War

Image by scylla & charybdis via Flickr

War
Throughout history man has waged war with neighboring tribes, states and countries for the sake of expansion, or to settle disputes that were unable to be settled in negotiations. Our history is riddled with war. All through history they have evolved tactically and strategically. However, my disdain of war comes from modern warfare.
In the past war has been horrific and brutal this is what brings the warring factions together to negotiate peace or the surrender of one faction. In modern war people have got civil. Rules of engagement have changed to the point that there is little to no true horrors of war to be spoken of. True people die but the world has come to want it to be civil so that those that die are soldiers. The civilian populist just goes about normal life with their only concern of the war being the sons and daughters who are soldiers. This idea sits wrong with me.
The ideas involved in modern warfare remind me of an old Star Trek show where Captain Kirk and the Enterprise encounter two warring planets that had been at war for centuries. The worlds considered themselves civilized and conducted the war cleanly. All attacks where computer generated and the casualties were lined up before an incinerator where they were expected to just step in and accept they were casualties of war. The Idea sounds ridiculous however that is the direction that modern war is headed.
War was and is meant to be wage against a whole group of people, when you wage war against governments and exclude the people it governs you are looking at waging a never ending war. There was only two reasons that the attacks on 9/11 were taken so harshly by the United States was that it was on U.S. soil and that the attack was so horrific as war is meant to be. The sheltered lives of the United States people could not comprehend or grasp the ideals of open warfare waged by Bin Ladden. It may have been via terrorist acts but it was still that of open war.
War is to be waged on the entirety of the people whom the country region etcetera that war is waged against. The only real exception is civil war and it is still waged against those who support the government. The only difference is that civil war can split communities, and even families, as the support or opposition to a single areas government is of personal opinion.
Until war returns to the state it was intended to be, the world will continue in constant turmoil trying to bring resolution to problems that true war would resolve in a short amount of time.

Morality

Image via Wikipedia

Morality
Morality is what a part of what a tradition is supposed to impart on its practitioners. Yet I have noticed that most traditions seem to copy that of Christianity. I have a problem with this, because if you can sin and ask forgiveness and it is granted for the asking what is the point of the rules to begin with.
The other problem is that if anyone is going to set up a system where any type of leader is to be followed whether it be deity or not the system should be set up so those who follow it can succeed. Every help book on being a leader for just about anything emphasizes that you “Don’t set your followers up for failure”. This is what makes being a good leader hard, not only are you out in front but you are supporting your followers and helping them succeed.
The third problem is a rule should fit all situations and have no exceptions. Thou shall not kill except in time of war or in self defense or in defense of home, possessions and loved ones kinda makes the rule a mute point.
Any system, whether following your own instincts or a higher power or the little tiki statue necklace around your neck, should be set up for balance and success of the followers not made so riddled with rules and moralities that are mute and become a waste of space.
Several of the social moralities are ones of human vanities. The world and nature and most deities could care less if a person ran around nude, after all no one comes into the world fully dressed. This is a confusion of morality and vanity. The issues of morality are forced on us by society but to become an eclectic Christian and claim to have no relationship to the tradition is self denial and untrue.
This brings me to the point of the not lying. To expect a human to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth 100% of the time is a set up for failure. After all in all truth deception is part of human nature and over the life time of any human they have told several lies. The thought may be well intended and socially humans get along better when everyone is telling the truth, however everyone has their own boundary of when it is allowable to lie. To expect anything more is to set the practitioners up for failure.
I make a challenge to all pagan and non Christian followers, list out the morals and rules of your tradition and tell what you think and is it truly obtainable.
One last thought: the theory of peace is a marvelous idea the practice of it makes us all the same.
“The day that the world is completely at peace is the day the human race no longer has individuals”. Unknown
After all conflict comes from disagreeing Peace comes with total unrestrained agreement. If we all think alike, act alike and be alike true peace can be obtained. Personally I enjoy my uniqueness and can survive and be happy even if I never see the sibilance of true peace.

Secretive or what?

Image by www.PCharlon.es  via Flickr

Secretive, pressure or what?
I have a running record of things only working out when they are done on impulse or not shared with those around me. I can plan to take a trip and not tell anyone and it will turn out as a wonderful experience and be a lot of fun. I can plan a trip under the same circumstances and let those around me know and it will turn up a disaster, be unable to, or best of results it will be indifference.
What is it that brings this about, relationships that are thought out fail although just going with the flow seem to turn out to be long lasting. Plan on purchasing something particular when share with someone it will turn out that the money won’t be there. Don’t let anyone in on it and I am able to make it. Have a plan to spend a lump of money such as tax return with my wife and family the planned on items don’t get purchased although the things that are impulse or unmentioned get purchased.
The same happens with finances, relationships, outings, trips, vacations, days off and frankly most of life. It has been suggested that it may be pressure, yet I am constantly reminded that I am extremely good with handling pressure. Some have suggested it is just life; however life is more random and wouldn’t follow such a rigid course. Could it be that I thrive on being secretive and I for some reason cannot function without the element of mystery?
It is a very frustrating thing and even comes into play when trying to change my own behaviors. For example I was a smoker, I had quit once before without telling anyone. I had started again for; it stupidly was for social reasons. But recently I have been determined to quit each time I have given my family a heads up and have failed. If I dare say a few days ago I have started a system that seems to work for me and thus far I have been successful. Although I have done everything I can to keep it a secret that I am quitting.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Calendar girls strip off for charity again (telegraph.co.uk)

