More Than He Can Chew

As President Bush's 2nd term in office gets underway, we've heard much talk about a "2nd term curse." Personally, I'm not given to believing the bru-ha-ha over some "curse," however I do see some problems with the President's focus heading into the next 4 years. Though I suppose that I'll wait until after the State of the Union address to cast complete judgment on that thought, what I've heard the President say he plans to do is quite troubling. I think we have enough problems to deal with right now without taking on unnecessary, major agendas.

Here, at "The Vortex," I have noted the depths of the financial crisis that this nation is in several times. Just to briefly reiterate:

• The Trade Deficit is at an all time high
• The Budget Deficit is also outrageous
• The value of the US dollar ($) is dropping in value versus other World Currencies (Particularly the Euro, which threatens to be the new worldwide monetary standard that the dollar currently is)
• We are now approaching $300 Billion dollars in war allocation (for Afghanistan and Iraq)
• The $350 Million dollars that we have pledged for countries affected by the recent Tsunami's (which I find to be a great use of American tax dollars)

On top of the financial crisis that we are in, we have voluntarily engaged ourselves in war activities in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why? To stop an intangible enemy that will always exist, Terror, and to stop Saddam Hussein from using non-existent Weapons of Mass Destruction. Currently in a quagmire in Iraq, with our Servicemen continuing security efforts in Afghanistan, we have a tough road ahead of us before we can "bring our boys" home. Needless to say, we also have some serious mending of international relations to do.

Now President Bush wants to tackle Social Security and sometimes seems to be picking fights with other countries in an effort to "spread freedom and democracy."

Of course fixing Social Security is a great topic to discuss during the re-election campaign because it made a lot of people worried that we were in a crisis (including yours truly). But since the dust of the election fodder has cleared, I think that it is clear that we are far from a crisis at this point. Is it a problem? Yes. Does Social Security need to be fixed? Yes. Do we need to fix it now? No. Would it be a good idea to gather a committee to brainstorm, troubleshoot, and develop possible solutions to the impending problem? Of course. Should this be a major agenda issue for this term? Absolutely not.

We already have our hands full with Iraq. The last thing we need to do is pick further fights with countries that don't agree with us (i.e. Burma, Iran, and all those other countries that Condi Rice mentioned during her confirmation hearings). And of what value is it to bring "freedom" to people who don't see themselves in bondage? Of what value is it to bring Democracy to people who don't want it? And who said that Democracy is the only viable form of government? Finally, who are we to promote Democracy when we are far from a truely Democratic nation?

My point is simply this, we have way too many problems to deal with already without taking on other extremely daunting tasks. So I have a few suggestions about things that President Bush's 2nd term should highlight and focus on.

Obviously I think that this term would be best spent learning how to budget and fix the aforementioned monetary problems, while for real figuring out an exit strategy from Iraq and bringing our troops home.

Also, the Public Education system is ailing on every level, from Kindergarten through College. Since the No Child Left Behind bill was passed, many grade-schoolers are just taught necessary information to pass Math and Science exams, leaving behind many other essential courses like Physical Education (which I'm certain plays a major role in the problem of obesity in children). Having the students pass the tests is now the focus of many teachers as opposed to truly sitting down and empowering their students with knowledge that they will need in this current world (not the teacher's fault, its a systematic problem related to school funding).

The cost of College is increasing seemingly exponentially, while financial aid (including the Pell Grant) is lagging far behind. Thousands of College eligible High School students don't attend College because they simply cannot afford it, particularly in the African-American and Latino communities.

Finally, although Congress recently passed many of the suggestions of the 9/11 Commission, I certainly think there is one thing that they can start with. Let's go for increased Border Security. In the last 9 months I've crossed the border from the United States into both Canada and Mexico. And while I found the security heading into and coming from Canada to be legitimate, crossing the Mexican border into the United States is laughable. The security there is a joke and passing through security is little harder than breathing.

