The Sentient Sentinel

(image from tonic.com)
   Australian couple, Kate and David Ogg had premature twins, a boy and a girl, at a hospital in Sydney. The boy, Jamie Ogg, was declared dead at birth. The couple was so grief stricken as Kate held two-pound Jamie to her chest. During this time period Jamie would take random breaths. Doctors told the Oggs that this was just nerves and their son was indeed dead. After two hours Kate put some breast milk on her finger and offered it to her deceased son who sprung to life. Doctors were awestruck by this miraculous occurrence.

References: Mother's cuddle brings baby 'back to life', Miracle Mom Cuddles Premature Son Back To Life

   “Compassion, forgiveness, these are the real, ultimate sources of power for peace and success in life.”
Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
   I have been told repeatedly throughout my life that I "cannot save the world." What does that mean exactly? Well, it means that no matter how much I give and no matter how many I give to, there will always be those in need. This is because humanity is a conglomerate of takers and not givers. Call it socialism if you must, I don't care, the fact is that we all could use a little more compassion. If being a socialist is best for humanity and you're all too brainwashed by the rich (the only people that socialism wouldn't benefit) to see it, then shame on you. I digress.
   We have all turned away a reaching hand... maybe you didn't want to live without a luxury, maybe you were just plain selfish, or maybe you legitimately had nothing to give (which is rarely ever the case). How many homeless people have you passed on the street that a dollar could have helped? Sure one dollar could buy one item off of a value menu, but what if twenty people gave one dollar? We abuse money on a daily basis, how many one dollars do you blow on random things? A pop in the pop machine (usually more than a dollar)... what if you "toughed" it by drinking water for a day. Would being healthy "hurt" you? What about skipping a candy bar, movie rental, fast-food meal or alcoholic beverage? We all enjoy those things, but if giving up one of those things a week allowed you to give even $5 and everyone else did the same, would that not benefit humanity?
   We all have blood on our hands. None of us are perfect, far from it. I have done my share of ill-deeds just as you have. Calling a girl a name in fifth grade, ignoring an annoying person in high school, exchanging harmful words with a now ex. We've all spilled the hypothetical blood of another... if we haven't literally. What if that girl in fifth grade grows up to self-loath, putting herself in hurtful situations due to lack of confidence? What if she is killed in an abusive relationship? What if the annoying kid in high school overdoses on some hallucinogens and gives himself a shotgun face-lift in the front seat of his car? What if that lover goes out to drink to get over you and crashes their car? These examples are not that far off... each of us effects people more than we know (we cannot help but be self-centered, I'm the only person I really know, and I'm stuck with myself from birth to end). Should we feel responsible? The answer is... yes. We all are responsible for each other. I'm all for population control, but lets control breeding and prevent harm. Be proactive!
   Don't regret the past. There is nothing you can do about it now. Forgive yourself, forgive others, and learn from the experience. Think about all of those ghosts you've hurt. Let them each come to the surface of your mind, review them, study them. How does it make you feel, to know that you have harmed that person? That feeling is compassion (well, hopefully it is). If nothing else, have compassion for yourself, and prevent any further occasion when you will feel like this. I know it's not realistic, but being a good person is not whether you do good things or not. Being a good person means you know when you have done wrong and you strive to correct those mistakes. Succeed or not, it's the attempt that counts.
   If we do not take care of each other, no one else will. We are all humans, we all have that in common. We are fellow Earthlings... so lets grow together. The only thing holding us back is us. Man has no natural predator other than himself. I do my best to give to you what I my talents allow, please appreciate my gift and lend what strength you have to another. Thank you.

