When I knew I had polio I almost welcomed it, as though I had been waiting for something like that.” If his script called for him to be a cripple, and Nature did not help him out, he might have crashed a car. Nature’s solution is simpler to deal with. Older people may similarly welcome a stroke or a coronary occlusion, but for a different reason: not because it is part of the script, but because it relieves them of the compulsion to carry on with their script strivings. For the Child in them, these catastrophes become “Wooden Leg” or “Wooden Heart,” so that they can say to the Parent in their heads: “Even you cannot expect a man with a Wooden Leg or a Wooden Heart to carry on your witch’s curse.” Faced with a blood clot in Jeder’s brain or heart, only the most ruthless parent does not concede defeat. If a disability occurs early in life, it may fit very well into a mother’s script, or may throw it off completely. If it fits, the child will be raised as a professional cripple, sometimes with the help of outside organizations devoted to helping Crippled Children (as long as they stay cripped) or Children with Intellectual Disabilities (as long as they have an intellectual disability). (If the child recovers, the drag is due to the fact that the government subsidy usually stops.) In such cases, the mother learns to “face it,” and teaches the child to do likewise. #RandolphHarris 10 of 23
If it does not fit the mother’s script, however, she does not learn to face it. She keeps trying, and the child learns to do likewise, so that he ends up as a one-legged jitterbug, a clubfooted broad-jumper, or a brain-damaged orthopedic specialist (all these examples exist or have existed in real life). The Crippled Children’s organization and the Mentally Ill organization pitch in here, too, and are delighted if one of their proteges makes it (with outside help). If the mother’s script does not call for a physically or mentally disabled child, and the disability is so severe that it is necessarily permanent, then her life becomes a script-frustrated tragedy. If her script does call for a disabled child, and the disability is borderline, and possibly remediable, then the child’s life becomes an unnecessary, script-inflicted tragedy. Now to return to old age. If they have “Open-Ended” Scripts, even people with robust constitutions and no physical disabilities (or only minor or hypochondriacal ones) can begin to vegetate at an early age. These are commonly people living on pensions. The Parental precept is: “Work hard, and do not take any chances,” and the payoff is “After that, give up.” Once Jeder has put in his twenty or thirty years, and Santa Claus has come and given him his retirement banquet and gold watch, he does not know what to do. He is accustomed to following his script directives, but now they are exhausted, and he has no further programing in his head. Therefore, he is content to sit and wait until something turns up: Death, for instance. #RandolphHarris 11 of 23
This raises an interesting question. What do you do after Santa Clause comes? With an “Until” Script, he comes down the chimney and brings a Freedom Certificate. Jeder has fulfilled the requirements of his script, is freed of the curse by the antiscript, and is now at liberty to do what he always wanted to do since he was a little boy. However, going his own way is full of dangers, as many Greek myths attest. While he is free of his witch parent, he is also unprotected, and can easily come to grief. This is shown in fairy tales as well. A curse gives protection as well as trial and tribulation. The same witch that laid on the curse sees that the victim continues to live while he is under it. Thus, Sleeping Beauty was protected by the briar forest for a hundred years. However, the moment she woke up, and could tell the witch to buzz off, her troubles began. A handy situation is to have a double script: an “Until” Script from one parent and an “After” Script from the other. In the commonest case this reads “You cannot be free until you have raised three children” (from mother), and “After you are free you will become creative” (from father). Thus, in the first half of her life Zoe is controlled and protected by her mother and in the second half by her father. In the case of a man, the double-script directive may be the same as above, but the control and protection are reversed: Father during the first phase and Mother during the second. #RandolphHarris 12 of 23
The vegetating age are divided into three classes, and in this country the insignia are financial. Those with losers’ scripts live alone in rooming houses or rundown hotels, and are called old men and old women. Those with nonwinning scripts own and live in small houses where they are free to develop their idiosyncrasies and eccentricities, so that they are known as old characters. Those with winning scripts live in retirement homes run by financial promoters, and are called Senior Citizens, or Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer, which is how they sign their Letters to the Editor. The cure for the scriptless age is permission, but they seldom use it. There are thousands of older men living in small rooms in every large city, each of them wishing there was someone to cook for him, talk to him, and listen to him. At the same time, there are thousands of older women living under the same circumstances, wishing they had someone to cook for, talk to, and listen to. Even if the twain do happen to meet, they rarely take advantage of it, each preferring to remain in his or her familiar drab surroundings hunched over a glass or a TV set, or sitting with folded hands, waiting for a riskless, sinless death. Those were mother’s directives when they were little, and these are the directives they are following seventy or eight years later. They never took chances before, beyond a small bet at the racetrack of the stadium, so why should they jeopardize everything now? The script has vanished by its own fulfillment, but the old slogan lingers on, and when death comes, they will greet him gladly. And on the front of the tombstone, they will carve: “Gone to rest with his forebears,” and on the back it will say: “I lived a good life, and never took any chances.”. #RandolphHarris 13 of 23
They say that in this century, children will be grown in bottles, according to specifications laid down by the state and the parents, and there they will be genetically programed However, everybody is already raised in a bottle according to specifications laid down by the state and his parents, and there he is script-programed. Script-programing is easier to shake off than genetic programing, but few people exercise the privilege. For the ones who do, there can be a more inspiring tombstone. Nearly all pious epitaphs, translated into Martian, come out “Raised in a bottle, and stayed there, too.” And so they stand, row after row of crosses and other symbols in the graveyard, all with the same motto. Only here and there is a surprise: “Raised in a bottle—but I jumped out.” Many people refuse to do that, even when there is no cork. Genetic history, as opposed to political history, is a record of those moments when a successful gene pool migrates in response to swarming pressures when the hive castes out its future probes. The migrating waves produce the highest peaks of civilization, of culture, of hive philosophy and of art and science. Civilization began in the East. Shuttling up and down the spinal column from Suez to China. The great pyramids of Egypt remind us that long ago women and men looked at the stars and built enormous highways aloft. Inside the pyramids, they assembled all the instruments and comforts needed in a post-terrestrial life. The Egyptian gene pool evolved rapidly and prematurely because they had temporarily solved the four terrestrial survival problems—security, political autonomy, technological predominance and a national sociosexual mythos. The Nile Valley geography produced this early genetic probe into the future. #RandolphHarris 14 of 23
If you are not intelligent about your leadership, the best training in the World cannot make you an effective, respected leader. An intelligent firefighter or EMT is one who is mentally agile, sound in judgement, innovative, tactful, and knowledgeable. Intelligent action will get you through many difficult situations. The Sacramento Fire Department’s intelligence draws on their mental tendencies and resources, shaping their conceptual abilities. These conceptional abilities enable them to exercise sound judgement about their duties and responsibilities even before they implement their concepts and plans. They help the firefighters and EMTs think creatively and reason analytically, critically, ethically, and with cultural sensitivity. Conceptual abilities enable them to consider unintended consequences. The Sacramento Fire Department always thinks through what they expect to occur as a result of a decision. Some decisions may set off a chain of events, so they must attempt to anticipate the second- and third-order effects of their actions. The conceptual components affecting the Sacramento Fire Department’s intelligence include: Mental agility, judgement, innovation, interpersonal tact, and domain knowledge. “I met my wife in 1995, but we didn’t get married until 2000. One of the first things that got us acquainted was when I found out that she went to the same oral surgeon that I did. It wasn’t just broken teeth, I had shattered my upper jaw, I busted it in a million pieces, and I was all wired up. We didn’t meet in the doctor’s office, but once we started talking, you known when you first meet somebody, you have to have something to talk about. She had some problems and went to the same doctor, so we started talking about different ordeals. That’s what we talked about. #RandolphHarris 15 of 23
“I was crazy about the fire department, and she knew before we were married that she was going to be second to the fire department. She doesn’t tell me she worried about the dangers, but when there are firemen’s funerals on TV, she says, ‘Please don’t ever do that to me.’ I tell her I’m real careful. I am aggressive, but I’m careful. She knew about the dangers early on. We were just about to get married, we were getting ready for the pictures and the parties and all that stuff, when we had a fire in the high school library. I was on the hose with this other guy. We crawled in. You know you can take the heat before you crack the line. This guy put the nozzle on a narrow fog. If it had been me, I would have put it on a straight stream, because that stuff turns around and the steam comes right back. I was behind him, and the man behind the line takes a rose beating than the man on the nozzle, because they hit the ceiling. Everything was hot. It burned this guy and myself. So the big worry of everybody at the wedding was whether I was going to look like a wreck in my wedding pictures. I had these Dumbo ears. When the blisters went down, I still had a lot of scars, but it wasn’t so bad. But it was a big concern to her. How was I going to look? We have one, child, a two-year-old boy. He better get all the education that he can, because I think that we’re looking at two-class society—the people that have the education and the wealth, and the people that don’t have anything. I don’t know where the firefighters are going to fit in, but if firefighters don’t continue to increase their skills—and we’re heading in the right direction—in areas like hazardous materials and emergency medical, we could easily end up down there with the huddled masses #RandolphHarris 16 of 23
“My wife knows that the fire department is giving me something no one can give me, including herself. She knows it is giving me a sense of satisfaction and a sense of personal worth. You see some joker win a million-dollar lottery on TV, I don’t need that. I want to be comfortable, and I want to be secure. My wife knows it. If I ever lost this job or became crippled, I don’t know what I could do. I would have to go to a psychiatrist and have him tell me that I am worth a damn as a human being, and try to get me interested in something else. But I would have a heck of a time, and my wife realizes that.” All members of the Sacramento Fire Department are loyal, dedicated to duty, respectful, selfless, honourable, possess a great deal of integrity and display personal courage in the face of danger and adversity. You can save lives by making a donation to the Sacramento Fire Department. The proud members of the Sacramento Fire Department are committed to providing the highest quality and highest level of courteous and responsive services to the residents, businesses, and visitors of Sacramento. This is accomplished by implementing comprehensive strategies and training in fire prevention, fire suppression, emergency medical services, and all risk mitigation, including human-caused and natural disasters, emergency preparedness, emergency services and community-based fire services. The Sacramento Fire Department physical requirements for the firefighters and EMTs state that you must be medically and physically fit, and able to pass the Occupational Physical Assessment Test. #RandolphHarris 17 of 23
Therefore, physical and mental toughness are just the basic requirements. You achieve excellence when you habitually show discipline and commitment to the department’s values. Individuals and organizations pursue excellence to improve. Citizens, remember to give the right-of-way to any law enforcement vehicle, fire engine, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle using a siren and red lights. Failure to pull over may result in a ticket. Drive to the right edge of the road and stop until the emergency vehicles(s) have passed. When approaching a stationary emergency vehicle with flashing emergency signal lights (hazard lights), move over and slow down. If you are in an intersection when you see an emergency vehicle, continue through the intersection. Drive to the right as soon as it is safe and stop. Obey any direction, order, or signal given by a law enforcement officer, or a firefighter. Even if they conflict with existing signs, signals, or laws, follow their orders. When their siren or flashing lights are on, it is against the law to follow within 300 feet of any fire engine, law enforcement vehicle, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle. If you drive to the scene of a fire, collision, or other disaster, you can be arrested. When you do this, you are getting in the way of firefighters, ambulance crews, or other rescue and emergency personnel. Moral courage is the willingness to stand firm on values, principles, and convictions. It enables you to stand up for what you believe is right, regardless of the consequences. #RandolphHarris 18 of 23
The concept of professional courage does not always mean being as tough as nails, either. It also suggests a willingness to listen to other peoples’ problems, to go to bat for them in a tough situation and it means knowing just how far they can go. It also means being willing to tell the boss when he or she is wrong. As a reminder, parents, pleasure teach your children love America and be patriotic citizens and to buy goods and services made in America. It is also important to respect law and order and treat your elders with respect. Having the Southern American boarder open and not having American farmland protected, not producing beef, poultry, fish, fruit, produce and dairy in America, and without American goods and services being our number one manufactured and selling items, America has created a dangerous and significantly elevated risks to national security, national economic security, and national public health. Some people may believe that these claims are overstated, but by not routinely monitoring Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CEVs) or other security relevant alerts, such as end-of-life of machinery is how the Oroville Dam Crisis occurred in 2017. Other crises that have occurred due to neglect of critical infrastructure is the 2025 Palisades fires because Southern California ran out of water, when they are located next to an ocean and they could have simply created desalinating plants to help with the water shortage. The water is so plentiful that it is currently eroding land and causing homes to fall into the sea. #RandolphHarris 19 of 23
American government should know all exploitable vulnerabilities and fix them prior to the situation becoming a crisis. Failure to take such mitigating actions is dangerous and significantly elevates risk to national security, national economic security, and national public health and safety. The American government must understand that significant time and resources must be invested in America. They must also encourage corporations to plan for both mitigating safety vulnerabilities in the short term and eliminating them in the long term. For instance, a company might begin by reaching out to the federal, state or local government and requesting tax incentives to provide security to dangerous communities, to help the government repair bridges and potholes. America needs an approach to eliminate safety vulnerabilities in American cities. There needs to be a road map by the end of 2025, outlining a prioritized approach to eliminate crisis situations in America. There is enough money to send aid to foreign nations, but the American government does not have enough money to care their infrastructure, provide adequate resources, nor end the affordable housing crisis. Nor is there enough money to fund other national critical functions (NCFs). These bad practices of putting America and Americans last is considered exceptionally risky, particularly to national security, national economic security, and national public health and safety. In 2024, Americans spent $100 billion on Japanese cars. #RandolphHarris 20 of 23
In an effort to help America pull through the massive national deficit, please buy American made cars. American made cars used to be the envy of the World and because American car brands are offering a wide range of options, from family SUVs to electric vehicles and luxury sedans, we are now seeing a resurging interest. American made cars are equal or superior to those made overseas. The Chevrolet Trax, for instance, is a well-designed, fuel efficient, and safe SUV. And as you know, there is no better car on Earth than 1950-1970s American Muscle Car. Americans make sure superior product, but we are buying things from other nations. American food imports have risen by 300 percent since 1999. American farmland declined by nearly 20 million acres between 2017 and 2022. As of 2022, there were 880.1 million acres of land dedicated to farming, compared to 900.1 million in 2017. The data shows there are now little more than 1.9 million farms in the country. Americans and American corporations spent $136 billion on food and beverages from other countries. It is a national security risk to lose American Farms and farmers. If there is a war, and most of our meat, produce, poultry, dairy, and fruit is coming from foreign counties, we stand the risk of starving. With war breaking out all over the World, in these uncertain times, it is very important to bring American farms back. Las Vegas is running out of buildable land and is expected to reach its maximum number of homes in 2032. So, home prices are expected to rise dramatically. #RandolphHarris 21 of 23
Additionally, State Farm is asking the California Department of Insurance if they can raise homeowner insurance rates by 22 percent. If election for an unprecedented third term, to make housing more affordable and offset the cost of homeowner’s insurance, President Trump plans to abolish property taxes. Much like the land crisis in Las Vegas, we could also run out of land to farm and will not be able to grow or cultivate our own food. We can protect American farmland and support American farmers by buying American made beef, poultry, dairy, and produce. Also, country of origin labeling is very important so Americans can know where their food is coming from and have the ability to support American farmers and ranchers. As money flows, it influences further investment. Save the land that sustains us by protecting American farmland. Once the land is built on, we lose it forever. And in the future, there may be food wars. Also, to ensure that we have farmland and buildable land for future use, we need to start limiting the number of people allowed to immigrant to America. Perhaps with the immigrants we do allow into America, there needs to be a diversity program to make sure we have a population that equally represents all races of people. If Americans continue to spend money on American products, then more need to be made to keep up the inventory. When investors notice these goods are selling, it gives them the confidence to pour more money into that local business. It shows that people want these goods made in America and pressures investors to keep these goods and services in America. The jobs stay here, the business stays in American, wages naturally increase, and more money is invested to keep up with demand. This reduces the burden on the taxpayer. #RandolphHarris 22 of 23
When you support American businesses, that money stays in our economy and can help to reduce the national debt. The government creates debt by borrowing from businesses in the private sector or from foreign countries. It also increases the national debt by spending more than it gains in tax revenue in a fiscal year. When people shop locally, more tax money stays in the economy and goes to the government. This way, it keeps more money in our national economy and keeps more jobs located in American which also sends more taxes to the government, which can again help to reduce the national debt. When you buy foreign goods, these companies usually have lighter tax loads or exemptions, meaning less money for the nation debt, plus you are helping to strengthen these foreign nations by send more money overseas. Buying American made products is also better for the environment and helps to reduce the carbon footprint because these products do not have to travel nearly as far. Furthermore, American companies and manufacturers are held to much higher standards in regard to pollution. American companies have to be more careful about air, land, and water pollution and have proper ways to dispose of waste. Moreover, please remember to respect law and order and treat your elders with the utmost dignity and kindness possible. And take your education seriously so that you will be successful in life and make your family proud. It is inborn in the human minds to wish to know. If this begins with the endless surface questions of a child’s curiosity, if it continues into deeper questions of a scientist’s probing investigation, it cannot and does not stop there. For the higher part of the mind will eventually come into unfoldment, that union of abstract reflective thought with mystical intuition, which is true intelligence, which needs and sees a view of the whole of things. And so, the knowing faculty enters the realm of philosophy. As a reminder, parents, pleasure teach your children love America and be patriotic citizens and to buy goods and services made in America. It is also important to respect law and order and treat your elders with respect. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. #RandolphHarris 23 of 23
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Must We Abandon All Hope at that Particular Point?