It would seem like common sense to me that one would take care of their current pressing problems before taking on other potentially taxing issues. Furthermore, it just makes sense to me that one would handle problems in their own "house" before meddling in other men's affairs.

So if President Bush could focus on domestic problems and wisely withdraw this nation from unnecessary international affairs (while not involving us with others), that, in my opinion, would be the best way to handle the next 4 years.

Maybe Bush should approach the next 4 years as if he weren't President for the last 4, because we've still got a lot of problems to fix from the (His) previous administration.

-Maelstrom

They Do Still Exist :-)

Recently, I had the grand opportunity of reuniting, and hanging out with a bunch of my friends from College. Such gatherings are always a delight, and it always amazes me the kinds of activities that we choose to amuse us. I mean, we were up until almost 5am, having played a couple rounds of Mafia, watched a couple episodes of "Sex in the City," read a few verses from the NY Times bestselling book "He's Just Not That Into You," and reminiscing about elementary school recess (which kept us occupied for like two hours). No alcohol or drugs of any sort involved (though I did "borrow" large quantities of Orange Juice), no dancing to the latest music, we didn't even pop in a movie. These are all realizations that lend themselves to my belief that it's not what we, as humans, do that make events fun, it's who we do them with.

Despite the refreshing reunion, I was deeply bothered by a sentiment that seems to be growing in some of those same friends, and has been growing for some time now. My first night back there, a good friend of mine (who was unable to make the trip) called me up and immediately said, "(Maelstrom), you just can't be nice anymore," followed by "...I'm bitter."

Knowing how kind a person my friend is, this severely troubled me. He is one of a few people that I know is truly willing to put the needs of others in front of his own if he feels that it will benefit the other person in the long run. Completely unselfish, incredibly considerate, and just a nice person by nature. This empathy exists in him despite the cruel treatment he suffered at the hands of others for no reason as a child, and now as an adult.

Unfortunately he was not alone. At least 3 other friends expressed similar sentiments to me during the course of the weekend. "What's the point of being nice to people if other people aren't concerned about you," "Everybody is out to just get what they want for themselves," "People just don't care anymore so why should I," and my personal favorite quote of the weekend, "I hope God is watching all of this!"

Honestly, very few things, if anything, trouble me more than to see my friends hurting. Especially since I know my friends to be people of integrity, empathy, and concern; careful to consider the consequences of their actions with respect to other people. However, knowing their stories, I certainly understood where they were coming from.

When the weekend ended, I returned home in my rental car, heavily contemplating the feelings my friends had expressed to me. Unfortunately the rent-a-car place is at the airport and the busses run on an erratic schedule to and from the airport. This typically means that I have to walk to campus to catch a bus home from there (a 25 minute walk) or walk all the way back to my apartment (a brisk hour and 5 minute walk). Though I'd prefer not to walk, I'm young and strong, so I figure that it's not a big deal to walk now because maybe one day (God-forbid) I won't be able to walk so freely anymore.

As I began the walk to campus, alert to see if there were any Hawks flying around that might take a swipe at me (as I fear they might one day), I continued contemplating these feelings my friends had expressed to me. Their feelings of hurt (coupled with my own feelings of angst, disappointment and frustration with my current struggle) started to overwhelm me. My mind was racing through the kinds of things that I often do just to be kind to people (ie saying excuse me when brushing past), and how I've gone out of the way to show my love, kindness, or appreciation for special people in my life. Too many times these acts of "niceness" are not reciprocated, overlooked, or sometimes don't even warrant a "Thank You."

I began saying to myself, "I don't see the point of being nice anymore," "I might as well just look out for me...I don't see why not," and "Whether or not I'm nice to others, it don't make none!" ("It don't make none" translates to "it doesn't matter" for the Maelstrom illiterate).

So there I was, on the cusp of giving up on people in general. I was standing on the precipice of forever bitterness. I was finally going to give-up on my lifelong struggle of believing that my kindness towards other people actually matters, and that people do care. I was going to go forth in complete grimeyness, willing to step on other people just to get what I want as others had done to me. Sad...Angry...Tempestuously Frustrated...