(www.energytribune.com)
   I finally watched "An Inconvenient Truth" the other night. Yes, I realize this movie came out over four years now... I have never been much of an Al Gore fan and I honestly am skeptical of Global Warming. Did the movie sway me? Perhaps. What the movie did show me was a man with a passion and what appeared to be credible data to back it up. And really, he didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, humans are wasteful and it hurts the planet. Whether Global Warming is real or not, we should still recycle and cut back on energy. We should still push for emission laws and pollution standards. We should still take care of our one home. No matter where you're from or what you believe in, one thing still remains the same, we have one planet. I understand that it can be difficult, and a lot of solutions cost money upfront (although save money in the long run). I myself am hardly perfect. And Al Gore "flies" all over the country to give speeches about not wasting. But we can push for improvement. Perhaps in the future a hybrid or electric car regulation could be passed for car companies, like that of the catalytic converter. This way people wouldn't be forced to immediately invest in something, but eventually anything out of standard would be weeded out. Or we could start with mileage code. Just an idea. Maybe all of the money from The Giving Pledge could go to turning the United States green, instead of random or useless causes. So whether Global Warming is just another apocalyptic hysteria or poetic justice, why not try to improve the quality of our planet? We could learn to coexist with our habitat instead of being a parasite.

   I would recommend watching "An Inconvenient Truth" if you get a chance.

www.climatecrisis.net

(image from CNNmoney.com)
   Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, along with his wife Melinda, are in the process of organizing the largest charitable cause in the history of the world. Organized on thegivingpledge.com by Melinda Gates, the two richest men in the world (okay so Mexico is richer than us now... or at least Carlos Slim Helú is ranked number one on the Forbes 400 this year) have been slowly formulating a pledge among the world's billionaires to give away a minimum of half their fortune in their lifetime or in their will.
   Although where the money goes is yet to be declared, this would be a tremendous amount of turn around. Forbes 400 net worth for 2009 was estimated at $1.2trillion dollars. If they were to give half of that away it would equal $600million dollars, double what the United States, the most charitable country in the world, gives away annually. To put this into perspective, according to Fortune Magazine, in 2007 the 18,394 taxpayers who had a ten-million dollar or more adjusted gross income claimed a total of $32.8 billion in charitable causes, a total of 5.84% of their $562 billion income. A 50% pledge would be an increase in donations close to eighty-six times more.
   Through numerous dinners, Buffet and Gates have acquired forty pledges. Only ninety percent more to go from the Forbes 400. The Gates have yet to give a percentage of their pledge, but Warren Buffet has pledged to give away 99% of his wealth by the time he dies or upon death. Other pledges include Mayor Bloomberg, David Rockefeller, Ted Turner and George Lucas. To see a full list of the current pledges check out thegivingpledge.com. The billionaires hope to eventually receive pledges from the rich worldwide.

References: The $600 billion challenge, Bill Gates No Longer World's Richest Man

www.thepowerteam.com

   In "Biblical times" it was common for people to perform miraculous fetes in the name of one's god(s) or church. The more powerful the god the more powerful the fete. This was known as Charismata. Churches that are apart of the Charismatic movement believe in the manifestations of the holy spirit, that is, the Charismata of old today. Some examples of this is deliverance and speaking in "tongues." By achieving these, for lack of better words, unique characteristics, these individuals and organizations are able to sway followers into their herd.
   The Power Team is an organization body builders whose claim to fame is their charismatic abilities of strength. They travel to various churches performing amazing physical fetes, like breaking bricks and bending bars, in the name of Christianity. This Power Team preaches that their abilities come from their belief in God, despite the immense training I'm sure their prowess entails. Unfortunately for them, the Shaolin Monks (and numerous others) have been performing these same spectacles and much more for the past forty years. Does this mean that I should be swayed to Buddhism because of their more powerful charismata?
   All of this relates back to the same psychodrama I have spoken of before. People believe they are filled with the presence of the holy spirit and start spouting out gibberish. By giving it a name doesn't make it any less ridiculous. True, Pagans are known to speak spells and ceremonies in different languages and even some Roman Catholics give service in Latin, but these are official and learned languages, not made up. Likewise, being able to break a brick with your hand requires physical and mental training, a state of psychosomatic presence that allows for your breakable body to become very unbreakable. Don't get me wrong, these fetes are still amazing, but understand the science behind it, and perhaps the spiritualism... just remove the religious mumbo-jumbo already.