Our choice to obey or disobey God’s standard of morality will largely determine our happiness in life. Some years ago, my father, an attorney, was trying a lawsuit. For his authority, he cited only one case issued many years before. His opponent cited a numbers of lower-court decisions of more recent vintage. The honorable judge said to my father, “Mr. Harris, do you not have a more recent case than this?” My father looked at the judge and replied, “Your Honor, may I remind you what when the supreme court speaks on a matter, it only needs to speak once.” The judge nodded with approval. He was reminded that the supreme court trumps all lower-court decisions, however numerous or recent they may be. So it is with God our Father—He needs to speak only once on the issue of morality, and that one declaration trumps all the opinions of the lower courts, whether uttered by psychologist, managers, counselors, politicians, friends, parents, or would-be moralists of the day. It is almost unbelievable to think that God has given to His children the power that is most prized and sacred to Him—the power to create life. Because God gave us this power, He, and He alone, has the right to prescribe how it should be used. Contrary to much public sentiment, there is nothing negative or restraining about God’s moral standards. Rather, they are all beneficial and optimistic, uplifting and liberating. They build relationships of trust, they enhance self-esteem, they foster a clear conscience, and they invite the Spirit of the Lord to bless individual lives. They are the proven standards for happy marriages and stable communities. #RandolphHarris 1 of 25
We arrive thus at a morality of evolution, in which the criterion for what we cultivate or reject in ourselves lies in the question: is a particular attitude or drive inducive or obstructive to my human growth? As the frequency of neuroses shows, all kinds of pressure can easily divert our constructive energies into unconstructive or destructive channels. However, with such a belief in an autonomous striving toward self-realization, we do not need an inner strait jacket with which to shackle our spontaneity, nor the whip of inner dictates to drive us to perfection. There is no doubt that such disciplinary methods can succeed in suppressing undesirable factors, but there is also no doubt that they are injurious to our growth. We do not need them because we see a better possibility of dealing with destructive forces in ourselves: that of actually outgrowing them. The way toward this goal is an ever-increasing awareness and understanding of ourselves. Self-knowledge, then, is not an aim in itself, but a means of liberating the forces of spontaneous growth. In this sense, to work at ourselves becomes not only the prime moral obligation, but at the same time, in a very real sense, the prime moral privilege. To the extent that we take our growth seriously, it will be because of our own desire do to so. And as we lose the neurotic obsession with self, as we become free to grow ourselves, we also free ourselves to love and to feel concern for other people. We will then want to give them the opportunity for unhampered growth when they are young, and to help them in whatever way possible to find and realize themselves when they are blocked in their development. At any rate, whether for ourselves or for others, the ideal is the liberation and cultivations of the forces which lead to self-realization. #RandolphHarris 2 of 25
If not mentally defective, whatever the conditions under which a child grows up, he will learn to cope with others in one way or another and he will probably acquire some skills. However, there are also forces in him which he cannot acquire or even develop by learning. You need not, and in fact cannot, teach an seed to grow into a Monterey Ever Green Cypress tree, but when given a chance, its intrinsic potentialities will develop. Similarly, the human individual, given a chance, tends to develop his particular human potentialities. He will develop then the unique alive forces of his real self: the clarity and depth of his own resources, the strength of his will power; the special capacities or gifts he may have; the faculty to express himself, and to relate himself to others with this spontaneous feelings. All this will in time enable him to find his set of values and his aims in life. He will grow, substantially undiverted, toward self-relation. Thus, this is why the real self is that central inner force, common to all human beings and yet unique in each, which is the deep source of growth. (When in the future a reference is made to growth, it is always meant in the sense presented here—that of free, healthy development in accordance with the potentials of one’s generic and individual nature.) Only the individual himself can develop his given potentialities. However, like any other living organism, the human individuum needs favourable conditions for his growth “from seed into Monterey cypress evergreen tree”; he needs an atmosphere of warmth to give him both a feeling of inner security and the inner freedom enabling him to have his own feelings and thoughts and to express himself. #RandolphHarris 3 of 25
A man needs the good will of others, not only to help him in his many needs but to guide and encourage him to becomes a mature and fulfilled individual. He also needs healthy friction with the wishes and wills of others. If he can thus grow with others, in love and in friction, he will also grow in accordance with his real self. However, through a variety of adverse influences, a child may not be permitted to grow according to his individual needs and possibilities. Such unfavourable conditions are too manifold to list here. However, some include the fact that people in the environment are too wrapped up in their own neuroses to be able to love the child, or even to conceive of him as the particular individual he is; their attitudes toward him are determined by their own neurotic needs and responses. Essentially, they may be dominating, overprotective, intimidating, irritable, overexacting, overindulgent, erratic, partial to other siblings, hypocritical, indifferent, et cetera. It is never a matter of just a single factor, but always the whole constellation that exerts the untoward influence on a child’s growth. As a result, the child does not develop a feeling of belonging, of “we,” but instead a profound insecurity and vague apprehensiveness, for which I use the term basic anxiety. It is his feeling of being isolated and helpless in a World conceived of as potentially hostile. The cramping pressure of his basic anxiety prevents the child from relating himself to others with the spontaneity of his real feelings, and forces him to find ways to cope with them. #RandolphHarris 4 of 25
The child must (unconsciously) deal with them in ways which do not arouse, or increase, but rather alley his basic anxiety. The particular attitudes resulting from such unconscious strategical necessities are determined both by the child’s given temperament and by the contingencies of the environment. Briefly, he may try to cling to the most powerful person around him; he may try to rebel and fight; he may try to shut others out in his inner life and withdraw emotionally from them. In principle, this means that he can move toward, against, or away from others. Manifestations of childhood-onset schizophrenia are usually similar to those in adolescents and adults, but delusions and visual hallucinations (which may be more common among children) may be less elaborate. My guess is that psychotic hallucinations and hypnogogic experiences are related but not identical. Hallucinations are stronger, more durable, and more consistently organized. They are often more alien and negative too. It may be that these are one process made different by the patient’s poorer insight and greater struggle against l’autre moi. For instance, one child had loud voices shouting at him all day so that he killed one person, broke windows, et cetera. Nothing abated the voices so I helped him to meet and deal with them. As he came to accept what they suggested, they quietened, became less negative, and eventually merged into his thoughts. It would appear that the intensity of most schizophrenic hallucinations, as contrasted with the faint delicacy of hypnogogic experiences, is a function of the patient’s struggle against l’autre moi. #RandolphHarris 5 of 25
It looks as though hallucinations are generated by the patient’s rigid alienation from his other side, making it more attacking, fiercer, and alien in its aspects. There are less common beneficial, supportive hallucinations which are also alien and archetypal in nature. One man had a spirited female hallucination who was gay, humorous, and quite wise in matters of ancient symbols in marked contrast to the patient’s disinterest and lack of ability in the matter of symbols. In fact, this lady hallucination was the most gifted and sensitive person I have ever met! Hallucinations seem either lower than the patient (meaner, more involving of pleasures of the flesh, more limited and tormenting) or higher, but either way alien. They may be either higher or lower because they are the rejected, unused aspects of the person. A dream is a normal and common message from l’autre moi having less interference from consciousness in its creation than any of the phenomena (except hallucinations) touched upon this far. An example will remind the reader of its strange language and strange frame of reference. Most night I dreamt I saw a little something sticking out of my chest over to heart. To my horror it moved, making me feel that something alien was alive in me. I pulled it out, fearing it may mean there are more in me. It looked like an ancient creature one inch long, vaguely like a cobra in shape. It has a tail webbed like a duck’s foot. It moved and seemed very ancient. #RandolphHarris 6 of 25
At first, the dream meant almost nothing. Then it came to me. “Out of my chest, from the region of my heart,” I associated with this essay. I pulled something out of my heart. It is more living than I wanted it to be. Like the cobra, it is lovely (my association to my cobra—yours is a different creature), rhythmic and yet deadly in its possibilities. The deadly aspect of this paper will not be apparent yet, but it has to do with ego’s limited scope, being servant to an inner master. What I pull out of me is ancient, before man. It is conceivable that this inner World was latent before man and probably the first World known by man. It wiggles and frightens—this ancient knowledge I pull out of my chest—fearsome for there is more there that I have not yet met and understood. The dream images my feelings today. It was written in an ancient language I am only coming to understand. Emanuel Swedenborg, in the mid-18th century, aptly called this the language of representations. It was given from the region of mind that represents itself, endlessly. Mr. Swedenborg appears to have presented the most detailed study of this language ever attempted. As shown in his Spiritual Diary, most of his work was done in a state similar to hypnogogic. It is his contention, backed by much evidence, that this inner language of representations has as its reference innermost subjective qualities, and is the language of much of the Christian Bible. His material is so extensive that scholars have taken a lifetime to fully comprehend it. Seen in this light, much that seems obscure and archaic in the Christian Bible takes on great meaning. #RandolphHarris 7 of 25
One of the Ten Commandments in the Christian Bible state, “Thou shalt not kill.” Man may take whatever defensive preparations he pleases, but he must stop short at the point of killing other men. The refusal to slaughter would then evoke powerful spiritual forces, and if enough persons evoke them the end of war would be assured. However it is unlikely that such an idealistic course would appeal to more than a small minority of mankind, so that if the end of war is to be brought about in another way, it can be by the political method of an international policing army operated by a World federation of peoples. Since such a federation does not exist today, its only possibility of coming into existence is through the hard lessons learnt out of the appalling destructiveness of an atomic war. There is no other alternative to such a war than the renunciation of the right to kill. Philosophy is essentially realizable hence practical. It uses the idea of nonviolence only under the governance of wisdom. If violent punishment or causing pain will be better in the end than refraining, it would not hesitate. They have their place. However, because philosophy combines and balances its wisdom with compassion, with mercy and, if advisable, forgiveness, its violence operates side by side with nonviolence. To meet the assaults of vicious human beasts with sympathetic nonviolence in the optimistic belief that this attitude is not only morally correct but may also change the attacker’s character, is to deceive oneself. #RandolphHarris 8 of 25
Such passivity invites the continuance of attack and promotes further crime. It persuades the criminal individual to turn potential victims into actual ones. It actually contributes to the other man’s delinquency by encouraging him to adventure father into wrong-doing. Himan interaction is nothing more than a continuous string of contact and withdrawal, contact and withdrawal. And for all the variations in the ways humans interact, there are only two kinds of contact and two kinds of withdrawal. The two kinds of contact are: Peripheral contact. This involves people “touching” each other at the edges of the self, normally through what each is saying or doing. It is essentially an impersonal or nonintimate form of communication. Examples: “Fill ‘er up.” “I will meet you for lunch Thursday.” “How is business?” Core-to-core contact. This involves people coming together at their innermost selves. As a result of this contact, they are moved or touched. Some examples: “I really enjoy being with you.” “You are a good boss—and you are also a good man.” Core-to-Core contact can also be unspoken, as with a look that says, “I love you.” Note that, to be core-to-core, contact does not have to be intimate or sexual, but must be deeply emotional. The two kinds of withdrawal are: Manipulative. The person withdrawing attempts to isolate himself or herself from another. Examples: “You are a big boy now; you should not talk that way.” “Do not call us, we will call you.” Healthy. Here, the person who breaks off contact does it out of a position of self-respect. He moves toward something, but just away. Examples: “I am really tired right now and I have to end this conversation because of that.” “Thanks, but I have heard that story before. I do not need to hear it again.” #RandolphHarris 9 of 25
Doesn’t Everybody? The thesis of this approach of life is: “it is all right to have measles, since everybody has it.” Of course it is not all right, since measles can be a dangerous disease. The classical example of “Doesn’t Everybody?” occurred when a woman who was addicted to colonic irrigations came into a therapy group. She began to talk about her adventures at the colonic-irrigation parlour and everybody listened tolerantly until someone asked “What is a colonic irrigation?” The woman seemed surprised to learn that there could be so many people in one room who did not take colonic irrigations. “Doesn’t everybody?” Both her parents did, and most of her friendships were made at the irrigation parlour. The chief topic of conversation at her bridge club was comparing one irrigation parlour with another. If it is reinforced by parents at home or teachers in the classroom, the “Doesn’t Everybody?” sweatshirt, which is a favourite at high school, especially among cheerleaders, drum majorettes, and boys on the make, even at that age, it may have sinister connotations. It is also good for business, where it is heavily exploited by undertakers, and in a lighter way by insurance salesmen. Interestingly enough, many stock salesman, who are almost as conservative as undertakers, are wary of it. The key word, and the one that gives it its explosive political quality, is “Everybody.” Who is Everybody? For the wearers of this sweatshirt, Everybody is “The people I say are O.K., including me, I hope.” For this reason, they usually have two other sweatshirts that they wear on appropriate occasions. They put on “Doesn’t Everybody?” when they go out among strangers. #RandolphHarris 10 of 24
However, when they are with the people they admire, they wear either “How Am I Doing?” or “I know Prominent People.” They are devotees of what Sinclair Lewis made into Babbittry and what Alan Harrington satirically called “Centralism,” the doctrine that the safest place to be is in dead center; Mr. Harrington’s hero became such a thorough Centralist that he was able to sell an insurance policy every thirty second or so. The wearer of this sweatshirt has, for his favourite pastime, “Me Too,” and his favourite game is “Come To Find Out” that actually “everybody” does not, as he knew all along. Thus his favourite feeling is being taken by (phony) surprise. His nickname is Creepy and his hero is someone who keeps everybody in line. In the front room he does what he thinks the O.K. people are doing and conspicuously avoids the not-O.K. ones, while in the back room he performs outlandish deeds, or even horrors. He lives in a World where he is misunderstood except by his cronies, and his script calls for him to be done in for one of his secret misdeeds. When the end comes, he does not protest much because he feels he really deserves it according to his own slogan: “He who breaks the rules of everybody must suffer.” And that is the kicker on the back of his sweatshirt: “He is Different—Must be a Kook or a Communist or Something.” Closely allied to the sweatshirt is the tombstone. #RandolphHarris 11 of 25
The fury of annihilation, appropriate to every rebel, then assumes its most common form. The apocalypse of crime—as conceived by Mr. Rimbaud in the person of the prince who insatiably slaughters his subjects—and endless licentiousness are rebellious themes that will be taken up again by the surrealists. However, finally, even with Mr. Rimbaud, nihilist dejection prevailed; the struggle, the crime itself, proved too exacting for his exhausted mind. If we may venture to says so, the seer who drank in order not to forget ended by finding in drunkenness the heavy sleep so well known to our contemporaries. One can sleep on the beach, or at Aden. Even if the order is degrading, and one consents, no longer actively, but passively, to accept the order of the World. Mr. Rimbaud’s silence is also a preparation for the silence of authority, which hovers over minds resigned to everything save to the necessity of putting up a fight. Mr. Rimbaud’s great intellect, suddenly subordinated to money, proclaims the advent of other demands, which are at first excessive and which will later be put to use by the police. To be nothing—that is the cry of the mind exhausted by its own rebellion. This leads to the problem of suicide of the mind, which, after all, is less respectable than the surrealists’ suicide, and more fraught with consequences. Surrealism itself, coming at the end of this great act of rebellion, is only significant because it attempted to perpetuate that aspect of Mr. Rimbaud which alone evokes our sympathy. Deriving the rules for a rebellious asceticism for the letter about the seer and the system it implies, he illustrates the struggle between the will to be and the desire for annihilation, between the yes and the no, which we have discovered again and again at every stage of rebellion. For all these reasons, rather than repeat the endless commentaries that surround Mr. Rimbaud’s work, it seemed preferable to rediscover him and to follow him among his successors. #RandolphHarris 12 of 25
Absolute rebellion, total insubordination, sabotage on principle, the humour and cult of the absurd—such is the nature of surrealism, which defines itself, in its primary intent, as the incessant examination of all values. The refusal to draw any conclusions is flat, decisive, and provocative. “We are specialists in rebellion.” Surrealism, which according to Aragon, is a machine for capsizing the mind, was first conjured up by the Dadaist movement, whose romantic origins and anemic dandyism must be noted. Non-signification and contradiction are therefore cultivated for their own sakes. “The real Dadaists are against Dad. Everyone is a director of Sada.” Or again: “What is good? What is ugly? What is hreat, strong, weak…? Do not know! Do not know!” These parlour nihilists were obviously threatened with having to act as slaves to the strictest orthodoxies. However, there is something more surrealism than standard nonconformism, the legacy left by Mr. Rimbaud, which, in fact, Mr. Breton recapitulates as follows: “Must we abandon all hope at that particular point?” A glance at the notorious sake reminds us that the Human Race is literally a mobility-contest in which small gene pools race to keep ahead of the engulfing wave of insectoid collectivism. The Human Race is exactly a competition of speed. Small gene pools being squirted ahead by swarming pressures into empty ecological niches where new realities—plan-its—can be created. The Human Race is a run to the West. The Contest is between the collective and the individual. Cn the individual freedom-gene pools accelerate fast enough to leave the planet before being overrun by Eastern hivism? #RandolphHarris 13 of 25
Mobility is the key to increased intelligence. The issue is, however, never in doubt. The swarming pressure of the primitive-past lapping at the outskirts of the frontier is simply a signal to speed up. At exactly that moment when the forces of homogenous unity, oneness, socialist-equality, cultural-determinism seem to become strict and rigid doctrines—exactly at that moment genetic-elitism reappears among the outpost—outcastes and new gene pools assemble on the frontier outposts. Everyone on the frontier is self-selected for frontier behaviour. The new ecological niche is always filled by those who are robot-templated for mobility, independence and change. An important caste to any species. Everyone on the frontier is self-selected for frontier behaviour—mobility, independence and change. The ascent of gene pools up the Atlantic in the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries was a genetic-selection process of gigantic significance. It must be recalled that immigration to North America involved an amazing seed blossoming of gene pools. Very few immigrants made the climb alone. Typically, each European gene pool sent its best fertile stock. Once a beachhead had been established in the new ecological niche, more settled members of the gene pools could follow. In most cases, however, new gene pools were formed by mutated-migrants of former Old World gene pools. The human race is a run to the West. The high-road North was a ladder, a series of ledges to be scaled. #RandolphHarris 14 of 25