Anime Life

Image by 南宮博士 via Flickr

In anime books, cartoons, and other anime media appears it presents a life story that at the end life is good again. One day a anime character can run dow a street nude and by the end of the story it is not an issue nor is she chastised for it.

It is said that life does not produce storybook ending. Life may not produce storybook endings however if you take your own life into your hands and actually live it. The story book ending is that the hero through trial and determination produces a desired goal.

Life is like the stories people read and write. Fantasy is a wonderful thing, but if you find yourself wishing our life was like those in the stories maybe you should take control of your life and persiston doing what it takes to get life how you want it to be.

Anything is possible

Reality is for those who lack imagination.

Image by Funky64 (www.lucarossato.com) via Flickr

Right and Wrong

Image by JosephGilbert.org via Flickr

What is right and wrong? This is something that every parent tries to teach their children and something that lawmakers struggle with as they attempt to create laws for peaceful coexistence in human society. Yet, can anyone set a absolute in what is right and wrong? The English language has exceptions to every rule for it. Many rules and laws have exceptions, so how can there be a definitive right and wrong?
There truly is not right and wrong after all they are definite terms that no set rule can be set to. Right and wrong has seemed to make a difference between common and great men. Great people have followed a more open philosophy of be accountable for what you do, not spending time contemplating whether what needs to be done is right or not. Right and wrong is a childish concept and may be a good guide for children but once you pass the age of childhood it creates a barrier that causes lack of decision, mistakes and other problems to deal with not to mention the loss of sleep that people have wondering if their decisions are right or wrong.
The creating a definite right or wrong also causes two other things to happen. One, it will cause one’s mind to close off to the world. The second is it causes people to become judgmental, because of putting a definite meaning for right and wrong people have a tendency to project their thoughts and ideal onto other people around them.
So how does being accountable work, it is simple, society tends to lock up those who break the law. You break the law and you’ll do the time. It is that simple, everything has its cost if the action that exacts an acceptable price the action is acceptable.
Living by the philosophy that everything has a price opens the door to many paths and make more possible. The only implication that it inflicts on any decision is are you willing to pay the price for the desired action or decision, if the answer is yes it is the correct thing to do. No stress, no lost sleep and no judgments needed.

The Right Stuff

There are several meanings for several words. In pagan society people have come to making one religion cover what they believe. This may work for some when talking about religions that have been left in history and aren't practiced in their intended form. However, to claim that a religion that is in practice is part of your beliefs is different from saying that yo are part of that religion.

I have heard people claim to be par of a religion and not even know the name of the gods or godesses yet claim to be strict followers. To me this equates to saying you are christian, yet not know the name of christ, what the trinity is, or who the virgin Mary is.

Why is it so difficult to admit what one believes may follow a particular religion but they are not part of the religion.

Witch Craft

I was talking to a friend about witch craft recently when the thought had occurred to me the true craft of witchcraft has been almost lost. Most references to it are in context to religion. When in fact for the most part that is only a small portion of witch craft, that portion of the craft is what most role playing systems refers to as clerical magic. The bigger part there are only bits and pieces of that it seems most of the world is willing to let fall into forgotten myth, legend and history.
Worse yet most who claim to be interested are willing to let the major contents of the craft vanish and accept only that which is spewed by a religion that is less than a century old or passed by its want to be practitioners.
For those of us with an interest in the true craft it seems we are stuck with a few tid bits of truth and the task of recreating the craft to its true form.
This is a taunting task at best yet in the attempt to do so, those who practice their clerical magic seem to shun tease and make a living hell for us instead of opening their minds and admitting that there is more and attempting to help. This leads me to believe the fear what the true craft is capable of and want to convince everyone that their form is all there is and only a fool would contradict them.
As I see it they only harm themselves in doing so for it is the fool who accepts what is fed to him not the ones who question and open their minds to other possibilities.

Rogue

An Open Mind

An open mind is a good thing to have, however there are several pitfalls, and distractions that tend to close a mind quickly. One of these distractions is the impulse to quickly critisize others and what they think, feel, like or any other aspect of them.