...And that's when it happened!

About 25 yards away from the airport, while I was walking in the windy, sub-10 degree weather, I met her.

She slowed down her Jeep, rolled down the window and asked, "you need a ride?" Figuring that a ride anywhere would be preferable to me walking I said "yeah, where you headed?" She replied "oh it doesn't matter, where ever you need to go." So I hopped in, and she took me to my destination.

While in her Jeep, we made small talk. "She" was Tina, a 3rd year undergrad from Chicago. I expressed my extreme gratitude to her for her genuine kindness. I also had to tell her what I had just been thinking before she picked me up. I let her know that I was just considering how people aren't nice anymore and then she showed up. She replied to me that it wasn't a big deal at all. Plus other people had been kind to her in the past, she said, so once she had a chance to be kind to others, she would do that.

Her statements to me indicated that she placed value on the kind of treatment that was shown to her, and that she felt it was no big deal to return such amicable behavior to others. This notion is exactly the way I have always felt. Why is it so hard for people to be kind to others, especially when others have been kind to them? But the reality I witness is the complete opposite of this ideal; so much so that it almost made me lose hope in it completely, seriously.

To my further delight, when I arrived at my apartment that day, there was a note in my mailbox indicating that I had a package at the post office. Extremely excited, 'cause there's never anything in there but bills, I rushed to the post office and picked it up. Upon opening it, I was greeted with lots of goodies, and a short/simple, but very sweet letter (which now hangs on my fridge) from two of my friends, Janice and Yu-Chen (thanx a million guys). Now tell me who can be down on kindness after that???

Thank you Tina, the undergrad from Chicago, for restoring in me a certainly level of faith and hope in the concept of nice people! Thanks Janice and Yu-Chen for your concern during trying times (and who told you guys that I like peanut butter? chocolate covered peanut butter hearts...that's a beast!).

Although the magnitude of what these 3 ladies did was very small in comparison to the hurt I've recently suffered, just the very act of consideration and concern was enough for me not to give up on "being nice."

I still have low expectations of people, and certainly don't expect people to be nice to me at all anymore, but it is nice to know that those rare, nice people (who understand, appreciate, and reciprocate to others...and even express kindness just because), do still exist!

Even if the adage seems to be lost in the self-consumed nature of this capitalistic society, I think it is something that we should all live by and certainly something that I will continue to abide by:

Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You!

-Maelstrom

Iraq's "Democratic" Elections

In just over a week, Iraq will be having what the Bush administratin is hailing as "free, democratic" elections. I hate to be a cynic, because Democracy would be a great improvement over Saddam's dictatorship, but I just don't see it happening. Though we should all keep our fingers crossed, and while Bush remains optimistic, I don't think we can deny the obvious realities going on.

Here's my personal opinion on the whole deal. The so-called insurgency that we are witnessing is actually the first stages of an impending civil war. Compounding this civil war is the regional implications that the fighting is going to have, as well as the religious dissension it is exacerbating amongst the two dominant Muslim communities, as well as the rift the war is escalating between the Western world and the religion of Islam.

Now I know that is a mouthful, and would take far too long to explain here, but I'd like to point out exactly why no democracy is going to come of this election.

To begin, this election is set up in a fashion that will prove less democratic than the election that put George W. Bush in office in 2000.

The question of "who is Iraqi" is a major problem. Iraqi's that have migrated or immigrated to other countries will have the opportunity to vote in this election. However, they must show up to the polls in person, which are located around the globe (5 here in the USA), to prove their citizenship. Now here's the catch: People of Iraqi heritage can also vote, but only if their father is Iraqi; if someone's mother is an Iraqi immigrant and their father is not, they cannot vote in the election. How silly, how unfair, how Un-democratic!