The dimensions of healthy personality are interrelated. The capacity to experience a broad range of emotion, and to control its expression, is most likely to be found in persons who have been competent at satisfying their basic needs, who have retained a firm grasp on reality, who have achieved a healthy “self-structure,” and whose relationships with other people are secure and authentic. If persons repress their emotions or experience troubling emotional responses (such as irrational fears and manias), this suggest that they should endavour to improve their competence, their relationships with others, or their view of themselves. On the other hand, the work of behaviour therapists has shown that people who complain of excessive anxiety or a specific phobia can be aided to live more fully by a direct attack upon the symptom itself. The techniques of “extinguishing” unwanted emotional responses do work, and they can make life more livable for a person who has been thwarted by hitherto uncontrollable fear or rage. We have helped patients of ours to overcome a fear of the opposite gender, to accept their God-given gender, of public speaking, of authority figures, by methods of classical conditioning and behaviour modification, as well as through interviews aimed at encouraging patients to learn new skills, alter their self-concepts or self-ideals, and change their relationships with others in the direction of greater authenticity Patients who have been helped in these ways attest that there is great joy and enlivenment in overcoming the repression of feelings, so that one is free to feel and to express such feelings; and there is comparable joy in being free of a hitherto uncontrolled emotional response that rendered life unendurable. #RandolphHarris 15 of 25
Sometimes people do not realize the seriousness of a transgression or, in some cases, rationalize it away. No nation can safely trust its martial honour to leaders who do not maintain the universal code which distinguishes between those things that are right and those things that are wrong. Honour provides a moral compass for character and personal conduct in the Sacramento Fire Department. It means that you live by words and actions consistent with high ideals. Honour is the glue that holds the Sacramento Fire Department together. How you conduct yourself and meet obligations defines you as a person and a leader. As a Sacramento Firefighter or EMT you are a leader with integrity and act consistently according to clear principles, not just what works now. The Sacramento Fire Department riles on leaders of integrity who possess high moral standards and who are honest in word and deed. You are honest to others by not presenting yourself or your actions as anything other than what they are, remaining committed to the trust. If a mission cannot be accomplished, your integrity requires you to inform the chain of command. If your unit’s operational readiness rate is truly 70 percent, despite the senior commander’s required standard of 9- percent, you will not instruct team members to adjust numbers. It is your duty to report the truth and develop solutions to meet the standard with honour and integrity. Identifying the underlying maintenance issues and raising the quality bar could ultimately save lives. #RandolphHarris 16 of 25
If you inadvertently pass on bad information, you should correct it as soon as you discover the error. Do the right thing not because it is convenient or because you have no other choice. Choose the path of truth because your character permits nothing less. You should always be able to separate right from wrong in every situation. Just as important, you should do what is right, even at personal cost. As a Sacramento Firefighter or EMT, you cannot hide what you do, so you must carefully decide how to act. Sacramento Firefighters and EMTs are always on display. To instill the Sacramento Fire Department’s Values in others, you must demonstrate them personally. It is known that you always resolve conflicts between personal and Sacramento Fire Department’s Values, and that you are morally complete leaders. If you have doubts, please consult a mentor whose values and judgment you respect. Face fear, danger, or adversity (physical and moral). Personal courage is not the absence of fear. It is the ability to put fear aside and do what is necessary. Personal courage takes two forms: physical and moral. As a member of the Sacramento Fire Department, it has been noted that you demonstrate both. Your physical courage has allowed you to overcome fears of bodily harm and do your duty. It triggers bravery that allows has allowed you to take risks in firefighting and/or medical services in spite of the fear of wounds or even death. One lieutenant serving in Afghanistan displayed such courage despite serving in a time when he and his fellow African-American Soldiers were not fully recognized for their actions. #RandolphHarris 17 of 25
When you take full responsibility for your decisions and actions, even when things go wrong, you display moral courage. “I got married when I was going to school at Santa Clara University. My first wife, as I call her, and I have had three children—two boys and a girl, in that order. My two sons are both firefighters in Los Angeles. One is just about to be promoted to captain, and the other is in the process of taking the engineer’s exam. So they are starting to go through the system. My wife has always been concerned about the danger. I think most wives are. She was a registered nurse and worked in the emergency department and intensive care, so she understood the physical consequences of firefighting. But she has also understood its attraction for me. She says she has lived with “the other woman” for thirty years—the Sacramento Fire Department. Women who are able to maintain their profession both as a vocation and an avocation are basically saints. Which is the way that I would describe her. Just a super human being. Firefighters pay a unique price in the duty schedules, the danger, and the dedicated. And during the first twenty years in the service, I was working at least two jobs, sometimes three. I was going to school, I was teaching school. I got my bachelor’s degree in political science, and my master’s in public administration. I was head of the Fire Science Department. I taught three of four fire science classes for ten or twelve years. #RandolphHarris 18 of 25
“So there was my wife, bundling me up to go to work, or getting me ready to go to school, or ready to teach. Between all those activities, she was having babies. With all this, the time you spend together is very important, it is high-quality time. It is interesting that after your kids have gone through all that and have seen all of it, and their activities have had to take second place to yours, that you discover one day that they have joined the fire department. In a sense, my kids were raised by firefighters. It’s all they have ever seen, so it’s probably a very natural thing for these really first-class people to be comfortable figures and role models for my sons. And in my own case, I think of all the education I’ve gotten and realized that the really important education was from the guys who raised me in the fire department. You appreciate the support the whole things has given you, and you hope you’ll give some of it back to the service. I never said anything to my sons, I think they decided for themselves. They both came on the department, the first exam they took. They both have been active firefighters, and I am proud of that. They are not dire scholars, they are attracted to the firefighting part of it, the service delivery part. They are big, tough kids, and they like fire operations, and I like to think that I see some of myself in hat process. So I get to kind of relive all of that.” #RandolphHarris 19 of 25
Citizens, give the right-of-way to any law enforcement vehicle, fire engine, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle using a siren and red lights. Failure to pull over may result in a ticket. Drive to the right edge of the road and stop until the emergency vehicles(s) have passed. When approaching a stationary emergency vehicle with flashing emergency signal lights (hazard lights), move over and slow down. If you are in an intersection when you see an emergency vehicle, continue through the intersection. Drive to the right as soon as it is safe and stop. Obey any direction, order, or signal given by a law enforcement officer, or a firefighter. Even if they conflict with existing signs, signals, or laws, follow their orders. When their siren or flashing lights are on, it is against the law to follow within 300 feet of any fire engine, law enforcement vehicle, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle. If you drive to the scene of a fire, collision, or other disaster, you can be arrested. When you do this, you are getting in the way of firefighters, ambulance crews, or other rescue and emergency personnel. Moral courage is the willingness to stand firm on values, principles, and convictions. It enables you to stand up for what you believe is right, regardless of the consequences. The concept of professional courage does not always mean being as tough as nails, either. It also suggests a willingness to listen to other peoples’ problems, to go to bat for them in a tough situation and it means knowing just how far they can go. It also means being willing to tell the boss when he or she is wrong. #RandolphHarris 20 of 25
The Sacramento Fire Department is older than the City of Sacramento. On 5 February 2025, the Sacramento Fire Department will be celebrating their 175th birthday. This is a very important milestone. Understanding the expectations and applying the attributes and competencies prepares the Sacramento Fire Department for situations they are likely to encounter. Fire fighters who gain expertise through operational assignments, institutional learning, and self-development will be versatile enough to adapt to most situations and grow into greater responsibilities. All members of the Sacramento Fire Department are loyal, dedicated to duty, respectful, selfless, honourable, possess a great deal of integrity and display personal courage in the face of danger and adversity. You can save lives by making a donation to the Sacramento Fire Department. The proud members of the Sacramento Fire Department are committed to providing the highest quality and highest level of courteous and responsive services to the residents, businesses, and visitors of Sacramento. This is accomplished by implementing comprehensive strategies and training in fire prevention, fire suppression, emergency medical services, and all risk mitigation, including human-caused and natural disasters, emergency preparedness, emergency cervices and community-based fire services. The Sacramento Fire Department physical requirements for the firefighters and EMTs state that you must be medically and physically fit, and able to pass the Occupational Physical Assessment Test. Therefore, physical and mental toughness are just the basic requirements. You achieve excellence when you habitually show discipline and commitment to the department’s values. Individuals and organizations pursue excellence to improve. #RandolphHarris 21 of 25
As a reminder, parents, pleasure teach your children love America and be patriotic citizens and to buy goods and services made in America. It is also important to respect law and order and treat your elders with respect. Having the Southern American boarder open and not having American farmland protected, not producing beef, poultry, fish, fruit, produce and dairy in America, and without American goods and services being our number one manufactured and selling items, America has created a dangerous and significantly elevated risks to national security, national economic security, and national public health. Some people may believe that these claims are overstated, but by not routinely monitoring Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CEVs) or other security relevant alerts, such as end-of-life of machinery is how the Oroville Dam Crisis occurred in 2017. Other crises that have occurred due to neglect of critical infrastructure is the 2025 Palisades fires because Southern California ran out of water, when they are located next to an ocean and they could have simply created desalinating plants to help with the water shortage. The water is so plentiful that it is currently eroding land and causing homes to fall into the sea. American government should know all exploitable vulnerabilities and fix them prior to the situation becoming a crisis. Failure to take such mitigating actions is dangerous and significantly elevates risk to national security, national economic security, and national public health and safety. The American government must understand that significant time and resources must be invested in America. They must also encourage corporations to plan for both mitigating safety vulnerabilities in the short term and eliminating them in the long term. For instance, a company might begin by reaching out to the federal, state or local government and requesting tax incentives to provide security to dangerous communities, to help the government repair bridges and potholes. #RandolphHarris 22 of 25
America needs an approach to eliminate safety vulnerabilities in American cities. There needs to be a road map by the end of 2025, outlining a prioritized approach to eliminate crisis situations in America. There is enough money to send aid to foreign nations, but the American government does not have enough money to care their infrastructure, provide adequate resources, nor end the affordable housing crisis. Nor is there enough money to fund other national critical functions (NCFs). These bad practices of putting America and Americans last is considered exceptionally risky, particularly to national security, national economic security, and national public healthy and safety. In 2024, Americans spent $100 billion on Japanese cars. In an effort to help America pull through the massive national deficit, please buy American made cars. American made cars used to be the envy of the World and because American car brands are offering a wide range of options, from family SUVs to electric vehicles and luxury sedans, we are now seeing a resurging interest. American made cars are equal or superior to those made overseas. The Chevrolet Trax, for instance, is a well-designed, fuel efficient, and safe SUV. And as you know, there is no better car on Earth than 1950-1970s American Muscle Car. Americans make sure superior product, but we are buying things from other nations. American food imports have risen by 300 percent since 1999. American farmland declined by nearly 20 million acres between 2017 and 2022. As of 2022, there were 880.1 million acres of land dedicated to farming, compared to 900.1 million in 2017. The data shows there are now little more than 1.9 million farms in the country. Americans and American corporations spent $136 billion on food and beverages from other countries. It is a national security risk to lose American Farms and farmers. If there is a war, and most of our meat, produce, poultry, dairy, and fruit is coming from foreign counties, we stand the risk of starving. #RandolphHarris 23 of 25
With war breaking out all over the World, in these uncertain times, it is very important to bring American farms back. Las Vegas is running out of buildable land and is expected to reach its maximum number of homes in 2032. So, home prices are expected to rise dramatically. Much like the land crisis in Las Vegas, we could also run out of land to farm and will not be able to grow or cultivate our own food. We can protect American farmland and support American farmers by buying American made beef, poultry, dairy, and produce. Also, country of origin labeling is very important so Americans can know where their food is coming from and have the ability to support American farmers and ranchers. As money flows, it influences further investment. Save the land that sustains us by protecting American farmland. Once the land is built on, we lose it forever. And in the future, there may be food wars. Also, to ensure that we have farmland and buildable land for future use, we need to start limiting the number of people allowed to immigrant to America. Perhaps with the immigrants we do allow into America, there needs to be a diversity program to make sure we have a population that equally represents all races of people. If Americans continue to spend money on American products, then more need to be made to keep up the inventory. When investors notice these goods are selling, it gives them the confidence to pour more money into that local business. It shows that people want these goods made in America and pressures investors to keep these goods and services in America. The jobs stay here, the business stays in American, wages naturally increase, and more money is invested to keep up with demand. This reduces the burden on the taxpayer. When you support American businesses, that money stays in our economy and can help to reduce the national debt. The government creates debt by borrowing from businesses in the private sector or from foreign countries. It also increases the national debt by spending more than it gains in tax revenue in a fiscal year. When people shop locally, more tax money stays in the economy and goes to the government. This way, it keeps more money in our national economy and keeps more jobs located in American which also sends more taxes to the government, which can again help to reduce the national debt. #RandolphHarris 24 of 25
When you buy foreign goods, these companies usually have lighter tax loads or exemptions, meaning less money for the nation debt, plus you are helping to strengthen these foreign nations by send more money overseas. Buying American made products is also better for the environment and helps to reduce the carbon footprint because these products do not have to travel nearly as far. Furthermore, American companies and manufacturers are held to much higher standards in regard to pollution. American companies have to be more careful about air, land, and water pollution and have proper ways to dispose of waste. Moreover, please remember to respect law and order and treat your elders with the utmost dignity and kindness possible. And take your education seriously so that you will be successful in life and make your family proud. It is inborn in the human minds to wish to know. If this begins with the endless surface questions of a child’s curiosity, if it continues into deeper questions of a scientist’s probing investigation, it cannot and does not stop there. For the higher part of the mind will eventually come into unfoldment, that union of abstract reflective thought with mystical intuition, which is true intelligence, which needs and sees a view of the whole of things. And so, the knowing faculty enters the realm of philosophy. As a reminder, parents, pleasure teach your children love America and be patriotic citizens and to buy goods and services made in America. It is also important to respect law and order and treat your elders with respect. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. #RandolphHarris 25 of 25
The Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Mystery House is full of surprises. What was your favorite, “Oooh!” moment during your visit at the mansion? (And for those of you who still have to check it off your bucket list… we will hopefully see you soon.)
Experience an unforgettable journey back to the time of kings and queens with this entry ticket for The Winchester Mansion in Santa Clara, California which was the residence of Sarah L. Winchester. Take advantage of this fascinating experience. After tour, there will be time enjoy the mansion’s splendor at your own pace. You might even discover secret passages.
Please come and enjoy a delicious meal in Sarah’s Café, stroll along the paths of the beautiful Victorian gardens, and wonder through the miles of hallways in the World’s most mysterious mansion.
For further information about tours, including group tours, weddings, school events, birthday party packages, facility rentals, and special events please visit the website: https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/
Please visit the online giftshop, and purchase a gift for friends and relatives as well as a special memento of The Winchester Mystery House. A variety of souvenirs and gifts are available to purchase. https://shopwinchestermysteryhouse.com/
Ever wish you could go behind the ropes and explore the mansion freely?
You can with our virtual 360 tour! This online tour lets you wander through the home at your own pace and admire every intricate detail up close ✨Only $8.99. Link in bio to purchase. https://360tourwmh.com/
BMW’s M series is legendary among car enthusiasts. Launched in the 1970s, the M series was originally designed for racing but quickly became a favorite for everyday driving due to its unparalleled performance. Models like the M3 and M5 are considered benchmarks in the world of high-performance cars.
Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP
L. Randolph Harris
Partner
San Francisco
d. 415.984.9658
f. 877.597.8584
L. Randolph Harris is a partner in JMBM’s San Francisco office who works with a broad array of privately held companies and their owners on business and tax matters. Randy advises clients with regard to business transition, taxable and tax deferred mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, restructuring, integrated tax planning, federal and state tax controversy resolution, and real estate transactions. Randy’s experience includes counseling mature companies on operations, business transactions and mergers and acquisitions and counseling emerging and growth companies on business organization, financing and operations. He advises on income tax planning for individuals, partnerships and corporations and also advises clients on estate and gift tax planning, including business transition planning. Representative Merger and Acquisition Transactions
- Represented electronic game developer Respawn Entertainment LLC, as tax counsel, in its $450 million sale to Electronic Arts
- Represented the Polymer Technology Group in its approximately $200 million sale to DSM N.V.
- Represented seller in the sale of a ready mix concrete company for approximately $30 million
- Represented sellers and buyers in the sale and acquisition of electronic discovery companies ranging from approximately $3 million – $30 million
- Represented buyer in the acquisition of private mortgage brokerage company
- Represented seller in the sale of credit card service company
- Represented seller in the sale of building materials company
- Represented buyer of specialty architectural product manufacturing company
- Represented sellers and buyers in the sale and purchase of general building contractors
- Represented sellers and buyers in the sale and purchase of sub-contractors in various trades including plumbing, underground, electrical, landscaping and tile
- Represented seller in the sale of surgical centers
- Represented sellers and buyers in the sale and purchase of medical and dental practices
- Represented seller of fire protection companies
- Randy is certified by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization as a Specialist in Taxation Law. He has authored materials for the California Continuing Education of the Bar on Partnership Taxation, published in the tax, legal and business fields and has lectured on tax and business matters for the California Continuing Education of the Bar, the National Business Institute and national trade groups.
