Tag: politics

A Recent Healthy Decision

On By dotluvs2writeIn art, Beauty, Cultural and Political, Fiction Writing, humanity, Inspirational, Life, Musings, Nature, Past Life Activities, Personal, reading2 Comments

Friends,

In late April, I realized that absorbing news stories several times a day was not healthy for my emotional and mental health. Dropping out of commenting on anything political would also be a healthy move for me.

So, I did.

However, I will read news headlines once in a while and listen for a few minutes on something going on in the political realm. Grateful that it doesn’t stick to me like a monster glue.

I’ve discovered I’ve found much more peace and breathe better out of that world, especially the social media world.

Reading has become a refreshing pastime. It’s been a while since I truly read for pleasure and didn’t need to do it to only support my writing.

When I listened to author Lisa Wingate talk this past Sunday, she presented the importance for local communities to read together. That book clubs were essential to bringing people’s common interests in something experienced together to discuss and learn from each other.

This really struck me, because it brought me back to a simpler time when humans spent time together in person, talking, sharing, relating, that has diminished over the era of the tech and internet universe.

Keeping our humanity and respect for each other has been and seems to be more vital than ever.

And reading does this.

As Lisa said, there is a shared experience when you read a book. It’s a dive into a pool of sorts, where you experience the world of the characters you’re reading about and it transforms your own world in making it more enriching and special.

There’s a certain amount of peace I get when I read. The best experience for me is reading outside in my backyard, with the plentiful, calming sounds of the birds and squirrels, and the rustling of the leaves of the trees. As if they’re with me on my journey in the world of the story I’m reading. And I seemed to have forgotten about this special intimacy for many years until recently.

To be able to have such moments of solace and solitude, bereft of noise pollution and never-ending bickering on social media and political shows is a great feeling and encounter.

Thank God I’ve been able to experience this and live my life in a much more healthy and happy environment.

What do you feel like when you are away from the chaos of the world? How do you feel when you are reading a fiction book that takes you out of the flotsam of the social media, political universe?

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What Retirement in the United States Used to Mean

On By dotluvs2writeIn Cultural and Political, Life, Musings, News Events2 Comments

I heard on an independent news channel this quote from warmonger and heartless politician, Nikki Haley:

“…but what we do know is that 65 is way too low. And we need to increase that. We need to do that according to life expectancy.”

So basically you’re saying you want us to work ourselves into our sunset years, then die.

Europeans would be horrified by what she said.

Retirement in this country was never about working until you drop dead. I remember a time throughout my life it was understood that retirement was about being done with all the years of working at a job and having time for relaxing, perhaps doing some volunteer work, spending time with your spouse, family, grandchildren, maybe taking a well-deserved vacation and just LIVING.

Guess I’m old fashioned…

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Peace on Earth. Is This Really Ever Attainable?

On By dotluvs2writeIn Beauty, Christmas and other Holidays, Cultural and Political, humanity, Inspirational, Life, Musings, Nature, Religious, warLeave a comment

In the last month, I’ve been listening, once again, to podcasts by a dear archpriest who reposed a few years ago. He had several years of podcasts before his repose, and I listened to every one of them and am going through many of them again. His name was/is Fr. Tom Hopko.

I found epiphanies, discoveries, spiritual nourishment, and comfort in his talks.

Last week, I caught one of his talks he had done near Christmastime. He brought up the well-known saying I’ve heard all my life: Peace on Earth and good will toward men.

The first time I listened to his unpacking of that meaning was probably about 10 years ago. And anytime I read anything spiritually-centered, whether through the Scriptures or through books on the Saints, I will pick up different aspects of the verses or things said than I did in the past.

This was so for the meaning of peace on Earth and good will toward men.

This “Peace” is Christ, not the actual meaning of peace all over the Earth.

Fr. Tom explained that peace and good will is supposed to take place in the hearts of every person. They find peace through Peace = Christ. And Him only.

Because I’m one that is against wars and imperialism and the pursuing of power and money, I had been perceiving peace as an outward ability to tangibly have peace in the world through ending wars and people working through their problems diplomatically globally and through discourse within our communities.

So when I listened to what Father was saying, things clicked inside of me. Ah, I got what he meant.

Of course, I know and have known since being a practicing Orthodox Christian, that this world is broken and fallen, and there never can be real peace in this world. There cannot be any type of utopian place on Earth.

What I’ve noticed is when people are striving for that here on Earth, we may forget that the total harmony of humanity, the peace between all life, etc. is only in His Kingdom, and in that life afterward if we are blessed and through God’s mercy, we someday go there.

Pondering all that was said in that podcast, there was the thought that, well, peace within a person or many persons can bring about some peace because when one is in Christ and finds peace in Him, they emit peace toward others.

So, I have seen this in the Saints.

However, I don’t think it’s wide spread, especially in today’s spiritually dark climate.

But we can still work toward finding peace through Christ and trying to acquire it. The Holy Spirit within us helps us toward these spiritual pursuits.

Knowing this different perspective on peace, I see it as just a shifted view of what peace means. In a way, it’s a relief to me because, oddly enough, I think one striving to find this peace in and through Christ within our relationship with Him may be a much more attainable goal than “world peace”.

I say this may be “easier”, but it still feels like quite a mountain to climb. But it’s a good thing to pursue, and so I will continue to do so, no matter how many times I fail.

After all, life is about falling down and getting back up. He who endures to the end is saved, as Christ Himself says in Matthew’s Gospel.

And as Mother Gavrilia said, it’s the effort that counts.

I wish there was a way to permanently stamp those words into my brain. To remember it and have it before me always.

Everyone wants to live in peace, and knowing what that means and Who it is, I believe, helps guide us on the right path toward it.

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