This tendency will quickly change an open mind into a hipocrit. The open mind is fueled by the ability to accept others as they are and to aknowledge that the only person one can change is themselves. To accept is to open your mind to understand anothers point of veiw. This by no means dictates that an open mind has to like everyones ideas and ideals but to understand and let others be how they are not trying to change them to suit ones own belief.

Another downfall to an open mind is the nature of humans to make things black and white. There is more than one wrong way and in contrast there are also many ways that are right. To set a mind that there is only one right and one wrong way for any given circumstance is to close ones mind.

I travel my path and welcome company even for short periods of time but through my journey I fight and struggle to keep my mind open and I am willing to accept anyone els'e ways. I may disagree or maybe agree but welcome the company as I travel through life.

A theological conversation

Today I had a conversation with a old world Catholic. You know, birth control a big no, no and sex is only for procreation. Any way we had a long theological talk about if masturbating is a sin than by the same logic a woman sins once a month. In fact most of what men try to understand about women is also sins that women carry.
From that we discussed poly. He was a little confused as his Bible shows it to be both allowed and forbidden. Although through the discussion I made the comment of if you have to be married before conceiving a baby who married Adam and Eve to each other. He admitted that there was no one to do so but that was different because woman was a gift to man from God. I am sure you could guess the conclusions that came from that one.
Later he conjectured that maybe it wasn’t really god who gave the gift of woman after all women have been men’s fatal weakness throughout the Bible. So, partly in jest I said “So women are demons who cannot help but to commit sin and drag man down with her unless a man owns up and treats her like property and keeps her in line.”
To my surprise with a straight face the guy I was talking to said “yes, that is how it was meant to be.”
Thank the Gods I am not Christian.

My Darkness

People often ask me about my personal darkness, and it is difficult for me to come up with an answer on the spur of the moment. On one hand I have my beast that guides me but on the other it is rooted in what I believe and what life is to me. After that there is what darkness is to me and my belief of the misconception people have about the light. These are just major points in what my darkness is; another piece is the dark knight that resides in me and his true nature. He in himself embodies all that my darkness is and who I shape my life after.
The beast within is a popular subject amongst authors who write about people or creatures living with a duality in their life. In popular Vampire games it is what is used to describe the blood lust in each vampire character. The beast within is in each of us, it is what drives our basic emotions and instincts.
My beast is what I gave into and it has shown me the major flaws within humanity. Man is a creature of comfort; in fact mankind has almost destroyed the world in the pursuit of ease and comfort. I sit and see the nature of people around me and at times it makes me cringe at the length people will go to gain something they want and then discard it because it is no longer wanted. I have seen this happen within hours and the effort put out carried consequences that lasted a lifetime.
My beast shuns humanity to a point of men’s laws are irrelevant and a waste, after all the laws of nature govern and control all creatures even men. Men’s laws only apply is someone catches you where nature is always vigilant and exacts full retribution at her chosen time and there is no escaping it. Try to say that about the laws of men.
My beast is a dark creature to begin with however, unlike most would have you believe, that does not make it evil or bad. In the dark things exist and just are, the shadows about them make them indefinable therefore cannot be judged. This is the misconception most people have, all things good and evil, if you believe in such a thing, are within the realm of light. In darkness acceptance and choice reigns, in light judgment, definition and conformists exist.
Normal society is of the light and it dictates how to think, react and judge everything one comes across. Society looks for what is the same in everyone and tries, rather convincingly, to get everyone to conform to its ideals. In darkness one questions everything in the light society would have one question nothing.
In my beliefs, there may be many gods but I tend to look at them as forces of nature. The forces I follow are the force of the hunt, the moon and that of chaos. These are the forces that reign over my life and I pay the respect and due following. The laws of my faith is simple one is to be honorable, follow natures law and only give in to the laws of men when it conflicts with the natural instinct to be free. Humanity is a balance to the beast that I follow and I use it to make my life better without destroying nature.
This brings me to the dark knight. He is me and I am he. He is a traveler of life that walks his own path and heeds only the laws of nature and his own truths. He is a blessing to those he cares for and who he chooses to help, he is a nightmare to those who would oppose him and deadly to those who would be his enemy. He is selfless with those that he cherishes, charitable with those he would call friend, indifferent to those who are just there and a demon to those whom cross arms with him.
He stands alone to protect and watch over the world, he indulges in emotion when he chooses and never give in or up no matter the pain it may bring. He despises deception, welcomes loyalty and honesty and does what he thinks is right not that is expected of him by others. He cares not to have material things for they are only for a moment, he only seeks that which he needs and indulges in the luxuries of life as only a means to pass the time.
This is my darkness, in no way is this complete but it should shed a little insight into my world. After all truth is but a perspective and mine is a valid as anyone else’s. In the darkness I am able to accept all humanity the way it is, can you?