Services: Taxation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate, International Tax Group, Real Estate, Family Office, Opportunity Zone Group
Be Careful with Your Words, Thoughts, and Actions
The brain is regarded as the most complex anatomical structure in the human body that executes various functions. The concept of wholeness or oneness refers to not only humans, but also all of creation. Similarly, consciousness may not wholly exist inside the human brain. One consciousness could permeate the whole Universe as limitless energy; thus, human consciousness can be regarded as limited or partial in character. According to the limited consciousness concept, humans perceive projected waves or wave-vortices as waveless item. Therefore, human limited consciousness collapses the wave function or energy of particles; accordingly, we are only able to perceive them as particles. With this limited concept, the wave-vortex or wave movement comes into review, which also seems to have a limited concept, id est, the limited projected wave concept. Notably, this wave-vortex seems to embrace photonic light, as well as electricity and anything between them, which gives a sense of dimension to our brain. These elements of limited projected wave-vortex and limitless energy (consciousness) may coexist inside our brain as electric (directional pilot wave) and quantum (diffused oneness of waves) brainwaves, respectively with both of them giving rise to one brain field. Abnormality in either the electrical or the quantum field or their fusion may lead to abnormal brain function. #RandolphHarris 1 of 24
The electromagnetic brainwaves or energy with its discrete network is commonly thought of as the sole contributor to various brain functions. Our thoughts, even fleeting ones, can seem an insignificant part of our day. However, in reality, our thoughts eventually determine or character. “For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is her.” And, for those who are striving to be like the Saviour, being pure in heart and mind is a must. Your brain is comprised of a tight network of nerve cells, all interacting with one another and generating an overall electrical field. This electric field is detectable with standard medical equipment. Your brain waves are simply the superposition of the multitude of electrical states being formed by your nervous system. Anywhere there is a nerve cell, there is electricity. The light seen coming from a star and the energy in your mind are the same type. Your thoughts are formed in this electric field. The measurable perturbations and disturbances in the brain’s overall electric field are your actual thoughts racing through your mind. The thoughts you think and the words your mind processes are all electrical impulses that can be measured. Therefore, thoughts are energy. That means they are governed by all the same rules of quantum mechanics and Schrodinger’s wave of equations as well. All the fascinating things about quantum mechanics that describe how an electron or photon behave, apply to you and your thoughts as well. #RandolphHarris 2 of 24
Like any other set of particles or source of energy, we are connected with everything we encounter, the environment around us and the rest of the Universe through the zero-point field. The difference between a human being and a photon is that human beings can think; they are conscious. As such, human beings can choose which of the possibilities before them to collapse their wave function into. However, because human beings are entangled with their environment, they can also affect the environment and influence the randomness, just as it can affect us. It is through the property of entanglement that human beings can affect change in their environment. Human minds are transceivers, and able to receive and send signals into the quantum sphere of the zero-point field by the way of the highly coherent frequencies of their thoughts. It is possible that some people have more powerful brain frequences than others and perhaps that is why people like Sarah L. Winchester could see ghosts and demons, and it is also perhaps why the Ancient Egyptian could use what is considered magic. They spent more time working with their brains and had less distractions, so their brains may have been more powerful. The higher the frequency of one’s thought and/or brain wave, the higher their consciousness. The level of a human being’s consciousness it what makes their reality what it is and what it will continue to be. That is why parents tell their children, “What you focus on you will attract.” #RandolphHarris 3 of 24
When behaviours or ideas are pushed to an incredible extreme, they are held up to ridicule either by mild humorous irony or by strong sarcasm. This brings a needed corrective to the exaggeration. Any good quality may be pushed to fanatical extremes, whereupon it may become a bad quality. It is hard to walk the pessimists and deny the will to live because birth is evil and deny the natural needs because desire is evil. A juster evaluation would find evil forms of living and evil desires, but the great current of Life itself is surely beyond such relativities as good and evil. A temperate self-discipline is certainly inculcated by philosophy bit it does not call for the extreme of rigorous asceticism. A reasoned austerity at certain times and a wise self-denial at other times fortify and purify a man. Ascetic disciplines take four channels: physical, mental, emotional, and vocal. This last one, the restraint of speech is threefold: First, Prayer. The Lord can help you overcome any problem, including unclean thoughts. Make sure you choose your surroundings carefully and that your activities inspire good thoughts. Surround yourself with good friends who uphold Church standards, and practice carefulness never to depart from truthfulness. The purpose of all balanced asceticism, whether physical or metaphysical, emotional or mental, is to pull the consciousness up from a lower outlook to a higher one. However, this is only to make it possible for the aspirant to get the loftier outlook. If he confuses asceticism with fanaticism, this cannot be done. It is properly a training of the body and thoughts to obey and work with his higher will. #RandolphHarris 4 of 24
Some might consider all of this to be Women’s Lib. However, I would like to say that it seems unfortunate to lump everyone together under a single, catch-all label like “Women’s Lib,” when the fact is that there are different groups with different scientific views and philosophies and different goals. Some are doing important work while others, I am afraid, are just tilting at windmills. Nonetheless, let us not lose track of the issue. According to the familiar double standard, the man was active in intimate passions, the woman passive with in intimate passions. She served his needs. Today this master-servant kind of sexual exploitation is no longer acceptable, but the answer to the problem does not come from reversing roles. It is not either/or; it is neither/not. In most marriages today the goal of both partners is to be neither master nor servant. However, of course, it is more easily said than done, because the relationship with pleasures of the flesh is a subtle one, delicately constructed out of the needs and desires of two human beings who individually may not—probably do not—know fully what those needs and desires are. Their marriage is like a bridge from one to the other; somehow they can cross back and forth on it but they are not entirely sure just what is holding it up. Ans so if they arbitrarily decided to pull out one support and replace it with another, they may find the bridge in danger of collapsing. To more specific, let us suppose that the change they want to make to replace—concerns the pleasures of the flesh initiative. #RandolphHarris 5 of 24
Traditionally this was the male’s privilege—to initiate or invite or suggest or request a physical response. This was his right because he was a man, and the exercise of that right proved he was a man. For the woman, naturally, it was the reverse. By exercising her right to respond or to refuse, she proved herself a woman. Today we are in transition, and we will assume that a young couple do not want to live in accord with that traditional standard. However, can they make progress toward equality in pleasures of the flesh without undermining the relationship of intimate passions itself? Suppose that a young woman has grown up, as so many still do, in a comparatively traditional climate. Her father, brother, boyfriends, teachers, in another way, her mother, older sisters, aunts, all have unwittingly conspired to make her see herself as being most female when she is most responsive or receptive to the male gender. In all her plans and dreams where boys are involved, she sees herself as being pursued, being desired, being enjoyed. You see, if we take a young lady with a basically traditional background, we can be almost certain that one of the things that turns her on is being pursued. The chase is delightful, and it has erotic value for her because being pursued intensifies her sense of herself as a female person. Both words count. She is happy with herself both as a female and as a person. #RandolphHarris 6 of 24
Now, this does not mean that she cannot change and eventually be comfortable in a situation where she at least shares the initiative and where she participates more actively in a relationship with a man. She can learn and she can change. However, she needs time to allow her deepest feelings to adjust to these new values, to make them part of her pleasures of the flesh value system. She also needs to have the right man—or men—in her left at the time this is happening. After all, we are not talking about an intellectual abstraction. We are talking about flesh-and-blood human beings trying their best to work out their lives together as male and female. Here, by the way, the traditional female role helps the woman. Socially and culturally, it is perfectly acceptable for her to be the pupil. So, if the were teaching him to accept her as an equal, if she is fortunate enough to have the right man teaching her to take the initiative when the time and the circumstances and the mood seem favourable, she can be far more comfortable in the learning role than the man may be. From the male point of view, the problem is basically functional. If he is to perform at all, the situation must stimulate a spontaneous or voluntary physical response. This response is easily aborted, by fatigue, worries, fear, illness—you name it. If the male perceives the female is threatening him, even if in fact she intends the opposite, failure can be the result. She may, to further highlight this illustration, take off her nightgown before getting to bed, a gesture she intends to be stimulating and flattering, letting him know that she would be happy to join him. #RandolphHarris 7 of 24
However, if he sees this as taking the initiative with pleasures of the flesh, making demands on him, he may feel threatened. He may then be unable to perform and, inevitably seeking an excuse, he will be furious with her for having taken what he sees as an aggressive step. This is not an extreme example; it is a situation we encounter frequently in our clinical work. The man is taking a traditional double-standard attitude. A man with this philosophy is unlikely to take kindly to having his wife teach him other ways. In therapy, however, he can be introduced to new concepts. He may then perceive his wife’s action quite differently, and he may account for himself very well indeed. You see this mostly with mature people, but you see it with surprising frequency among younger couples too—particularly after marriage. Marriage apparently does seem to change one’s outlook. I do not say that it should, mind you—just that it does. When a man looks at a woman, that is one thing. When he looks at the same woman, who is now his wife, it is something else. If he is a latent double-standard man, you will know it, all right. To practice the necessary trainings and disciplines which any improvement of self calls for is to embrace the correct kind of asceticism, not to fall into unnecessary and unbalanced ways which turn it into fanaticism. We practice asceticism not because we hate the body but because it calms the passions. #RandolphHarris 8 of 24
If we have to deny its most powerful manifestations, if we are taught to deny the body and ignore the senses, if we are to reject the national satisfactions and renounce the aesthetic ones, life makes no sense. To deny Nature in the name of some narrow ascetic doctrine, to judge men and art by its standards, is to introduce ugliness into life, prejudice into affairs, and imbalance into character. Not in ascetic despisal of the flesh nor in fascinated enslavement to it will peace be found. Two representative examples of those forms of asceticism which may be listed as unreasonable, extreme, or fanatical, and which are therefore taboo in philosophic practice are wearing hair shirts to cause irritation or itching of the skin, and deliberately inflicting pain by scourging or mutilating the body. An Asceticism which makes a moral distinction between the body and the Spirit is exaggerated or false. Ascetism is useful as training of the self but harmful as a shriveling of it. Ascetism serves a useful purpose, but the balanced man will not cling to it when the purpose has been achieved. He will let it go in order to reach the next step higher, where there is no room for one-sided things. Among the dangers of asceticism are its aptness to breed an intolerant mind, its proneness to harsh judgment on nonascetic human beings. As asceticism which rises from within, which is wholly spontaneous, natural, and unforced, which at the same time avoids fanaticism and imbalance, is not objectionable and may even be admirable. #RandolphHarris 9 of 24
The ascetic who is ashamed to possess a body is as foolish as the one who hates it for the weakness, he thinks it produced in his feelings. The ascetic seeks for the impoverishment of life and the Worldling seeks for its enrichment. Both are right in their place. However, whereas the ascetic would impose his rule of life upon all others as constituting the highest one, the philosopher knows that it is but the mark of the beginner who has to disentangle himself from the dominion of desire and Worldliness. When we consider a person’s demeanor, the way he “comes on,” that is called his “sweatshirt.” The sweatshirt, in an exceedingly creative, artistic, and economical phrase or two, indicates to the experienced eye the person’s favourite pastime, game, and feeling, his nickname, what he does in the front room and the back room, what kind of a mental World he lives in, what kind of ending his script calls for, and sometimes the critical sphincter, his hero, and his totem. The sweatshirt is usually adopted in high school or early college years, the age when sweatshirts are popular. In later life it may be embroidered or the wording changed slightly, but the core of the meaning will remain unchanged. All competent clinicians, of whatever school, have one thing in common: they are good observers. #RandolphHarris 10 of 24
Since they are all observing the same thing—human behaviour—there is bound to be some a similarity in what they see and how they sort our and account for their observations. Hence the psychoanalytic idea of “character defense” or “character armour,” the Jungian concept of “attitude,” the Adlerian notion of “life lie” or “life style,” and the transactional metaphour of “sweatshirt” all describer very similar phenomena. (Many psychoanalysts consider that “transactional games” is merely a synonym for character defenses. This is not so. The sweatshirt is the character defense. Games belong to the open system of social psychology, and not to the closed energy system described by Dr. Freud.) An actual sweatshirt (“Hell’s Angels,” “The Losers,” “Black Panthers,” “Harvard Track Team,” or even “Beethoven”) states which gang a person belongs to, and gives some indication of his philosophy and how he is likely to respond to certain stimuli; but it does not indicate exactly how he will go about conning someone and what payoff he expects. For example, it is clear that many members of the first three gangs mentioned above are riding on the “Forget You” streetcar, but without knowing each member of the gang intimately (in the clinical sense) it is not possible to predict which ones want to be killed in order to become martyrs, which ones want merely to be manhandled so that they can cry “Police brutality!” and which ones are straight. The sweatshirt indicates their collective attitude and the games they share in common, but each one is playing out his own script with its own individual payoff. #RandolphHarris 11 of 24
A transactional or script sweatshirt is an attitude which is clearly advertised by the person’s demeanor, just as clearly as though he wore a sweatshirt with his script slogan printed on the front. Some common script sweatshirts are “Kick Me,” “Don’t Kick Me,” “I’m Proud I’m An Alcoholic,” “Look How Hard I’m Trying,” “Buzz Off,” “I Am Fragile,” and “Need a Fix?” Some sweatshirts have a message on the front and a “kicker” in the back: for example, a woman comes on like “I’m Looking For A Husband,” but when she turns her back it clearly says: “But You Don’t Qualify.” The man with “I’m Proud I’m An Alcoholic” on his forehead may have “But Remember It’s A Sickness” on the back. Homosexuals wear particularly flamboyant ones with the front slogan ‘Don’t You Think I’m Fascinating?” while on the back it says, “Isn’t That Enough?” Other sweatshirts give a picture of a more “clubbish” way of life. “Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen” (NOKTIS) is a fraternity with many branches, one of which is the Melancholy Litvak’s Club. The Melancholy Litvaks’ Club can be visualized by a Martain as little wooden building, sparsely furnished with run-down furniture. There are no pictures on the wall, only a framed motto reading, “Why Not Kill Yourself Today?” There is a small library consisting of statistical reports and books by pessimistic philosophers. The point of NOKTIS is not the total amount of trouble, but the fact that Nobody Knows. The NOKTIS makes sure that nobody ever finds out, either, because if anybody did know, then he could not say “Nobody knows,” and his sweatshirt would lose its point. #RandolphHarris 12 of 24
The sweatshirt is usually derived from a favourtie slogan of the parents, such as “Nobody in the World will love you like your father and mother do.” This resigned, plod-ahead sweatshirt is disjunctive, and merely serves to separate the wearer from the people around him. By a simple twist it can be transformed into a conjunctive one which will attract other people instead of putting them off, and lead to appropriate “Ain’t It Awful” pastimes and games: “Nobody loves me like my father and mother do.” What attracts other people is the back of this sweatshirt, which reads: “How about you?” Rimbaud was the poet of rebellion. His life, far from justifying the myth it created, only illustrates (an objective perusal of the letters from Harrar suffices to prove this) the fact that he surrendered to the worst form of nihilism imaginable. As if his renunciation implied superhuman virtue, Rimbaud has been defied for renouncing his genius. It must be pointed out, however, despite the fact that by doing so we disqualify the alibis of our contemporaries, that genius alone—and not the renunciation of genius—implies virtue. Rimbaud’s greatness does not lie in the first poems of Charleville nor in his trading at Harrar. It shines forth at the moment when, in giving the most peculiarly appropriate expression to rebellion that it has ever received, he simultaneously proclaims his triumph and his agony, his conception of a life beyond the confines of this World and the inescapability of the World, the yearning for the unattainable and reality brutally determined on restraint, the rejection of morality and the irresistible compulsion of duty. #RandolphHarris 13 of 24
At the moment when he carries in his breast both illumination and the darkness of hell, when he hails and insults beauty, and creates, from an insoluble conflict, the intricate counterpoint of an exquisite song, he is the poet of rebellion—the greatest of all. The order in which he wrote his two great works is of no importance. In any case there was very little time between the conception of the two books, and any artists knows, with the certainty born of experience, that Rimbaud simultaneously carried the seeds of the Season in Hell (Une Saison en Enfer) and the Illuminations within him. Though he wrote them one after the other, there is no doubt of them at the same time. This contradiction, which killed him, was the real source of his genius. In view of the fact that chronic suppression and repression of affect produce such unhealthy consequences, we shall inquire into some of the factors responsible for the adoption of these unhealthy patterns. Dependency upon Others. When persons must depend upon others for the solution of their problems and the satisfaction of their needs, they are thrust into situations that can promote unhealthy suppression and repression. So long as they are in the dependent role and need the other person’s good will, they must express nothing which will incur the displeasure of the other person. Thus, a child, an employee, or an inadequate person may have to withhold honest expression of feelings and express (or pretend to feel) only those that will improve his or her status in the eyes of the dominant one. Most of us have had the fantasy at one time or another of telling someone with whom we have been solely associated in a dependent role just how we really feel toward them. #RandolphHarris 14 of 24
Some people, on achieving autonomy, wealth, or courage, come right out and express long-withheld feelings. Sometimes the dissolution of a dependency relationship will remove only the motives for suppression, so that persons vent feelings they have long been aware of. Sometimes, however, with the breakup of the dependency relationship, long-standing repression will be undone, and persons will themselves be shocked and surprised at the feelings that well up for expression. Excessively Strict Conscience and Self-denial. Persons may chronically suppress or repress certain emotions not only for external reasons, such as avoiding rejection or criticism, but also to conform with demands of conscience. Persons may have acquired values that make certain emotions not only for external reasons, such as avoiding rejection or criticism, but also to conform with demands of conscience. Persons may have acquired values that make their self-esteem contingent on the exclusion of certain feelings and emotions not only from behaviour, but even from consciousness. They can accept themselves only as kind, pure, and strong, and so they must repress all those feelings that would produce guilt if they were recognized. Rigid Role Definitions. Everyone learns a variety of social roles include those associated with age, pleasures of the flesh, occupation, and one’s family position. Each role has strong social norms governing the experience and expression of emotion. To further highlight this illustration, a physician is expected to appear calm in situations of illness and crisis, whereas a layperson or a patient can experience and express panic without social blame. #RandolphHarris 15 of 24
Similarly, men in our culture are expected to appear stronger, more competent, and more in control of their emotions than are women (although these roles are changing through the influence of women’s liberation advocates). Thus, if they experience tenderness, weakness, and dependency, or the impulse to weep, men commonly feel ashamed. The necessity to appear before others in conformity with conventional role definitions thus fosters suppression and repression of emotion. If a person cannot find opportunities to be “out” of these roles, in order to experience and express the feelings engendered by life happenings, then that person’s roles are endangering his or her health. The moral precepts which philosophy imparts to its votaries are based not only on the familiar laws of goodness being coincident with happiness and of suffering being a reaction of evil, but also on the lesser-known facts of psychic sensibility. If you have renounced the World outwardly and wear a halo, you would be right in regarding ambition as a sin. However, if you still live in the World and have renounced it inwardly, it would not be wrong to work like those who are ambitious and so fill a more useful and more powerful role in society. Capital punishment is unethical because it commits a second murder to punish the first one, and not everyone on death row is guilty. Ideals are good and needed, but impracticable ones are not. Their failure tests and show them up for the mere theories that they are. The balanced, practical idealist does more for humanity than the hazy, muddling theorist. #RandolphHarris 16 of 24
When you are a member of the Sacramento Fire Department, you must always work not just to meet the minimum standard, but to do your very best. Your duty is to commit to excellence in all aspects of your professional responsibility. Part of fulfilling duty is to exercise initiative—anticipating what needs to be done before someone tells you what to do. You must exercise initiative when you fulfill the purpose, not merely the letter, of the tasks assigned you and the orders you have received. The task is not complete until you achieve the intended outcome. Conscientiousness is the internalization of duty. Conscientiousness means having a high sense of responsibility for your personal contributions to the Sacramento Fire Department, demonstrated through dedicated effort, organization, thoroughness, reliability, and practicality. Your own conscientiousness consistently alerts you to do what is right—even when you are tried or demoralized. In rare cases, your sense of duty also has to detect and prevent an illegal order. Duty requires refusal to obey. The Sacramento Fire Department has no choice but to do what is ethically and legally right. Treat people as they should be treated. Respect for the individual is the basis for the rule of law—the very essence of what the nation stands for. Respect means you must treat others as they should be treated—with dignity and respect. Over the course of history, America has become more culturally diverse, requiring firefighters to deal with people from a wider range of ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds. You must prevent misunderstandings arising from cultural difference. Actively seek to learn about people whose culture is different. Be sensitive to other cultures. This will help you in mentoring, coaching, and counseling team members. See things from their perspective, and appreciate what is important to them. #RandolphHarris 17 of 24