The 3 major sects of people in Iraq (Sunni Muslims, Shi'ite Muslims, Kurds) aren't particularly good friends. There is no Iraqi melting pot as we see in America and so many other countries throughout the world. The Kurds, who happen to be the world's largest ethnic group without their own state (population over 20 million), want to separate themselves from the rest of Iraq and begin the official creation of the state of Kurdistan (which is currently an unofficial territory that includes parts of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Armenia and Azerbaijan). The Sunni Muslims, who are a minority in Iraq, don't want to relinquish their power. And the Shi'ite Muslims want to gain power that their 63% majority population might suggest they should have.

I believe that the Kurds will certainly vote. Any means that might help their cause of creating a Kurdish state is a welcome measure to them. Having even a small portion of representation may give them the ability to govern themselves to some extent-a very meaningful step (or at least symbolic step) towards demarcation.

We all know that the Shi'a are voting. They will indeed "win" the election in the majority of the country. This is a fearful thing for many of the countries of the world, for fear that Iraq will turn into another Iran (remember Iran=axis of evil). I don't know if that is a fair assessment, but I do thoroughly believe that they will move towards a theocratic government, which is what exists in Iran.

Finally, the wild-card, the Sunni's. They only make-up 35% of the population in Iraq, but they hold the key to whether or not anything positive will come out of this election.

For starters, they're not voting. At least not in representative numbers. As the election approaches, it does indeed appear that it is the Sunni's who are causing the destructive insurgency. This makes sense since they enjoyed power under Saddam's reign. Now that it is likely they will lose power in these elections, they want to do all they can to disrupt it.

Now I should make the following distinction: There are Sunni Muslims in Iraq who would like to vote (despite their likely defeat as a group), and there are Sunni Muslims in Iraq who would like to disrupt the vote. Also, many of the insurgents are indeed Sunni, but happen to be foreign followers of al-Qaeda deputy Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi (who is Jordanian). With all of these divisions within their own group, it is highly unlikely that they will vote significantly. So my question is (with respect to the Sunni's), how can this election be deemed democratic if a whole sect of people within the country don't vote and are thus left out of the governing body? Certainly they will want some form of representation.

Voting security is another huge hurdle to climb if there are to be Democratic elections. Many Iraqi's fear that they will be killed at the polls. Zarqawi's group of militants apparently have no reservations about killing Shi'ite Muslims, calling them Idolaters, and essentially saying that they aren't Muslim. He also seems to think that anyone who votes is supporting the enemy, which means that he and his terrorists may even shed Sunni blood should any Sunni's attempt to vote next week ( a move that may backfire on him if such things occur).

Now let's recap why this election isn't nearly Democratic:
-Only children of Iraqi heritage whose Father is Iraqi can vote in foreign countries
-The 3 factions of people in Iraq seem to each want to govern their ownselves (especially the Kurds)
-The Sunni's probably won't vote, at least not in significant numbers, leaving them unrepresented
-Security is not a guarantee at all

At this point, however, these elections must go forward. If they don't, the USA will lose much credibility and it would be a victory for the insurgents. My suggestion is that the Parliament be set up like the one in Canada. Their system (which I also think should be implemented in the USA) allows for governmental representation for even small parties/groups that win a portion of the electorate. This way the Sunni's would still have representation, even if they are outnumbered.

I truly fear that this election is only going to usher in the next stage of a civil war in Iraq, and that US troops will be there (in force) for years and years to come. And although comparisons to Afghanistan's elections are extremely invalid to me, those elections did turn out much better than I had expected. Hopefully, for the sake of the Iraqi people and for troops that are there from around the world, successful elections will be their reality as well.

-Maelstrom

"Priceless"

There once was a man whose first name meant "priceless," and whose middle name meant "ruler of the home." His life began on the South Side of Chicago (which used to be symbolically known as "black bottom"). At a very early age, he was witness to horrendous levels of poverty and hardships. At the age of 7, as a result of his parents' divorce, he moved, along with his mother and two older brothers, to a rural community in the state of Michigan. Soon, both of his parents remarried. Shortly thereafter came numerous half brothers and sisters from both sides.

