A Sea of Red Poppies

(Image Used under Public Domain Laws, Google 2015)

     For Remembrance Day November 2014 on the grounds of the Tower of London in Great Britain, an enormous undertaking was concluding and was being observed by 2 minutes of silence. 
     A sea of red Poppies totaling 888, 246,00 were observed flowing as if liquid all over the dry moat at the Tower.    Each hand shaped, beautiful ceramic red Poppy, was created by an artist and sculptor. Volunteers placed teach one carefully. The last one being placed on remembrance day itself, November 11^Th 2014.  to commemorate the end of the war in 1918.

Each Poppy symbolized the individual that had so willingly gave their life for their country in WW1.  Upon further research I discovered the origin of the Poppy and why it was used to symbolize that war.  Apparently, it is the Poppy that was the first to grow on the Flanders Field, in Belgium, that had been torn apart by the war. 

At the Tower of London, planted by the Hundreds of Thousands in the dry moat, a sea of red from a distance appears to be a river of blood.  It flows as waves culminating in a fall over the wall, then creeping as if lapping waves. 

      My first reaction was shock.  It looked to me like a field of red flowers, amazingly blooming by great numbers together on the greens of the castle.  My first thought after being solely impressed by its beauty was, “how’d they do that?” Then of course upon learning they were Poppies, my favorite flower, another wave of joy came over me, ending in disappointment upon learning they were not real. Yet, again further impressed by the unique artwork and symbolism behind it.  
     I gazed at the pictures over and over until I was moved to my very core.  My heart actually ached with the conflict between the awe of the Poppies beauty and the sadness of what they were representing there. 

My thoughts briefly situated on how it must have been for mothers and fathers to send their beloved sons off to a war.  Later complicated by the facts that we are still doing this. My moral compass sounding loudly with conflicts about the nature of war and its necessity. 

My juxtaposition, internal conflicts descending all the way to the origin of man and how it is that God who is almighty, should create us as equals and still we kill one another and then further eat our fellow creatures put upon this earth for companions as other species.  Finally, resulting in my conclusion about the failings of my closest exposures to human natures, some of which are drunkards and substance abusers. Perhaps they are weaker souls and cannot abide the violence and cruelty of mankind one to another here on this earth.  Therefore, they self medicate. 

     Perhaps as I dig deeper into myself, I am not seeking to alter my own awareness because I know that I have a purpose in living.  Yet, once again, were all of those killed in that Great War born only to die? Their bodies shot full of holes and blown apart to be scattered on the fields, rained upon to create fertile ground for Poppies.    We will remember them, because they believed in something greater than themselves and were willing to die to prove it. 

Part # 3 The Days of Noah

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Noahs_Ark.jpg

 Based on  that popularity pole our Presidents transgressions read a little like this, He allows for the indigent to live on the streets and drink themselves to death.  He presses forth a health program that doesn’t help anyone but those in states where they picked up their portion of the bill. Some did not, like the one I live in. So many like myself still have no healthcare…

     Then there is the bigger picture issues, Our elderly are given money for their medications, which increase their lifespans yet, penalize them at the quality of that lifespan. 

     He continues to add to the national debt, which was already was so enormous that the ideal of providing a better life for the next generation is not a reality at all anyway.  So what? Does he know something we do not? 

       We were told at the UN Summit for Climate Control that over ½ of all the species of birds are gone. That there was a miscalculation and mankind only has 20 years at the most left.  In all honesty what matters anymore?  We watch as the oceans rise and the farmlands turn to dust as droughts cover the globe. Everything is dying or being added to the endangered species list.  Our food is not real anymore, modified and filled with chemicals. 

     I have been told that we are living in the times of Noah, a time in the ancient world, when people said," eat drink and be merry as tomorrow you die." Those that heed that  suggestion,were washed away unrepentant for the world they had destroyed and the God they had so blatantly insulted. Perhaps that is what we are not being told, that maybe its hopeless and we should  follow the Presidents example, chill, go play golf, eat your food bank Mac and cheese for our destiny is sealed…..

   

The Days of Noah (Part 2)

Bing Images (2014)

By speaking of this I opened up a whole can of worms about how our world works. Yet, it isn’t working. 

The world is actually in great confusion.  I often find myself telling my family not to be so hard on our President and our governmental leaders because these are turbulent times.  One man cannot be expected to do it all and we cannot hate him for being human.  After having studied our past presidents I have found that the times make the man.  Our history in the USA is filled with presidents that no one remembers.  Why? Because, those presidents calmly held that office during times of peace and prosperity.  

This President is trying to navigate stormy waters. We have wars and rumors of wars, diseases that have no cures brewing amongst the nations; there is unrest in the Middle East and violence, as they themselves cannot control their own governments.   The ability to annihilate all of humanity is being developed by a hostel and radical nation.  To continue, our country has become a nation full of people that seem to live without any personal conscience.  Father’s rape their own children; abortion defines part of the American mortality rate. A great population is jobless; our entertainment system churns out films about murder and violence as if there is nothing else in life. 