The Sacramento Fire Department consistently fosters a climate in which everyone is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of race, gender, creed, or religious belief. Fostering a balanced and dignified work climate begins with your personal example. How you live the Sacramento Fire Department values shows subordinates how they should behave. Teaching values is one of your most important responsibilities. It helps create a common understand of the Sacramento Fire Departments Values and standards. The discipline which makes the Sacramento Fire Department reliable is not gained by harsh or tyrannical treatment. On the contrary, such treatment is far more likely to destroy than to make a fire department. The Sacramento Fire Department imparts instruction and gives commands in such a manner and such a tone of voice to inspire in the firefighters and EMTs no feeling but an intense desire to obey, while the opposite manner and tone of voice cannot fail to excite strong resentment and a desire to disobey. The one mode or other of dealing with crew members springs from a corresponding split in the heart of the captain. He or she who feels the respect which is due to others cannot fail to inspire in them regard for himself or herself, while he or she who feels, and hence manifest, disrespect toward others, cannot fail to inspire hated against him or herself. “I got married within months of getting appointed to the department. My wife didn’t know much about the job, just that I wanted to get into the Sacramento Fire Department. I think it’s difficult for any wife to get used to the idea of her husband living with another family. #RandolphHarris 18 of 24
“I realized immediately, even going to a slow company, that although firefighters are strangers at the outset, they become very close very quickly. It has a tremendous impact on your life, whether you want it to or not. Do I live here, or do I live there? But I live in both places, split equal time. It’s not like going to a factory and filling up a cardboard box with something, then putting tape on it and sending it out the shipping door, and you can’t wait to get out of there. This is totally the opposite. Going into the camaraderie of living with the other family in the firehouse is not that easy. I guess that wives, when they talk among themselves, feel that the husbands talk about things at the firehouse before they would discuss it at home, whatever the subject. I think a lot of families have trouble dealing with that. It’s not easy to say, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t care about the salary, the only reason I took this job was because I want to do it, I like it, and now that I’m doing it I like it even more. So don’t crowd my territory, please. If I like being in this family at the firehouse, let me be.’ But unless somebody loves there in the firehouse and goes through it, I don’t think they can see it. I think that wives sometimes mistakenly believe you’re trying to push them aside. We have four young children. I certainly wouldn’t tell them to take this job because their father loves it. I think they’re under more pressure than when we were their age. Television and movies have an unbelievable influence on them practically from the day they’re born. They’re still young. The oldest guy is interested right not in the sciences and astronomy and outer space and the whole NASA program. Like firefighting, it’s a challenge but of something else, where you’re taking your life in your hands and going out into the unknown. All I’d want to tell the kids is, do what you want, as long as you like what you’re doing. That’s the most I can do, not try to push them in one direction or another, in some kind of vicarious situation where I wish it was me.” #RandolphHarris 19 of 24
The proud members of the Sacramento Fire Department are committed to providing the highest quality and highest level of courteous and responsive services to the residents, businesses, and visitors of Sacramento. This is accomplished by implementing comprehensive strategies and training in fire prevention, fire suppression, emergency medical services, and all risk mitigation, including human-caused and natural disasters, emergency preparedness, emergency cervices and community-based fire services. The Sacramento Fire Department physical requirements for the firefighters and EMTs state that you must be medically and physically fit, and able to pass the Occupational Physical Assessment Test. Therefore, physical and mental toughness are just the basic requirements. You achieve excellence when you habitually show discipline and commitment to the department’s values. Individuals and organizations pursue excellence to improve. The Sacramento Fire Department cherishes leaders of character who are good role models, consistently set the example, and accomplish the mission while improving their skills. The values of the Sacramento Fire Department are never tested more strenuously than during times of crisis. Those who can keep a level head and act with character, particularly in the face of grave danger, testify to the importance of the values of the Sacramento Fire Department. #RandolphHarris 20 of 24
Having the Southern American boarder open and not having American farmland protected, not producing beef, poultry, fish, fruit, produce and dairy in America, and without American goods and services being our number one manufactured and selling items, America has created a dangerous and significantly elevated risks to national security, national economic security, and national public health. Some people may believe that these claims are overstated, but by not routinely monitoring Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CEVs) or other security relevant alerts, such as end-of-life of machinery is how the Oroville Dam Crisis occurred in 2017. Other crises that have occurred due to neglect of critical infrastructure is the 2025 Palisades fires because Southern California ran out of water, when they are located next to an ocean and they could have simply created desalinating plants to help with the water shortage. The water is so plentiful that it is currently eroding land and causing homes to fall into the sea. American government should know all exploitable vulnerabilities and fix them prior to the situation becoming a crisis. Failure to take such mitigating actions is dangerous and significantly elevates risk to national security, national economic security, and national public health and safety. The American government must understand that significant time and resources must be invested in America. They must also encourage corporations to plan for both mitigating safety vulnerabilities in the short term and eliminating them in the long term. For instance, a company might begin by reaching out to the federal, state or local government and requesting tax incentives to provide security to dangerous communities, to help the government repair bridges and potholes. #RandolphHarris 21 of 24
America needs an approach to eliminate safety vulnerabilities in American cities. There needs to be a road map by the end of 2025, outlining a prioritized approach to eliminate crisis situations in America. There is enough money to send aid to foreign nations, but the American government does not have enough money to care their infrastructure, provide adequate resources, nor end the affordable housing crisis. Nor is there enough money to fund other national critical functions (NCFs). These bad practices of putting America and Americans last is considered exceptionally risky, particularly to national security, national economic security, and national public healthy and safety. In 2024, Americans spent $100 billion on Japanese cars. In an effort to help America pull through the massive national deficit, please buy American made cars. American made cars used to be the envy of the World and because American car brands are offering a wide range of options, from family SUVs to electric vehicles and luxury sedans, we are now seeing a resurging interest. American made cars are equal or superior to those made overseas. The Chevrolet Trax, for instance, is a well-designed, fuel efficient, and safe SUV. And as you know, there is no better car on Earth than 1950-1970s American Muscle Car. Americans make sure superior product, but we are buying things from other nations. American food imports have risen by 300 percent since 1999. American farmland declined by nearly 20 million acres between 2017 and 2022. As of 2022, there were 880.1 million acres of land dedicated to farming, compared to 900.1 million in 2017. The data shows there are now little more than 1.9 million farms in the country. Americans and American corporations spent $136 billion on food and beverages from other countries. It is a national security risk to lose American Farms and farmers. If there is a war, and most of our meat, produce, poultry, dairy, and fruit is coming from foreign counties, we stand the risk of starving. #RandolphHarris 22 of 24
With war breaking out all over the World, in these uncertain times, it is very important to bring American farms back. We can protect American farmland and support American farmers by buying American made beef, poultry, dairy, and produce. As money flows, it influences further investment. Save the land that sustains us by protecting American farmland. Once the land is built on, we lose it forever. And in the future, there may be food wars. Also, to ensure that we have farmland for future use, we need to start limiting the number of people allowed to immigrant to America. Perhaps with the immigrants we do allow into America, there needs to be a diversity program to make sure we have a populations that equally represents all races of people. If Americans continue to spend money on American products, then more need to be made to keep up the inventory. When investors notice these goods are selling, it gives them the confidence to pour more money into that local business. It shows that people want these goods made in America and pressures investors to keep these goods and services in America. The jobs stay here, the business stays in American, wages naturally increase, and more money is invested to keep up with demand. This reduces the burden on the taxpayer. When you support American businesses, that money stays in our economy and can help to reduce the national debt. The government creates debt by borrowing from businesses in the private sector or from foreign countries. It also increases the national debt by spending more than it gains in tax revenue in a fiscal year. When people shop locally, more tax money stays in the economy and goes to the government. This way, it keeps more money in our national economy and keeps more jobs located in American which also sends more taxes to the government, which can again help to reduce the national debt. #RandolphHarris 23 of 24
When you buy foreign goods, these companies usually have lighter tax loads or exemptions, meaning less money for the nation debt, plus you are helping to strengthen these foreign nations by send more money overseas. Buying American made products is also better for the environment and helps to reduce the carbon footprint because these products do not have to travel nearly as far. Furthermore, American companies and manufacturers are held to much higher standards in regard to pollution. American companies have to be more careful about air, land, and water pollution and have proper ways to dispose of waste. Moreover, please remember to respect law and order and treat your elders with the utmost dignity and kindness possible. And take your education seriously so that you will be successful in life and make your family proud. It is inborn in the human minds to wish to know. If this begins with the endless surface questions of a child’s curiosity, if it continues into deeper questions of a scientist’s probing investigation, it cannot and does not stop there. For the higher part of the mind will eventually come into unfoldment, that union of abstract reflective thought with mystical intuition, which is true intelligence, which needs and sees a view of the whole of things. And so, the knowing faculty enters the realm of philosophy. As a reminder, parents, pleasure teach your children love America and be patriotic citizens and to buy goods and services made in America. It is also important to respect law and order and treat your elders with respect. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. #RandolphHarris 24 of 24
Laguna Park, CA | From the Mid 500’s
Now Selling!
Welcome to the New Fabulous Forties! This intimate enclave of 37 homesites with available one- and two-story floorplans is the place to be in Sacramento. Waking up to a home you love sets just the right tone for what is ahead. Ventris Place offers beautifully designed homes. Danville, Residence 4, has 3 to 4 bedrooms and a loft across 1,846 square feet of living space.
Danville gives two levels, each one with its own defining purpose to create exactly what you need and want in the moment. Your home will flex with you, whether you need to invite work or play right into your comfort zone. There are also nooks that conjure up a visionary escape, welcoming you to lounge or create for the perfect work love balance. A main level with sweeping, open spaces and down to earth textures and tones, is designed with all the luxury details and faraway feels, much like the extended Laguna Park neighbourhood it occupies.
Organically designed to pull the outdoors and the indoors out, you can dine alfresco right of your gourmet kitchen or make the night bright, sitting on your side yard, for an entirely fresh perspective. A setting that is as cool as it is calm, elegant, and ready for the way you want to live. You will enjoy this home for generations to come. Just a few steps from your door and located in the Elk Grove School District, enjoy the features of the 22 acres North Laguna Creek Park, which includes paved paths, tennis courts, a basketball court, playgrounds, picnic areas, ball fields and 119-acre Wildlife Area and Interpretive Trail.
Your new home is within walking distance to Cosumnes River College and Regal RA Laguna Village and 24-Hour Fitness Laguna Sport Gym. Also, in close proximity to Kaiser Medical Centers, Winco Foods, Shell and Chevron gas stations, Walmart, and highway 99. This is the perfect community for those who are on the go, or just want to enjoy life at a slower place. The convenience is uniquely charming. https://nextgenerationcapital.us/new-homes-elk-grove-ventris-place/
Wishing you lots of love and happiness in your new home. #VentrisPlace
The Ultimate Driving Machine
BMW is a leader in automotive technology, constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in a car. From advanced infotainment systems to cutting-edge safety features, BMW cars are equipped with the latest technology to enhance the driving experience. The company’s commitment to innovation is also evident in its development of electric and hybrid vehicles, which offer the same performance and luxury as traditional models but with reduced environmental impact. https://bmw.niello.com/
Be Wary of Others, Those Closet to You, The Poison They Feed You and The Voo Doo They Do!
Dr. Freud and psychoanalysis taught us that rebellion is what guarantees our independence and our creative abilities. However, in the contemporary “entertainment” culture, is rebellion still a viable option? In a certain sense, rebellion, with Nietzsche, ends again in the exaltation of evil. The difference is that evil is no longer revenge. It is accepted as one of the possible aspects of good and, with rather more conviction, as part of destiny. Thus, he considers it as something to be avoided and also as a sort of remedy. In Nietzsche’s mind, the only problem was to see that the human spirt bowed proudly to the inevitable. We know, however, his posterity and what kind of politics were to claim the authorization of the man who claimed to be the last antipolitical German. He dreamed of tyrants who were artists. However, tyranny comes more naturally than art to mediocre men. “Rather Ceare Borgia than Parsifal,” he exclaimed. He begat both Caesar and Borgia, but devoid of the distinction of feeling which he attributed to the great men of the Renaissance. As result of this insistence that the individual should bow before the eternity of the species and should submerge himself in the great cycle of time, race has been turned into a special aspect of the species, and the individual has been made to bow before this sordid god. The life of which he spoke with fear and trembling has been degraded to a sort of biology for domestic use. Finally, a race of vulgar overlords, with a blundering desire for power, adopted, in his name, the “anti-Semitic deformity” on which he never ceased to pour scorn. #RandolphHarris 1 of 24
He believed in courage combined with intelligence, and that was what he called strength. Courage has been turned in his name against intelligence, and the virtues that were really his have thus been transformed into their opposite: blind violence. He confused freedom and solitude, as do all proud spirits. His “profound solitude at midday and at midnight” was nevertheless lost in the mechanized hordes that finally inundated Europe. Advocate of classic taste, of irony, of frugal defiance, aristocrat who had the courage to say that aristocracy consisted in practicing virtue without asking for a reason being honest was not to be trusted, addict of integrity (“integrity that has become an instinct, a passion”), stubborn supporter of the “supreme of fanaticism,” he was set up, thirty-three years after his death, by his own countrymen as the master of lies and violence, and his ideas and virtues, made admirable by hos sacrifice, have been rendered detestable. In history of the intelligence, with the exception of Marx, Nietzsche’s adventure has no equivalent; we shall never finish making reparation for the injustice done to him. Of course, history records other philosophies that have been misconstrued and betrayed. However, up to the time of Nietzsche and National Socialism, it was quite without parallel that a process of thought—brilliantly illuminated by the nobility and by the sufferings of an exceptional mind—should have been demonstrated to the eyes of the World by a parade of lies and by the hideous accumulation of corpses in concentration camps. #RandolphHarris 2 of 24
We must first of all realize that we can never confuse Nietzsche with Rosenberg. We must be the advocates of Nietzsche. He himself said so, denouncing in advance his bastard progeny: “he who has liberated his mind still has to purify himself.” However, the question is to find out if the liberation of the mind, as he conceived it, does not preclude purification. The very movement that comes to a head with Nietzsche, and that sustains him, has its laws and its logic, which, perhaps, explain the bloody travesty of his philosophy. Is there nothing in his work that can be used in support of definitive murder? Cannot the killers, provided they deny the spirit in favour of the letter (and even all that remains of the spirit in the letter), find their pretext in Nietzsche? The answer must be yes. From the moment that the methodical aspect of Nietzsche thought is neglected (and it is not certain that he himself always observed it), his rebellions logic knows no bounds. We also remark that it is not in the Nietzschean refusal to worship idols that murder finds it justification, but in the passionate approbation that distinguishes Nietzsche’s work. To say yes to everything supposes that one says yes to murder. If the slave says yes to everything, he consents to the existence of a master and to his own sufferings: Jesus Christ teaches nonresistance. If the master says yes to everything, he consents to slavery and to the suffering of others; and the result is the tyrant and the glorification of murder. “Is it not laughable that we believe in a sacred, infrangible law—thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not kill—in an existence characterized by perpetual lying and perpetual murder?” #RandolphHarris 3 of 24
Actually, metaphysical rebellion, in its initial stages, was only a protest against the lie and the crime of existence. The Nietzsche affirmative, forgetful of the original negative, disavows rebellion at the same time that it disavows the ethic that refuses to accept the World as it is. Nietzsche clamoured from a Roman Caesar with the soul of Christ. To his mind, this was to say yes to both slave and master. However, in the last analysis, to say yes to both was to give one’s blessing to the stronger of the two—namely, the master. Caesar must inevitably renounce the domination of the mind and choose to rule in the realm of fact. “How can one make the best of crime?” asks Nietzsche, as a good professor faithful to his system. Caesar must answer: by multiplying it. “When the ends are great,” Nietzsche wrote to his own detriment, “humanity employs other standards and no longer judges crime as such even if it resorts to the most frightful means.” He died in 1900, at the beginning of the century in which that pretension was to become fatal. It was in vain that he exclaimed in his hour of lucidity, “It is easy to talk about all sorts of immoral acts; but would one have the courage to carry them through? For example, I could not bear to break my word or kill; I should languish, and eventually I should die as a result—that would be my fate.” From the moment that asset was given to the totality of human experience, the way was open to others who, far from languishing, would gather strength from lies of murder. Nietzsche’s responsibility lies in having legitimized, for reasons of method—and even of only for an instant—the opportunity for dishonesty of which Dostoievsky had already said that if one offered it to people, one could always be sure of seeing them rushing to seize it. However, his involuntary responsibility goes still further. #RandolphHarris 4 of 24
Nietzsche is exactly what he recognized himself as being: the most acute manifestation of nihilism’s conscience. The decisive step that he compelled rebellion to take consists in making it jump from the negation of the ideal to the secularization of the ideal. Since the salvation of man is not achieved in God, it must be achieved on Earth. Since the World has no direction, man, from the moment that he accepts this, must give it one that will eventually lead to a superior type of humanity. Nietzsche laid claim to the direction of the future of the human race. “The task of governing the World is going to fall to our lot.” And elsewhere: “The time is approaching when we shall have to struggle for the domination of the World, and this struggle will be fought in the name of philosophical principles.” In these words he announced the twentieth century. However, he was able to announce it because he was warned by the interior logic of nihilism and knew that one of its aims was ascendancy; and thus he prepared the way for this ascendancy. Anyone born after 1945 is a mutant. Now, let us fine-tune the time machine and focus on what has happened since 1945. We are all so involved that we may not appreciate the incredible changes in the first quarter of the 21st Century. We choose the year 1945 for obvious reasons; that was when our species fissioned nuclear structure thoughtfully at Alamogordo and blindly at Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The release of atomic energy is a mutational moment in the history of every nursery planet. #RandolphHarris 5 of 24
It is useful to assume that in 1945, every living organism of every species, on this planet, picked up this fallout and radiation message and transmitted it through their nervous system to RNA and back to DNA: “Hey, the domesticated primates are fissioning the atom! It is time to leave the planet because nuclear energies are not supposed to be used on a tiny, shrinking planet like ours.” At this moment an astounding acceleration of intelligence occurred! The best evolutionary stages to inhabit are those of intense, dramatic inner-outer exploration—like 1960-1980. Since 1945, we have fissioned and fusioned the atom. Decoding the DNA Code allowed us, at that moment in history, to confront the possibility of genetic engineering, cloning, and biological immortality. Since 1945, medical science has eliminated, one by one, most of the scourges and plagues which have terrorized our species since the beginning of recorded history. One of the most important things to happen to the new species born after 1945 is neuroelectronic consumerism—Television. Every American child born after 1945 crawled out of the crib, toddled across the room, and with tiny, waxen arms and cubby, baby hands reached the boob tube and began dialing and tuning realities. Wheaties, no! Post Toasties? Maybe. Coke? Maybe. &-Up, Ford, Carter, Chevrolet, Ford, Carter. Disneyland, Disneyland, Disneyland, Disneyland. Children learned how to be reality consumers, watches of reality commercials, selectors of reality products, actively dialing a wide frequency spectrum of passive receptivity. Eventually TV programmer got the message and rolled out one Reality Program after another and the public lapped it up. #RandolphHarris 6 of 24
The Sun Belt kid born after 1945 experiences more realities in one week than most affluent aristocrats of the past experienced in a lifetime. Only six times int eh 10,000 years preceding the 1920s did a paedomorphic rejection of terminal adulthood by the juveniles of the species occur. This means that thirteen times in 2Y2 billion years one generation was called upon to assume the most difficult responsibility assigned to any individual nervous system. The role of genetic traitor emerged—active resistance to the monolithic pressure of adult domestication, a dramatic break with hive culture, escape from the very gene pool that gives continuity and safety to individuals. Neoteny requires inconceivable strength. The species, at the peak of its strength and specialized skill, and crazed by the sense that it has peaked, throws all of its resources against the youthful traitors. A genetic intelligence test results. Attempting to thwart the mutation, the species hurls its moral sanctions, its scorn, its police forces, it is wily, canny old tricks at the mutating juveniles. The species attempts to check, test and challenge the upstart renegades. If the paedomorphic rebels appear too soon, or in the wrong place—not on the Western Frontier—then they are easily crushed. The kids do not make any headway east of La Brea—too bad if they appear in Madrid or Athens or Jerusalem or Moscow. Only when the genetic hour has struck and only on the changeable Western rim can neoteny or the rejection of terminal adulthood succeed. #RandolphHarris 7 of 24
In the decade 1964-1974, small handful—less than 100,000—juveniles performed this extraordinary genetic feat. Using the available electronic communication technology, they formed a global network and sent out the signal—Drop Out. The adult fury unleased upon this small band of Evolutionary Agents was savage and brutal. The pressures were incalculable. The visible leaders were singled out for particular attack by the adult authority and the casualty rate was tragically high. Janis Joplin. Jimmy Hendrix. Jim Morrison. James Dean. Evil Presley. Aaliyah paid the ultimate price. Young Evolutionary Agents, however brutal the treatment they received from the hive authorities, were linked together in an unspoken peer-network. They were all together in rejecting adult authority. In spite of the scorn heaped on “hippies” they all shared a moral superiority to their parents. This gene pool was committed to change and did not offer the solidity of the traditional parent-hive. A man should take care that opponents are not permitted to disturb the equanimity of his mind. Conscious of the loftiness of his motives where they suspect sordid ones, aware of the true facts of a situation which they construe falsely, he must discover his own strength by trusting the higher laws to take care of them, while he takes care to protect his thoughts from being affected negatively. If he cannot afford to take offense at the criticisms of others, but use them as food for self-examination, neither can he afford to become elated at their praise. For it he does, then that also will be a triumph for his ego, a worship at its altar which would become in time a source of fresh weakness. #RandolphHarris 8 of 24