Moving from the heavily poverty stricken, black populated city of Chicago, to the very sparsely inhabited, white populated rural countryside was a huge transition for Priceless. From this experience, however, Priceless learned the advantage of being conscious of people with similar, as well as differing, backgrounds. He vowed that, should he ever have children, he'd make the effort to introduce them to both the world around them, as well as people from different backgrounds.

Priceless became a very strong figure within the family. He was looked up to by each of his younger siblings, and had an incredible bond with his two older ones. His mother knew she could always count on him to be responsible with the "little ones," and to always be there to help out around the house.

Soon, Priceless was off to college. It was there where he met a young lady that tickled his fancy. Heavily enamored with her, he was often spotted yards away, in a distance (sportin' a purple leather coat) by the young lady's friends and roommates, making the long trek across campus to see her. They soon fell in love and were married shortly after he received his Bachelor's of Science.

After 3 years of marriage, they gave birth to their first child, Little Hawk. As the years went on, three more children were added to this union: Grace, Beloved and Victory.

No matter what it took, Priceless was determined to provide for his family. Many times was he laid off from his job, forcing him to work odd jobs in order to provide. He was also determined that his family would not be confined to just the immediate surroundings, but that they would travel each year, learning of different peoples and visiting various sights. Whatever his family needed him to be, he became that.

During the 18th year of his marriage with the lady that he Earnestly loved, he fell sick with a terminal illness. They found out just before their 19th wedding anniversary of his disease. Six months and 1 week later, he breathed his last breath.

It was this day, 14 years ago, that God saw fit to give Priceless his rest from this life. He was only 40-years-old, and he left behind a loving wife and 4 beautiful children.

I remember that day well, January 17th, 1991; that day when God took my Father away from me. It was a Thursday. The weather was mild for a Michigan January, and the sun was shining. I recall getting off of the school bus that day, shortly after 4pm. I looked up the street and saw all of the cars lining the road, streaming from our driveway. I thought, in my 9-year-old mind, "He must already be dead." Already accepting of that reality, I didn't even make the effort to run up the street, I just walked. As I entered the house at 4:15pm, I saw my brother and sister there crying. Everyone told me that he had just died the moment I set foot in the house.

I posted a blog here yesterday, outlining some of the qualities of a good man. Well, my Father was all of those things and more. To call him a great man would be an incredible understatement.

I remember how he treated my mother with all due respect, love and affection. On one of her birthdays, he went all out to express to her how much he loved her, and made sure that his children were witness (as always) to this affection. I believe that he baked her a birthday cake, and had surprised her with some other things when she got home. They took pictures together right there in the living room (in one picture he was giving her a very passionate kiss) as he presented the cake to her, while my three siblings and I watched; I'll never forget that. He never raised his hand or his voice to my mother. He certainly supported her in all of her personal goals and praised her for her accomplishments.

To my siblings and I, he was a rock. With his 6'2", 250lb muscular frame, you just knew that when he was there, you were going to be alright. Once I was being chased by a very angry Pitbull dog. I had fallen on the ground, and just as the dog was about to pounce on me, there was Daddy, coming out of the house and basically daring the dog to open its mouth. He saved us from those dogs so many times.

Not just a figure of strength, he was also very tender with us. He used to get off from work, and chase my younger brother and I around the house wearing stockings on his head as if he were a robber. He'd thump me in the head and call me Peanut Head, and thump my brother in the head and call him Bean Head. I remember many times when he'd give me a hug, and I'd give him a kiss on the cheek.

I'll never forget how he made time for each of us. For me specifically, he came to my pre-school and spent the time during his busy day to make a pizza with me and the rest of my class when I was 3 (thankfully, I've got a picture of that day). Once in kindergarten, for show-and-tell, he came and explained his occupation to all of the students in the class. I didn't particularly think it was that cool at the time, but many of my classmates did; that made me happy. And I even recall how I had a presentation about the environment in 3rd grade. He picked me up for that and took me all the way to school only to have me realize that I had left my presentation at home. So he drove me all the way back, got my stuff, and we went back for my presentation. Where did he find the time or the strength (I mean he worked long night hours)?