     Sex is everywhere; movies are made staring people who are willing to copulate on film and are available with just a click away.  Casual sex with strangers is being represented to our youth as healthy behavior as long as you wear a condom.

      The morals of others are being jammed down our throats as if it is we that are in the wrong and most practice avoidance so that the complicated round robin of morality is not entered into.  Those of us that feel this kind of behavior is wrong are left to making adjustments to our lifestyles so as not to expose our children’s impressionable minds to those who cannot make those judgments in their own selfish pursuits. Yesterday, I heard someone challenge a legal ruling concerning violent acts on women and children as unconstitutional an infringement of the freedom of speech act.   In my meager opinion when was it lawful to allow morons to speak?  Why is it that we have so many stupid’s speaking on subjects that are furthering the mindless acts of those that are destroying our world? 

Then we cry to our president and hate him for not being able to put the cat back in the bag. 

 To not be able to become a higher power and clean the earth of its pestilence just as God did in the times of Noah. 

     My brother a patriot, asked me not to further the defense of Barack Obama, in fact I think he was asking me not to any longer say anything. 

 I understand how many people do not understand politics.  What they see is the dramatic changes in their lifestyles and decides it is the responsibility of our leaders to define that.  Yet I suggest it is not their responsibility at all.

This is a government formed by people for people.  The majority has the say.  If we say violence against women and children is wrong then that should be so.  We the people should not have to look aside and say in the honor of freedom of speech we should allow that to happen. 

That we should not condemn others for saying any written materials or degradation of women and violence against children depicted in a fictional setting is harmless and should be allowed. 

That’s allowing for the ignorant to determine our lifestyle.  It is ignorant not to understand what hurts people.  We are all old enough in the spectrum of things to understand that pornography hurts people.  We allow it because we have this misinterpreted law in our constitution that allows pornography to exist. 

I say ignorant because even when someone is educated to the facts and they choose to move forward in that, despite the greater good for themselves and the people they share this planet with. 

They do not understand how it harms people therefore they are ignorant to the repercussions of the damage it causes. 

Pornography is only one of the many ills in our society. 

Do we call the office of the president everyday to complain of the mass drug abuse within our society?  What of the numbers we all see of those dying from the effects of smoking?  Alcohol consumption, and what of the random murders? 

Recently my neighbor again (2nd time), unleashed her anger and insanity upon my 76-year-old mother.  Called her a liar and accused her of listening below her window while she and her boyfriend had sex.  A good laugh for me and others who share a common paradigm other than 1 Arm Dave and the Toothless Purple Gang who live down the lane.   toothless pirate  Upsetting for someone who has chosen to live in a place of peace, who has worked to earn her right to a peaceful lifestyle? I called the police.  They were very concerned and I was pleasantly reassured that there was still others out there that share my paradigm.  They asked me, “is she a drunk?” I responded with surprise, that I did not know, "Although it is a common lifestyle for many we live near."  I can understand that line of questioning. However, I have a choice in this country not to pay any attention to others around me and we have not!Choosing to live more along the lines of our home is our sanctuary.  

The neighbor’s behavior cemented in my mind that the weak amongst us are falling prey to the abnormal we have here before shunned.  

I had to think about that, as I had before been made aware of another fact that contributes to our failing national paradigm.  Where do people go that cannot maintain a normal acceptable behavior within our society?  They closed up the mental institutions years ago and families with mentally ill loved ones have little options when that person acts out and becomes a danger to themselves and others.  The prisons seem to be the only option as the cells fill with the fragile mentally ill as well as the hardened criminals.   Who does my neighbor need to upset and/or hurt before she gets help?  One day her daughter called out to me and boasted her ADHD and the possibility of being Bipolar as if it was an honor to be dysfunctional.  

I do my best to practice avoidance, however, what of my rights and the rights of my family to live in peace? Or should I expect this kind of behavior to become the norm?  
Is my paradigm the correct one? It seems to be, and the police agreed with me.  Although by suggesting she was a substance abuser, they could put her in a category they could understand and address.   

      Our President, hopefully not a drunk, sits in a place of power. Able to pronounce judgments and make laws concerning a normal paradigm he thinks we all live within.  He makes the rules and works to provide laws that involve a broad spectrum of moral and immoral behaviors.  We trust him to make these decisions which should ensure that  the majority of the American people not become useless alcoholics and drug abusers allowing our country to become ineffective. We in turn judge his efforts, his ability to understand what we want as a unified peoples, 

He also decides if we become involved in foreign wars, and how much we will spend on that.  A lot apparently! And then like every President he makes mistakes: recently, he has allowed for Hispanics to come and work and live here despite the fact that so many Americans are out of work.  Who’s paying for that?  Then they take a popularity pole….Popular opinion says, “We hate him.”  Wow! When has a president been hated?  End of part 2