If misunderstanding comes to him from other people, he will meet it with a calm smile rather than a resentful thought. If misfortune comes to him from a source seemingly outside his own causation or control, he will meet it prudently, endure it bravely, and emerge from it profitably. If he can get nothing more, he will get the lesson of nonattachment. If he trains himself in thought control as a means of ego control, then neither flatters nor critics can reach him with their praise or blame. He comes to a point where he is not only willing to identify his own faults without having to wait for some self-made misfortune to wring the admission from him, but where he does so calmly, without emotional distress, as if he were identifying them in someone else. Even more, he will seek criticism from others in order to profit by it. The discipline should be as relentless in his periodic, critical observation of himself as he should be merciful in his observation of other people. He must never shrink from exposing his own faults to himself and he should not trouble himself with the faults of other people, except that his dealings with them render in essential to allow for such faults. Although he should heed criticisms of himself to sift them for their truth or falsity, he need not to be too concerned about them. His real judge is his own Overself, not any human being. If his actions are right in the Overself’s sight, he is under no compulsion to justify, explain, or defend them to meaner or lesser minds. He will never take personal umbrage about the criticisms other people make of him. On the contrary, he will take an impartial and objective view of them. Whoever thinks more of himself than he ought to, or lets the praise of others cause him to forget the weaknesses which he alone knows, needs to drink from the cup of humility. #RandolphHarris 9 of 24
My experience of dreams since I have learned how to notice and accept them is that they are accurate and honest, utterly without deception, speaking the only language that they know. To understand them, I must not twist what they are say, but accept it, sink into it, and let them speak to me. Frank Barron writes of a dream he had: “The dream was one of almost total darkness. Gradually in the darkness I discerned shadowy figures, almost lost so shadowy they were: first one or two, then a few more, then by the tens and by the hundreds, all dimly bodies forth. Soon I realized that I could see them only from the waist up, and that from the waist down they were caught in a mire, an oozy swamp which was gradually sucking them downwards and out of sight. Then I saw that each of the figures was holding on for dear life, left hand and right hand, to the hands of two other persons in the more. Suddenly the dream became a nightmare, for in an instant of recognition and realization I knew that each one in the swamp thought that with his right hand he clasped the hand of someone on firm ground, and with his left hand he clasped the hand of someone deeper in the swamp, but that actually everyone was stuck to the same extent in the swamp and each had the same illusion. Then I recognized the dim figures in the dream, one after another; those lost figures were psychologists and psychiatrists all, and in the light of day they were connected with one another in some such wise as my dream.” #RandolphHarris 10 of 24
The last sentence gives Frank Barron’s own knowing of the dream, his recognition of its meaning to him. Then he writes, “The state of affairs in psychotherapy (even in such a hotbed of self-examination with the help of someone else as Berkeley, California, was in those days) was never quite that bad.” It seems to me that the dream was more accurate before a part of it was rejected. Whatever I add or take away from what is given—added or taken away by what I think of as “myself”—seems to reduce accuracy. Many psychologists and psychiatrists learn heavily on one authority or another, not standing on their own, which to me is a mire in itself. This may come about in part through the academic notion of “giving credit,” which is a bondage. If I am forever giving credit to someone else, I tie myself to the other person’s thinking, and am unaware that all creation (including mine) is free. At the same time, by giving credit to someone else I avoid responsibility. Any criticism or discredit that may arise can be referred to the other. This is illusion, for in fact, what I do with someone else’s thinking becomes my own. It stands or falls as mine, and is my responsibility. What anyone does with anything that I have written is theirs, not mine, and is their responsibility. They cannot shove it off on me. As for the vast unknowns about people that seem to be indicated in Frank Barron’s dream, I think this is true. I sometimes want to throw out this manuscript because of all that I do not know, that is now known to the “experts” either. Waiting for proof is what hangs us up all the time; we are never going to arrive at anything final, and so it seems to me best to make available to everyone what is or seems to be known for them to use in working things out for themselves, each in his own fashion, not as a “follower” believing in outside authority. #RandolphHarris 11 of 24
What we find in the World rests on our beliefs. We have to remember that what we observe is not nature in itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning. That is a deep level statement, for some not easily grasped. The story of your life is the story of your relationships. Very little of what you do—or even who you are—has any significance outside the context of your relationships with other people. The English mystic, John Donne, wrote, “No man is an island…,” but even this is an oversimplification. Actually, an island is defined by its relationship to water and other land around it. We could not conceive of an island without considering its relationship to every other kind of land. Nor could we conceive of a person without considering his or her relationship to all other persons. Our relationships with others are intricately woven in and around everything we do, even those things which on the surface seem solitary and private. Take for example of one man, sitting down all alone, to read a book. The first relationship that comes into play here is between the author and reader. They must have a common language. They must have some elements of commonality in their backgrounds. They must share the common purpose of the author wanting to transmit and the reader received certain ideas of information. Next, why is the reader reading? Just for pleasure? If so, this suggests that the reader has chosen to seek pleasure by this solitary means rather than seeking it in the company of others. Maybe he is tired of dealing with others, feels uncomfortable with them or fears them. #RandolphHarris 12 of 24
Is he reading for information? Maybe he simply wants to have information he can later use in his work or his conversations with people. Maybe he feels inferior in a particular subject and is reading the book so as to be ready and “on his toes” the next time the subject comes up. Or maybe a friend has mentioned the book and the reader wants to be able to have a lively discussion on it sometime. Regardless of the circumstances in which it is done, even the most solitary deed has ramifications and meaning, but only in the context of relationships. This is important because as you can see from a cursory look around, our relationships are in trouble. Divorce rates continue to escalate everywhere. The family is fragmenting. “When it comes to intimate passions in the martial bedroom, do you thin it is healthy or acceptable or whatever word you might use, to push…(Starting again) If two people are timid, or one persons (laughter), do you not think that they should surge forth and try something different anyway? Because then they will sort of feel better for having tried it even though at a time it may not have seemed such a good idea.” Well, I do not think they should grit their teeth and close their eyes and say, “I will, I will, I will!” However, on the other hand, it seems desirable for a couple to want to evolve, to experiment together, to move toward experiences that will enrich their relationship. Such an approach can open up an incredible spectrum of responsiveness of the intimate passions. However, do not expect to live everything. Do not expect everything to represent you—not only should you not expect that, but for Heaven’s sake, do not reject something you have not tried, saying, “I know I will not like it.” Or do not turn away after you have tried it only once—that is a big mistake. You have no idea what you are going to like or dislike until you have had some experience. And I do not know what “some” means, but I know it means more than one! #RandolphHarris 13 of 24
“Is there any such thing as normalcy in relationships involving pleasures of the flesh? Or is it up to the individuals and whatever they are comfortable with?” Our basic concept is that any practice of pleasures of the flesh taking place in private between consenting adults is acceptable. And by “consent” we do not mean in writing or anything like that. Mutual consent implies that the practice is mutually enhancing, mutually pleasurable or does not occur at either partner’s expense. “Some things, I just do not think I could handle them.” Certainly. These particular feelings are always a problem in terms of initial anticipation of something unfamiliar or something which seems contrary to your established values. You approach it with some trepidation. Take manual or oral stimulation, for example, both areas of some concern. How should it be handled? How may it affect intercourse in a relationship? Wil it become the preferred way of expression of pleasures of the flesh instead of just a variation on a theme? This rarely happens, and it also may be a good idea to consult a proper therapist or medical doctor to make sure you are being safe and properly prepared. For what it may be worth to you, I will point out that in general the higher the level of formal education people have had, the more varies are their pleasures of the flesh practices. “But what do you do if you know that your partner would like to try something new and yet it makes you feel uptight?” Why do you feel uptight? Maybe just because you have never done it. However, it could also be that you are afraid of being graceless or tasteless? You see, with pleasures of the flesh, we cannot suddenly start something new and strange just because we have heard about it or because our partner suggests it. Because it, whatever “it” may be, then becomes something to be done, an act to be performed instead of a moment to be experienced. #RandolphHarris 14 of 24
Pleasures of the flesh, after all, should be a spontaneous expression of your personality, how you feel at a particular moment. To turn it into a performance, as something with a goal, where you start here and do this, this and this on some kind of checklist, is to lose the capacity to express your most private self. Instead of making your goal to perform with grace and good taste, make it to me yourself: “I am me, I feel a little scared and foolish, but I would like to know what other experiences are like.” That is the first line of communication—if you are not in touch with yourself, you cannot be in touch with anyone else. However, once you are aware of your thoughts and feelings, let your partner know them. If you are afraid, say so. Perhaps together you can discover what you are afraid of and why, and perhaps your partner can help you find ways of overcoming your fears gradually. Then as you move alone the way, you will be acting in accordance with your feelings, not in spite of them. And in time you should be able to include in your lovemaking al that you now enjoy, the sharing and exchanging that is warm and familiar and understandable, as well as this wild, mad…it over here. “Sometimes it is hard to get the words out.” However, there are so many easy, simple ways to communicate without words! A touch, a glance, a sound, can say a great deal. As long as your spouse listens, a sigh can be as good as a paragraph. It is important to understand that this interaction between husband and wife, this spoken or unspoken communication, is crucial to pleasures of the flesh stimulation. #RandolphHarris 15 of 24
There are two basic sources of stimulation. When you approach your partner and please her with a touch, the greatest reward that comes to you is her pleasure in the approach you took. Her pleasure, communicated to you, stimulates you. The second source of stimulation is, obviously, when your partner approaches you. Both sources stimulate your intimate passions; both sources bring you pleasure. Fundamentally, if you think of any technique of approach involving pleasures of the flesh as giving of yourself to get back from your partner—it is a delightfully selfish thing! It becomes very self-center. And a moment’s reflection should make clear that climax itself, male or female, is entirely a self-centered I-me proposition. Because at that moment you are totally involved with your own experiences. However, such self-realization is a real compliment to your partner, of course, since your pleasure has been produced by the relationship between you. You have to realize that even men with a great deal of experience cannot always identify the onset or the duration of the female climax. Now, women do not have the same difficulty; you are jolly aware when the man is near completion. Your husband deserves the same privilege. He wants to be aware because it is incredibly stimulating for a man to have a climaxing woman in his arms. That does not mean you have to say, “Now, Carter!” However, if you can find a way to communicate the intensity of your feelings, you may discover that instead of detracting from your experience, you may have intensified it. #RandolphHarris 16 of 24
Even if talking is put off until shortly afterward, it helps to share the experience. You do not have to intellectualize it to death. However, a little descriptive communication of what it was like will help your husband associate that which what he himself felt and observed. And the next time he may be more sensitive, more away of your responses, and he will know what he needs to know. That is how you develop your own private signal system, your own way of communicating without words. Then when you are caught up in that self-centered moment, when you are subjectively enjoying your own experience—as you should be—your partner can share your pleasure and be stimulated by it. When he feels that unjust criticism is levelled against him, let him remember that it is wiser to keep silent than to stir up a hornet’s nest. At such times it is his duty to extend the utmost goodwill and compassionate forgiveness to the parties concerned and to their dupes. For they act as they do through ignorance or misunderstanding. When they begin to love truly, they will begin to understand aright. To the self-actualized Christian, these are pinpricks, for he is not interested in his personal fortunes but in the Quest for truth. He has quite enough to do to attend to his own faults and to criticize himself without going about criticizing others. To turn the critical faculty on himself exclusively is the best way to improve personal character. However, because few persons can detach themselves from their own egos sufficiently, few persons are fit to be the sole judges of their own actions. It is therefore useful to ask for criticisms from other people. #RandolphHarris 17 of 24
Adolescence means high school and college days, driver’s license, baptism, initiation, coronation, having you own thing and your own things. It means hair here and there, brassieres and menstruation, shaving, and maybe an undeserved affliction that blows your plans and your mind—acne. It means deciding what you are going to be the rest of your life, or at least how to full in your time until you do decide. It means (if you really want to find out what it means) reading the three hundred or so books in print on the subject, as well as some of the very good ones that have gone out of print, and several thousand articles in magazines and scientific journals. For the script analyst it means a rehearsal, or a tryout before the show takes to the road. It means now you really are on the spot to answer the question, because if you do not, you may not make it: “What do you say after Hello?” or “When your parents and teachers no longer structure your time completely, how do you structure your time?” Silence can be filled in by talking about things, cars, or sports, cooking, usually a form of showing off, with points the one with the most knowledge. The script comes into play by knowing more than anybody pr less than anybody, by talking about triumphs, but not misfortunes. Another thing is to compare philosophies. Talk about quotes from Shakespear or movies. It is even okay to admit you cried during a movie, it shows a girl you have a sensitive side. A winner can be nobler or tougher, while a loser can produce bigger guilts and suffers; in between a nonwinner may be stuck with merely mediocre feelings. And do not be afraid to go to the gym. Young ladies like a man with some substance to him. This is the Life Crows, waiting for Santa Clause, who will bring a BMW with the competition package, a better football team, better times, or better teachers, parents, boy- or girlfriends. #RandolphHarris 18 of 24
The Death Crowd may despise all this and spend their time in more scripty ways, smoking marijuana (stay away from that crowd), dropping LSD (can be deadly or cause severe mental problems), going on trips together, and really rapping. In any case, whichever crowd he runs with, Jeder learns what is acceptable and what is not acceptable to day and how to say it, and compares trading stamps with others of his ilk. Some persons will joke about things that probably should be taken seriously using frivolity as a defense. People who are afraid to admit their righteous and justified anger, or who are afraid to be taken seriously, may cloak matters of genuine concern in laughter. When they do this is chronically, they permit situations to be perpetuated that could be changed for the better if they dropped the humorous façade. A cleaver and even off-colour story can add zest to a gathering, but it takes a certain savouir-faire to be able to distinguish between those times when a joke will contribute enjoyable laughter to a situation and when it will bring agonizing embarrassment to the listeners. Healthier personalities are able to find humor in situations, they are able to laugh at themselves as well as at others who might strut or huff and puff in phony pretense, but they will not be addicted to jokes that inflict or harm or express malice. It should not be forgotten, however, that there are some situations, as in dictatorships, where overt hostility against the leaders of a regime might bring death or imprisonment to the rebels, as occurred to Solzhenitsyn. Under conditions of this sort, satire, jokes, and cartoons that cleverly deride the ruling regime may be the only available outlet for feelings. Furthermore, such humour may serve a valuable function in sustaining morale. #RandolphHarris 19 of 24
The Sacramento Fire suppression and emergency services that preserves life and protects property at the most vulnerable times of life will always be here. They engage with their community, in risk reduction efforts, that maximize safety, fire prevention and well-being—because the best way to deal with an emergency is to prevent it. The Sacramento Fire Department promotes their culture of excellence through commitment to each other, teamwork, diversity and professional development; because their community depends on them. “My first fatal fire was a particularly tragic one, in a 9-story apartment building. The alarm came in at five-thirty in the morning. I wasn’t there on the first-in company, I was called later. There was a party in the fraternity house, and obviously a lot of alcohol had been consumed. The fire started in a chair. As we later pieced it together, a young man and woman had gone up into a third-floor room. They had a door closed between them and the fire. But the door was giving way very quickly, and the only way out for them was through the window, which was a three-story drop. The fire company had not yet arrived. The man went out to window and was hanging onto the window ledge. The young woman looked out the window and saw that she couldn’t do it. So she panicked. She opened the door and ran right through the point of origin of the fire. And by opening that door, she sealed his situation. He was hanging by his hands when the first-in company got there. There were flames blowing twenty feet out into the night over where he was. #RandolphHarris 20 of 24
“Of course, the young woman got a couple of lungsful of superheated air, and that was it. We found her above five feet from the fire’s point of origin. I was one of the guys who found her, and we had to put her in the bag and carry her down the stairs. When I first began, those things bothered me, then after a while I got to a point where I was better able to cope with these situations, and that bothers me even more. What struck me was the sheer stupidity of that whole situation. It just seemed like such a waste. I wound up writing an essay on it. The frustration is in seeing the same thing happen over and over and over again—the absence of sprinkler systems, smoke detectors that aren’t properly maintained, fire doors that are left propped open or with grated vents above them which allows air to feed the fire. People just never consider themselves to be potential victims of those kinds of situations. It only happens to other guys. And yet, if you’re a firefighter, you see those ‘other guys’ day after day after day. I can’t understand how some of these properties even pass city inspection. Perhaps the documents are forged or have been purchased?” The Sacramento Fire Department aims to preserve life, protect property, prevent hard, and promote excellence. Please make donate to the Sacramento Fire Department to asset them in their fire prevent duty and other programs. To help keep America a God loving, Christian community, please raise your children to love America and to love God and Jesus Christ. #RandolphHarris 21 of 24
In 2024, Americans spent $100 billion on Japanese cars. In a afford to help America pull through the massive national deficit, please buy American made cars. American made cars used to be the envy of the World and because American car brands are offering a wide range of options, from family SUVs to electric vehicles and luxury sedans, we are now seeing a resurging interest. American made cars are equal or superior to those made overseas. The Chevrolet Trax, for instance, is a well-designed, fuel efficient, and safe SUV. American food imports have risen by 300 percent since 1999. American farmland declined by nearly 20 million acres between 2017 and 2022. As of 2022, there were 880.1 million acres of land dedicated to farming, compared to 900.1 million in 2017. The data shows there are now little more than 1.9 million farms in the country. Americans and American corporations spent $136 billion on food and beverages from other countries. It is a national security risk to lose American Farms and farmers. If there is a war, and most of our meat, produce, poultry, dairy, and fruit is coming from foreign counties, we stand the risk of starving. With war breaking out all over the World, in these uncertain times, it is very important to bring American farms back. We can protect American farmland and support American farmers by buying American made beef, poultry, dairy, and produce. As money flows, it influences further investment. #RandolphHarris 22 of 24
Save the land that sustains us by protecting American farmland. Once the land is built on, we lose it forever. Also, to ensure that we have farmland for future use, we need to start limiting the number of people allowed to immigrant to America. Perhaps with the immigrants we do allow into America, there needs to be a diversity program to make sure we have a populations that equally represents all races of people. If Americans continue to spend money on American products, then more need to be made to keep up the inventory. When investors notice these goods are selling, it gives them the confidence to pour more money into that local business. It shows that people want these goods made in America and pressures investors to keep these goods and services in America. The jobs stay here, the business stays in American, wages naturally increase, and more money is invested to keep up with demand. This reduces the burden on the taxpayer. When you support American businesses, that money stays in our economy and can help to reduce the national debt. The government creates debt by borrowing from businesses in the private sector or from foreign countries. It also increases the national debt by spending more than it gains in tax revenue in a fiscal year. When people shop locally, more tax money stays in the economy and goes to the government. This way, it keeps more money in our national economy and keeps more jobs located in American which also sends more taxes to the government, which can again help to reduce the national debt. #RandolphHarris 23 of 24
When you buy foreign good, these companies usually have lighter tax loads or exemptions, meaning less money for the nation debt, plus you are helping to strengthen these foreign nations by send more money overseas. Buying American made products is also better for the environment and helps to reduce the carbon footprint because these products do not have to travel nearly as far. Furthermore, American companies and manufacturers are held to much higher standards in regard to pollution. American companies have to be more careful about air, land, and water pollution and have proper ways to dispose of waste. Moreover, please remember to respect law and order and treat your elders with the utmost dignity and kindness possible. And take your education seriously so that you will be successful in life and make your family proud. It is inborn in the human minds to wish to know. If this begins with the endless surface questions of a child’s curiosity, if it continues into deeper questions of a scientist’s probing investigation, it cannot and does not stop there. For the higher part of the mind will eventually come into unfoldment, that union of abstract reflective thought with mystical intuition, which is true intelligence, which needs and sees a view of the whole of things. And so, the knowing faculty enters the realm of philosophy. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. #RandolphHarris 24 of 24
Laguna Park, CA | From the Mid 500’s
Now Selling!