When we were out of line, he certainly wasted no time reprimanding us with "the rod of correction." However, always within reason. His patience in this regard really amazed me. He once placed a glass fixture over a light in the basement. And not 5 minutes after he put the fixture up, did I kick a soccer ball into it and shattered it. To this day, I don't know why he didn't whoop me for doing that. I mean he told us time and time again not to kick/bounce/throw balls in the house. Instead, he just scraped all the glass up and let it go. He didn't even say anything to me about it. Patient, he was!

And whether it was us doing our chores, or us doing well in school, he always reinforced "good behavior" with rewards. Sometimes ice cream bars, sometimes money, sometimes verbal praise. He was just so proud of us, and we knew it.

I owe my love of music (for he played piano and composed many songs) and sports (we would watch for hours together) to him. And certainly I owe my sweet tooth to him (he always had some kind of candy with him). I'll never forget how he predicted that "the Bulls are gonna win it next year," after watching the Pistons win the NBA championship in 1990 (though he never got to see his prediction come true-which it did). I'll always remember his bellows of "let's get with the program" when he would come home from work (in order to rally my siblings and I to do our chores so that the house would be in order by the time my mom got home). And almost prophetically, with respect to his short life, he once wrote a song titled "Life is Like a Vapor."

So much I'll never forget! To us, to me, he was indeed the Priceless Ruler of the Home!

Dad, I don't know why God chose to take you from me while you were yet so young, and while you still had four young children and a wife to take care of. There are so many things I wish I could talk to you about now. But I just want to say thank you for setting the bar real high, and for being the best example of what a Man and a Father should be. I look forward to seeing you again, I've got so much to tell you.

Priceless...Daddy...I miss you...rest in peace!

-Love,
Maelstrom

What Makes A Good Man

Before I begin this blog, I would like to thank Turk (who posted a comment at the end of my last post) and everyone else who has taken the time, consideration and initiative to respond to the things that I've posted here by leaving a comment at the end of the posts. Your feedback is greatly appreciated always. To you I say thanks, and a Happy New Year to you too Turk!

Although this world seems to be overwhelmingly patriarchal, and certainly society is dominated by men, I believe that too often, the role of a man in society is needlessly or pointlessly relegated and diminished. As a result, our expectations of men, behaviorally speaking, are lowered. And for some reason, men like to take advantage of a lowered bar, and many men rarely aspire to behave above it. So when they do something like treat their girlfriend's family kindly, or opens the door for women, we tend to think that they are great or amazing, when all he did was the minimum of what a decent man should do.

It is my belief that if you demand greatness of people, they will work extremely hard to achieve. So if we would put that expectation bar back where it belongs, more men would treat women much better, and the role of a good man would once again be an esteemed role to attain-not only in word, but in deed.

My major problem with society though, with respect to men, is that when there is indeed a good man present, doing all he can to do right by others, provide for himself and his family, and making a decent living, that man doesn't receive the credit and/or respect that his character deserves. He is often stepped on and mistreated by women, ridiculed (by men and women alike) for trying to maintain a high level of moral integrity, and certainly overlooked in society. This world has a keen way of only mentioning the bad that men do, or glorifying totally undeserving men simply because of their status in society (athlete, actor, etc.). So when there's a good man out there doing all that he knows to do that is right, he gets no love.

And honestly, I don't think the reality of a "good" man needs much explanation, for I truly believe that when there is one in our lives, we know it; we know he is good. But I plan to outline some consistent qualities that seem to exist amongst the good men that I know.

A good man, first and foremost, understands his self-worth and respects himself. He has a firm grasp on who he is and what he is capable of. That same man has a direction that he is headed in; he has goals set, and planned avenues by which to achieve them. If it is necessary to make an adjustment in order to achieve those goals, a good man is wise enough to make those changes while maintaining his focus on his purpose.