Welcome to the New Fabulous Forties! This intimate enclave of 37 homesites with available one- and two-story floorplans is the place to be in Sacramento. Waking up to a home you love sets just the right tone for what is ahead. Ventris Place offers beautifully designed homes. Danville, Residence 4, has 3 to 4 bedrooms and a loft across 1,846 square feet of living space.
Danville gives two levels, each one with its own defining purpose to create exactly what you need and want in the moment. Your home will flex with you, whether you need to invite work or play right into your comfort zone.
There are also nooks that conjure up a visionary escape, welcoming you to lounge or create for the perfect work love balance. A main level with sweeping, open spaces and down to earth textures and tones, is designed with all the luxury details and faraway feels, much like the extended Laguna Park neighbourhood it occupies.
Organically designed to pull the outdoors and the indoors out, you can dine alfresco right of your gourmet kitchen or make the night bright, sitting on your side yard, for an entirely fresh perspective. A setting that is as cool as it is calm, elegant, and ready for the way you want to live.
You will enjoy this home for generations to come. Just a few steps from your door and located in the Elk Grove School District, enjoy the features of the 22 acres North Laguna Creek Park, which includes paved paths, tennis courts, a basketball court, playgrounds, picnic areas, ball fields and 119-acre Wildlife Area and Interpretive Trail.
Your new home is within walking distance to Cosumnes River College and Regal RA Laguna Village and 24-Hour Fitness Laguna Sport Gym. Also, in close proximity to Kaiser Medical Centers, Winco Foods, Shell and Chevron gas stations and highway 99.
This is the perfect community for those who are on the go, or just want to enjoy life at a slower place. The convenience is uniquely charming. https://nextgenerationcapital.us/new-homes-elk-grove-ventris-place/
Love begins at home, and it is not about how much we do, but how much love we put in the action. #VentrisPlace
When it comes to cars that offer the ultimate driving experience, few brands can compete with BMW. Known for its precise engineering, powerful engines, and luxurious designs, BMW has earned a reputation as the best car ever engineered for driving enthusiasts.
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Hell is Empty, All the Devils are Here
Personal colouring of the truth is inevitable the moment it is given a shape in thoughts or words. If a man speaks at all—for in the divine presence he hangs his head—let it be with the high voice of true authority. Let it come out of the great stillness to shame lesser voices of the mean, the petty, and the ignorable. In this World rid of God and of moral idols, man is now alone and without a master. No one has been less inclined than Nietzsche (and in this way he distinguishes himself from the romantics) to let it be believed that such freedom would be easy. This complete liberation put him among the ranks of those of whom he himself said that they suffered a new form of anguish and a new form of happiness. However, at the beginning, it is only anguish that makes him cry out: “Alas, grant me madness…Unless I am above the law, I am the most outcast of all outcasts.” He who cannot maintain his position above the law must in fact find another law or take refuge in madness. From the moment that man believes neither in God nor in immortal life, he becomes “responsible for everything alive, for everything that, born of suffering, is condemned to suffer from life.” He who cannot maintain his position above the law must in fact find another law or take refuge in madness. From the moment that man believes neither God nor in immortal life, he becomes “responsible for everything alive, for everything, born of suffering, is condemned to suffer from life.” #RandolphHarris 1 of 26
It is he, and he alone, who must discover law and order. Then the time of exile begins, the endless search for justification, the aimless nostalgia, “the most painful, the most heart-breaking question, that of the heart which asks itself: where can I feel at home?” Because his mind was free, Nietzsche knew that freedom of the mind is not a comfort, but an achievement to which one aspires and at long last obtains after an exhausting struggle. He knew that in wanting to consider oneself above the law, there is a great risk of finding oneself beneath the law. That is why he understood that only the mind found its real emancipation in the acceptance of new obligations. The essence of his discovery consists in saying that if the eternal law is not freedom, the absence of law is still less so. If nothing is true, if the World is without order, then nothing is forbidden; to prohibit an action, there must, in fact, be a standard of values and an aim. However, at the same time, nothing is authorized; there must also be values and aims in order to choose another course of action. Absolute domination by the law does not represent liberty, but no more does absolute anarchy. The sum total of every possible amounts to slavery. Chaos is also a form of servitude. Freedom exists only in a World where what is possible is defined at the same time as what is not possible. #RandolphHarris 2 of 26
Without law there is no freedom. If fate is not guided by superior values, if chance is king, then there is nothing but the step in the dark and the appalling freedom of the blind. On the point of achieving the most complete liberation, Nietzsche therefore chooses the most complete subordination. “If we do not make of God’s death a great renunciation and a perpetual victory over ourselves, we shall have to pay for that omission.” In other words, with Nietzsche, rebellion ends in asceticism. A profounder logic replaces the, “if nothing is true, everything is permitted,” of Karamazov by, “if nothing is true, everything is permitted.” To deny that one single thing is forbidden in this World amounts to renouncing everything that is permitted. At the point where it is no longer possible to say what is black and what is white, the light is extinguished and freedom becomes a voluntary prison. It can be said that Nietzsche, with a kind of frightful joy, rushes toward the impasse into which he methodically drives his nihilism. His avowed aim is to render the situation untenable to his contemporaries. His only hope seems to be arrived at the extremity of contradiction. Then, if man does not wish to perish in the coils that strange him, he will have to cut them at a single blow and create his own values. The death of God accomplishes nothing and can only be endured in terms of preparing a resurrection. “If we fail to find grandeur in God,” says Nietzsche, “we find it nowhere; it must be denied or created.” #RandolphHarris 3 of 26
To deny the grandeur in God was the task of the World around Nietzsche, which he saw rushing toward suicide. To create was the superhuman task for which he was willing to die. He knew in fact that creation is only possible in the extremity of solitude and that man would only commit himself to this staggering task if, in the most extreme distress of mind, he was compelled to undertake it or perish. Nietzsche cries out to man that the only truth is the World, to which he must be faithful and in which he must live and find his salvation. However, at the same time he teaches him that to live in a lawless World is impossible because to live explicitly implies a law. How can one live freely and without law? To this enigma man must find an answer, on pain of death. Nietzsche at least does not flinch. He answers and his answer is bold: Damocles never danced better beneath the sword. One must accept the unacceptable and hold to the untenable. From the moment that it is admitted that the World pursues no end, Nietzsche proposes to concede its innocence, to affirm that it accepts no judgment since it cannot be judged on any intention, and consequently to replace all judgments based on values by absolute assent, and by a complete and exalted allegiance to this World. Thus, from absolute despair will spring infinite joy, from blind servitude, unbound freedom. #RandolphHarris 4 of 26
To be free is, precisely, to abolish ends. The innocence of the ceaseless change of things, as soon as one consents to it, represents the maximum liberty. The free mind willingly accepts what is necessary. If it is absolute, Nietzsche’s most profound concept is that the necessity of phenomena, without rifts, does not imply any kind of restraint. Total acceptance of total necessity is his paradoxical definition of freedom. The question “free of what?” is thus replaced by “free for what?” Liberty coincides with heroism. It is the asceticism of the great man, “the bow bent to the breaking-point.” This magnificent consent, born of abundance and fullness of spirit, is the unreserved affirmation of human imperfection and suffering, of evil and murder, of all that is problematic and strange in our existence. It is born of an arrested wish to be what one is in a World that is what it is. “To consider oneself a fatality, not to wish to be other than one is…” Nietzsche asceticism, which begins with the recognition of fatality, ends in a deification of fate. The more implacable destiny is, the more it becomes worthy of adoration. A moral God, pity, and love are enemies of fate to the extent that they try to counterbalance it. Nietzsche wants no redemption. The joy of self-realization is the joy of annihilation. However, only the individual is annihilated. #RandolphHarris 5 of 26
The movement of rebellion, by which man demanded his own existence, disappears in the individual’s absolute submission to the inevitable. Amor fati replaces what was an odium fati. “Every individual collaborates with the entire cosmos, whether we know it or not, whether we want it or not.” The individual is lost in the destiny of the species and the eternal movement of the spheres. “Everything that has existed is eternal, the sea throws it back on the shore.” Nietzsche then turns to the origins of thought—to the pre-Socratics. The philosophers suppressed ultimate causes so as to leave intact the eternal values of the principles they upheld. Only power without purpose, only Heraclitus’ “chance,” is eternal. Nietzsche’s whole effort is directed toward demonstrating the existence of the law that governs the eternal flux and of the element of chance in the inevitable: “A child is innocent and forgetfulness, a new beginning, a gamble, a wheel that spins automatically, a first step, the divine gift of being able to consent.” The World is divine because the World is inconsequential. That is why art alone, by being equally inconsequential, is capable of grasping it. It is impossible to give a clear account of the World, but art can teach us to reproduce it—just as the World reproduces itself in the course of its eternal gyrations. #RandolphHarris 6 of 26
The primordial sea indefatigably repeats the same words and casts up the same astonished beings on the same shore. However, at least he who consents to his own return and to the return of all things, who becomes an echo and an exalted echo, participates in the divinity of the World. By this subterfuge, the divinity of man is finally introduced. The rebel, who at first denies God, finally aspires to replace Him. However, Nietzsche’s message is that the rebel can only become God by renouncing every form of rebellion, even the type of rebellion that produces gods to chastise humanity. “If there is a God, how can one tolerate not being God oneself?” There is, in fact, a god—namely, the World. To participate in its divinity, all that is necessary is to consent. “No longer to pray, but to give one’s blessing,” and the Earth will abound in men-gods. To say yes to the World, to reproduce it, is simultaneously to re-create the World and oneself, to become the great artist, the creator. Nietzsche’s message is summed up in the word creation, with the ambiguous meaning it has assumed. Nietzsche’s sole admiration was for the egotism and severity proper to all creators. The transmutation of values consists only in replacing critical values by creative values; by respect and admiration for what exists. #RandolphHarris 7 of 26
Divinity without immortality defines the extent of the creator’s freedom. Dionysos, the Earth-god, shrieks eternally as he is torn limb from limb. However, at the same time, the represents the agonized beauty that coincides with suffering. Nietzsche thought that to accept this Earth and Dionysos was to accept his own sufferings. And to accept everything, both suffering and the supreme contradiction simultaneously, was to be kind of all creation. Nietzsche agreed to pay the price for his kingdom. Only the “sad and suffering” World is true—the World is the only divinity. Like Empedocles, who threw himself into the crater of Mount Etna to find truth in the only place where it exists—namely, in the bowels of the Earth—Nietzsche proposed that man should allow himself to be engulfed in the cosmos in order to rediscover his eternal divinity and to become Dionysos. The Will to Power ends, like Pascal’s Pensees, of which it so often reminds us, with a wager. Man does not yet obtain assurance but only the wish for assurance, which is not at all the same thing. Nietzsche, too, hesitated on this brink: “That is what is unforgivable in you. You have the authority and you refuse to sign.” Yet finally he had to sign. However, the name of Dionysos immortalized only the notes to Ariadne, which we wrote when he was mad. Be grateful to the one who criticizes you, whether he be a friend or a foe. For it his criticism be true, he renders you a real service. He may point out a flaw in your character that you have long neglected, with unfortunate results to yourself and others. His words may prompt you to remedy it. #RandolphHarris 8 of 26
The wartime psychological technology was also converted to civilian consumption. Personality assessment techniques were taken over by the managerial powers and used to select and train employees. A new, gigantic industry emerged employing clinical psychologist and counselors and a new social-moral concept of human nature—adjustment. Those who matured during the self-discovery 1960s and the self-actualized 1970s did not know that the aim of personality-clinical psychology and psychiatry during the 50s was hive-adjustment. Not surprising, really, when we recall that the Firm started in all in the 1940s “Their” aim was, we recall, the preservation of the past, the prevention of change. To understand the gravity of the situation, remember: there was no concept of personal change in the 1950s. Human personality was seen as a fixed quality, which could and should be adjusted to the system. Old-style psychiatrists—formerly called alienists—guarded the psychotic. The radical wing, psychoanalysis, taught that after five years of intensive treatment, five hours a week, the patient might get enough insight to wearily adjust and to discuss his neurosis at cocktail parties. The mind has to be cleansed. Speech and thought must be undefiled by treacherous backbiting, slanderous gossip, and all unkind words. The law of recompense declares: “As you speak of other so shall you be spoken of.” #RandolphHarris 9 of 26
While I live, it is life that I explore. I feel fairly sure that his is also the best preparation for dying when it comes. One moves then easily from one into the other, not clinging to what one should (for one’s own happiness and the relief of others) give up. Throughout life it is the same, that I must always be ready to receive and ready to relinquish, in accord with the time. I am arriving at an understanding of my knowing that I must live with life, that is the problem. It seems to me futile to study the problems of infants, the problems of children, the problems of the first child, of the last child, of the menopausal age, of geriatrics; of the poor, of the rich, of the middle-class, of marginalized groups, and all the other problems. If all that time, energy, intelligence, and money were put into a study of the problem of being human, all others would be resolved. There is just one problem—a very big one, but still just one. When I lose touch with life, and the life and goings-on in me, I can trust myself to regain it through my dreams, which are good advisors. When I was small my dreams, even when I was terribly afraid of them, were helpful. When I acted on what they told me, I did not have them anymore. When I first went to school, I was exposed to tickling by other children. I fell to the ground and writhed in agony. At night I was afraid to go to sleep because of what I dreamed. #RandolphHarris 10 of 26
In my dream, I was lying on bare ground in a clearing (there were no sidewalks in the village where I lived) and out of the woods that surrounded me (there were woods in the village) would stream in single file half a dozen little dwarfs (the way the children looked to me when they tickled me.) They were heading straight for my body. I knew with horror that if I moved the least little bit I would be discovered and they would pounce on me, torture me, and I would not be able to shake them off. So I lay utterly quiet—not a quiver, made myself dead. Then they changed their course to swing around me, beyond my head, and streamed off into the woods on the other side. When the last one had disappeared in the woods, I was safe. I do not recall that I made any conscious connection between this frequent dream which was always exactly the same, and my being tickled, but I learned that absolute inner stillness was something I could arrive at in my walking life when someone began to tickle me. Then I felt nothing when I was “tickled,” and the children said, “Heck, you’re no fun!” and left me. The stillness was useful to me in other emergencies, for many years. When shock threatened to disorganize me, I could arrive at immediate inner stillness and do whatever needed to be done. Later, I lost touch with that, chiefly through my strong and forceful mentor who insisted that I must think first. #RandolphHarris 11 of 26
When I had got into the habit of doing that, then the only way that I could still chaos was to make myself still, hold myself together, use force on myself to keep my exterior calm, instead of arriving at the stillness which is in me, as I think it must be in all of us. Within this stillness I do not think: if thoughts are needed, thoughts occur to me; otherwise, I act, without thinking. This comes out much better than when I think first, or “try to figure things out.” When I was sick and could not get well, and all my money had got used up and all my efforts to correct both conditions failed, and I lost faith in me, I arrived at this stillness again in another way—while awake—and it has never entirely left me since. It was a different image this time, one that I have since seen described by someone else. However, the image itself is not important, or whether it agrees with that of anyone else. The importance (to me) is in what it says: inner wisdom showing me something that in my panic I had overlooked. Trust in my dreams is something quite new to me. My early conditioning said that dreams were nonsense, to be laughed at and ignored. My later conditioning said to mistrust them (and myself) and then I did what a young man did recently in telling me about his recurrent dream: “There is a mound of boo boo, with a bright shining jewel on top. The feeling is good with it…I suppose what it is telling me is that I’m just a pile of feces.” With that good feeling? #RandolphHarris 12 of 26
In actuality, this young man had been told by his conventional family and friends that he was a horrible person because of things he did. He was made to feel dirty and foul (“smelly”). His own opinion of himself shows in his dream—what “should” be smelly and awful was pleasant to him. Playing with feces and/or obsessing with it is also a sign of schizophrenia. It also means that one has a problem with authority and/or one’s father. The mythical “cloacal sphincter” exists in the minds of confused people whose Child thinks that there is only one opening down below in both genders, which opening can be closed off at will. This leads to scripts which are difficult for more realistic people to understand, especially if the mouth is also included. Thus, a catatonic schizophrenic may close off everything at once: he keeps al his sphincters clamped down so that nothing can get in or out of his mouth, bladder, or rectum, and he may have to be tube-fed, catheterized, and clystered at regular intervals to insure his physical well-being and survival. Here the script slogan is “Beter death than let them in!” and this taken literally by the Child who controls the sphincters and who, in such cases, is very confused about how they are assembled and how they work. Most scripts, however, are centered mainly around one particular sphincter, and the psychology of the script it related to that physiological area. #RandolphHarris 13 of 26
The constant tightening of one sphincter can affect all the muscles of the body, and this muscle set is related to the person’s emotional attitude and interests and also influences the way others respond to him. This works according to the model of “infected splinter.” If Jeder has a small infected splinter in his right big toe, he will start to limp. This affects the muscles of his leg, and in order to compensate, the muscles of his back will tighten up. After a while, the muscles in his shoulders will also be affected, and pretty soon the muscles in his shoulders will also be affected, and pretty soon the muscles of his neck are involved. If he walks a lot, the disturbance in muscular balance progresses until eventually the muscles of his head and scalp are also affected; then he may get a headache. As walking becomes more difficult and his body is held more and more stiffly and the infection progresses, his circulation and digestion may become laboured. At this point, someone might say: “This is a very difficult condition to cure, since it involves his internal organs and his head as well as all the muscles in his body. This is a disease of the whole organism.” However, along comes a surgeon, and says: “I can cure the whole thing, including his fever, his headache, and all his muscular tension.” He pulls out the splinter, the infection subsides, Jeder stops limping, his scalp and neck muscles relaxes, everything returns to normal. #RandolphHarris 14 of 26
Thus, even though the condition involves the whole body, it can be cured by looking in the right place for the splinter and removing it. Then not only Jeder, but all the people around him are relived, and they can relax, too. When a sphincter is held tight, a similar chain of events happens. In order to give the sphincter traction and support, the surrounding muscles tighten up. To compensate for that, more distant muscles are affected, and eventually the whole body is involved. This is easily demonstrated. Suppose the reader, as he sits reading, tightens up his anus. He will immediately notice that this involves the muscles of his lower back and legs. If he now rises up out of his chair, keeping his anus tight, he will note that he has to purse his lips, which in turn affects the muscles in his scalp. In other words, keeping his anus tight changes the muscular dynamics of his whole body. That is exactly what happens with people whose script calls for them to “Keep a tight a** hole or you will get screwed.” Every muscle in their bodies becomes involved, including their muscle of facial expression. The facial expression influences that way other people respond to them, and in fact gives the come-on to the Child of the other person, the script antagonist, who is destined to bring about the script switch. #RandolphHarris 15 of 26
Here is how it works. Supposed we call the man with the tight anus Arkie, and his opposite number, his script antagonist, Lenka. Lenka is look for an Arkie, Arkie is looking for a Lenka. Lenka knows instantly when she has found an Arkie because of his facial expression. She confirms her Child’s intuitive judgment in the course of their conversation as he reveals his attitudes and interests. Lenka’s role in the script of an Arkie is to bring about the script switch. Arkie’s counterscript is to keep tight at all times, but his script is something else. No matter how hard he tries to keep tight according to the parental precept, sooner or later he drops his guard for a moment, and then hos script takes over. In this moment of weakness, he relaxes. That is just what Lenka has been waiting for. She pulls the switch, and somehow or other, Arkie “gets screwed” as she moves in to fulfill her mission. And as long as Arkie tries to keep a tight anus, he is going to “get screwed again and again. That is how the script works—unless it calls for him to be a winner, and then he is the one who will do the screwing, as in the same of some anal financiers. Thus, the script analyst thinks sphincter so he will know what he is dealing with. The patient who gives up his script is much more relaxed in all the muscles of his body. The woman who formerly kept a tight anus, for example, will stop squirming in her chair, and the one who kept a tight vagina will no longer sit with her arms and legs tensely crossed and her right foot wrapped tightly around the inside of her left ankle. #RandolphHarris 16 of 26
With these remarks about the autocrats of the dinner table, who teach their children which muscles to anchor their bodies to for the rest of their lives, we conclude our survey of those incluences which are most important in later childhood, and are now ready to consider the next stage in the development of the script. When a man, who was once the bright-eyed, optimistic young professional becomes disenchanted with his career because his coworkers are suffering from apathy and do not want a sense of community. Instead of wanting to connect at work, the other employees wanted to seek out their friendly bartender. This can lead to career problems, and can out stress on your wife, which causes her to get sick. You will notice as your dissatisfaction with work increases, your wife’s health will further decline. And anytime you and your wife have a conversation, one of two things will happen: Either your husband will start to argue or he will become morosely silent. The combination of the headaches, the money problems and the quarreling produce a tremendous strain on a wife—and it will begin to show. People will notice that your wife is missing club meetings, claiming she was too sick to attend. Her normally sunny personality will take on a sharp edge. Her face will become pinched and drawn. The beauty will still be there, but will lose its conversion-stopping quality. #RandolphHarris 17 of 26
Her relations with her husband will further become more strained. He might decide to nurse his frustrations with food, and soon his shirts will begin to stretch at the wait. His collars will become too tight; the sight of him might began to repulse his wife. Their life involving pleasures of the flesh will deteriorate to an occasional few moments of physical intimacy before they drop off to sleep. A couple will realize that they are drifting apart, and in an effort to regain some of the closeness, they will do things like read books on love and relationships. If he speaks at all—for in the divine presence he hangs his head—let it be with the high voice of true authority. Let it come out of the great stillness to shame lesser voices of mean, the petty, and ignoble. What is permissible about such topics in private talk may not be in printed or public statement. Abrasive, provocative, violent, or hostile speech is objectionable and unsuited to a philosopher. You keep silent and It speaks; you speak and It is silent. He must always remember that what he feels is not necessarily felt by everyone else, that caution and restraint in speaking of it to others need to be exercised. The more speech and thought are kept free from negative statements about other faiths, other teachings, other person, and other organizations, and the more we practise courtesy and silence in matters where we do not agree with them, the better will it be for our true development. #RandolphHarris 18 of 26
Many people wonder, “A wife should have the same right to ask for pleasures of the flesh as her husband, is that not true?” The same privilege, of course. However, there is a slight difference. A female, no matter how liberated she may be, is often more reluctant to deliberately express her desire for intimate passions, and for what she assumes to be good physiological reason. She usually waits for some signal from the male before she makes an overture because she has been led to believe—and therefore really fears—that any indication of her interest in pleasures of the flesh might place him in the position of wanting to give something he may be physically incapable of producing at the moment. In trying to protect him from what she anticipates may happen—the inability to be “excited”—she sometimes managers to eliminate that very stimulation which he would benefit from: knowing that he is desired for pleasures of the flesh. I think we can put that problem aside for now by simply assuming that when either partner approaches the other under mutually acceptable circumstances, functions involving pleasures of the flesh will occur. If it does not, then the greatest mistake in the World is for either partner to persist and force the issue or to feel rejected. If you are in the mood, you should always let your partner know. Always. Provided that you remain sensitive to your partner’s responses, you can’t importune too much. You can importune too little. #RandolphHarris 19 of 26
When a relationship is unfriendly or irritating, there is often some fault on both sides, although more heavily on one particular side. If the submissive wishes or is compelled to continue the relationship, or one’s conscious troubles one, one must consider those faults which lie on one’s side alone, and try to correct them. Neither one’s personal feelings, nor even those of the other individual, are so important—for they are both egotistic—as the need of self-improvement and self-purification. When dealing with the impulsive, independent, irritable, but large-heated type, do not offer criticism, however constructive, and do not preach. Offer instead a silent example of superior conduct, as this may be followed. Do not answer angry words with the same kind but change the subject or remain silent. Show warm appreciation of the other’s good work or deeds or qualities; such favourable notice may create harmony. Un unfailingly kind. When men are criticized by other great people, they should be all ears. When they are criticized by unworthy people, they should be quite deaf. The capacity to see humor in situations and to respond with laughter is an indication of being well. Loss of the ability to laugh at oneself and at comic situations is one of the early symptoms of more serious personality disorders. #RandolphHarris 20 of 26
When a person can laugh even in potentially grim situations, it implies some degree of freedom from the press of date and circumstances. People who were enslaved in America during the era of slavery could find something to laugh at, though they lived tortured lives and a hairbreadth from death. Laughter is a response that can be made only by persons who have transcended their animal heritage as well as the conformity-producing pressures of society. Laughter is defiance of brute necessity, a proclamation of freedom, and the ability to transcend the limits of otherwise grim circumstances. Of course, there are rough norms defining the appropriateness or inappropriateness of laughter. Schizophrenics will often laugh in situations where a more intact person might weep or become angry. However, a good sense of humour, the ability to find something ludicrous in situations, is not only a social asset; it is an indication that a person is able to do more than just struggle to exist. One of the major factors found in high-level functioning persons is a childlike sense of humour. Children reported that teachers who use humour in the classroom reduce the psychological distance between teacher and child, create a more agreeable atmosphere in the classroom, and make it easier to concentrate. #RandolphHarris 21 of 26
The Sacramento Fire Department works consistently to improve upon current emergency responses to enhance the delivery of fire, rescue, and emergency medical services to the community. “We were at a fire with a neighboring fire company. My guys were up on the roof with them, opening it up. The roof collapsed. There was a big roar. When that roof caved in, my first concern was, where are my guys? Each one on my team has a radio, and I knew where they were at. Everyone was okay. We were forcing entry in the back door and had a hell of a time with it. I looked up and saw this fireman, he was pitch black and his helmet shield was melted. He was on the coping of a roof next door. The was a ladder there, the guys rolled it over, and I ran up. I said, “Sit in the rain water.” His fire coat was burning. The guy behind him was yelling, “Roll, roll.” He stood up, hopped around, wanting to get down. I guided him down the ladder. I didn’t want to touch his a** because his pants were down, and it was all raw skin. We helped him to the ambulance. We tried to take a line over the roof next door, but we couldn’t het near the fire roof because of the heat. When we finally got it, we knew what we were doing to find, because there was no possible way anybody could have lived through that. But you have to get them. You have to get all of them. #RandolphHarris 22 of 26
“Everybody was exhausted. It was cold. The first thing we found was a child. I’ll never forget it. The kid was nice-looking, he had a big smile, but he was just completely burned up. He had roof and tarpaper over him. It’s not going to help them, but you bust your back to get them out as fast as you can. You want to show that you tried to help them. That bothers you forever. Three firefighters were killed in that fire. We found two pretty fast, and we dug and dug looking for the third guy. Finally there was another shift waiting, and Deputy Commissioner X told us to get out and let the fresh guys take over. I went back to the firehouse, took a shower, put my civilian clothes on, and went back to the fire. I wasn’t going to leave until they found him. I sat in the command van until they found him. I think he tried to run toward the front of the roof. It took a lot of overhauling to find him. Then I felt a little at ease. They had at least found his body. There was something left of him. When you go to the funerals and wakes, you look at the little kids, and they have no idea. Someday those little kids will realize what happened, but at the time, at the funerals, they have no real idea. It’s sad. I remember being there when I was a boy.” The man who requites me with ingratitude or betrayal does not deserve my resentment anger or hatred but my pity. Someone, somewhere, will requite him in the same way. The other part will be what he does to himself by strengthening the faults which led him to act in this way. And these in turn, although inside himself, must lead to the eventual appearance of troubles corresponding to them outside himself. #RandolphHarris 23 of 26
The Sacramento Fire Department is committed to working closely with fire service organizations and other proactive groups to enhance solutions to the fire problem. The services provided by the agency include: arson investigations, fire prevention safety in buildings, boiler and pressure vessel safety, the program for petroleum and chemical tanks, collecting and analyzing fire reports, and the personnel standards and education for the firefighters in Sacramento. Awaken compassionate thoughts and actions by helping others realize that, like our Saviour, they too have compassion for others. Please make donate to the Sacramento Fire Department to asset them in their fire prevent duty and other programs. To help keep America a God loving, Christian community, please raise your children to love America and to love God and Jesus Christ. In 2024, Americans spent $100 billion on Japanese cars. In a afford to help America pull through the massive national deficit, please buy American made cars. American made cars used to be the envy of the World and because American car brands are offering a wide range of options, from family SUVs to electric vehicles and luxury sedans, we are now seeing a resurging interest. American made cars are equal or superior to those made overseas. The Chevrolet Trax, for instance, is a well-designed, fuel efficient, and safe SUV. #RandolphHarris 24 of 26
Save the land that sustains us by protecting American farmland. We can protect American farmland and support American farmers by buying American made beef, poultry, dairy, and produce. As money flows, it influences further investment. If Americans continue to spend money on American products, then more need to be made to keep up the inventory. When investors notice these goods are selling, it gives them the confidence to pour more money into that local business. It shows that people want these goods made in America and pressures investors to keep these goods and services in America. The jobs stay here, the business stays in American, wages naturally increase, and more money is invested to keep up with demand. This reduces the burden on the taxpayer. When you support American businesses, that money stays in our economy and can help to reduce the national debt. The government creates debt by borrowing from businesses in the private sector or from foreign countries. It also increases the national debt by spending more than it gains in tax revenue in a fiscal year. When people shop locally, more tax money stays in the economy and goes to the government. This way, it keeps more money in our national economy and keeps more jobs located in American which also sends more taxes to the government, which can again help to reduce the national debt. #RandolphHarris 25 of 26
When you buy foreign good, these companies usually have lighter tax loads or exemptions, meaning less money for the nation debt, plus you are helping to strengthen these foreign nations by send more money overseas. Buying American made products is also better for the environment and helps to reduce the carbon footprint because these products do not have to travel nearly as far. Furthermore, American companies and manufacturers are held to much higher standards in regard to pollution. American companies have to be more careful about air, land, and water pollution and have proper ways to dispose of waste. Moreover, please remember to respect law and order and treat your elders with the utmost dignity and kindness possible. And take your education seriously so that you will be successful in life and make your family proud. It is inborn in the human minds to wish to know. If this begins with the endless surface questions of a child’s curiosity, if it continues into deeper questions of a scientist’s probing investigation, it cannot and does not stop there. For the higher part of the mind will eventually come into unfoldment, that union of abstract reflective thought with mystical intuition, which is true intelligence, which needs and sees a view of the whole of things. And so, the knowing faculty enters the realm of philosophy. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. #RandolphHarris 26 of 26
The Winchester Mystery House
Experience an unforgettable journey back to the time of kings and queens with this entry ticket for The Winchester Mansion in Santa Clara, California which was the residence of Sarah L. Winchester. Take advantage of this fascinating experience. After tour, there will be time enjoy the mansion’s splendor at your own pace. You might even discover secret passages.
Please come and enjoy a delicious meal in Sarah’s Café, stroll along the paths of the beautiful Victorian gardens, and wonder through the miles of hallways in the World’s most mysterious mansion.
For further information about tours, including group tours, weddings, school events, birthday party packages, facility rentals, and special events please visit the website: https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/
Please visit the online giftshop, and purchase a gift for friends and relatives as well as a special memento of The Winchester Mystery House. A variety of souvenirs and gifts are available to purchase. https://shopwinchestermysteryhouse.com/
Randolph Harris II International Institute 