Aware of his strengths and weaknesses, a good man seeks to help others with those strengths (as opposed to using them to hurt, harm, use, or manipulate others), and desires to make his weakpoints strong (and to that end, is not afraid to admit mistakes or lack of understanding). And certainly, a good man treats everyone around him with the respect that their humanity warrants.

A good man that is married cherishes his wife and does not allow any other person to pry them apart. He is completely open to her and hides nothing from her. He is well in-tune with her needs, wishes, wills and desires. He seeks not to squelch her ambitions and is indeed supportive of her with respect to them. Most of all, he communicates his thoughts, feelings and emotions (this does not make him a sissy). And finally, the notion of infidelity is laughable to him because he is SO in love with her (this does not make him "whipped").

A good man that has children demands respect of them. When they are wayward, he corrects them. Though he is stern with them when he needs to be, he is affectionate towards them and aware of what each child needs in order to foster their growth. He stands before them as an example, as a figure of strength, as one they can run to when they need help and when they're afraid. And in front of them (should he be married), he treats his wife like the lady that she is (such that his daughters know how they should be treated, and his sons know how to treat a woman), not afraid to show affection to her in front of their children.

A good man possesses these qualities and should not go unnoticed. If you are a man and you are reading this, you should aspire to be like the man described above. If you are a woman, and a man like the one described above exists in your life, you should cherish and appreciate him; appreciate him not only in distant, silent respect, but in open acknowledgement in both action/deed, as well as verbal reinforcement.

The idealist in me wishes that such men could garner the credit and admiration that their character deserves, but the realist in me recognizes that the majority of people rarely acknowledge such greatness. I just hope that by writing this post, you (the reader) will indeed point those great men out in your life, and truly go out and show your appreciation for them as soon as is possible. It doesn't do any good to keep the admiration to yourself if that man never knows it, and you never know how much longer that presence will be in your life.

Because as the late singer Joni Mitchell once said "Don't it always seem to go that you don't what you've got till it's gone..."

-Maelstrom

Hopes For The New Year

I'm not typically given to the notion of New Year's Resolutions. This is because I believe that if there is a change or transition that you need to make (no matter the time of year), you should just go ahead and start that transition immediately. When "x" amount of time elapses, you will be able to look back and marvel at the benefit that change has afforded you instead of regretting that you didn't start it sooner (or hadn't started it at all).

Though I don't map out a list of resolutions for each New Year, I do enter each New Year with a lot of hopes and wishes (and sometimes dreams). Mentally, I do think the whole idea of a "new year" provides us with an opportunity to leave some things behind us, and allows us to believe positive change in the year ahead of us is more realistic than, say, on June 7th, October 8th or December 29th.

Last year had to be one of the most tempestuous that I had ever witnessed-both personally and societally. With the "life-storms" came some good worth capitalizing on, but also much hurt that needn't ever occur again. So I hope for much prosperity and positive change in this year 2005, and those things I outline for you today.

For starters,

I hope that as you read "The Vortex," you are indeed intrigued, and that the things written at this site will cause you to reconsider, or to further contemplate the world around us. I also hope that you will oblige me by leaving comments at the end of not only this particular post, but some of the past posts, and certainly all of the future ones. I would love to see agreement with, as well as opposition to, my thinking through the comments that you (the reader) post here (read my profile for comment info).

I hope that the athletic world gets its mind right. All year long, violence from player to player (like the career threatening punch delivered by the NHL's Todd Bertuzzi) and players to fans (Pacers vs. the Palace of Auburn Hills) was a serious problem. And the ultimate proof of cowardice was the overwhelming presence of steroids in athletics in 2004, primarily in Baseball and Track and Field. Hopefully athletes can let their God-given skills speak for themselves and allow the violence to subside in 2005.

I hope that the media can regain much of the credibility that it vastly destroyed in the last year. It was quite ironic that many instances of moral irresponsibility were seemingly glorified by the media all year long; from Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson to the Pacers/Pistons brawl. Reporters appeared to engage in double talk by proclaiming these instances as disgraceful, but then proceeding to air footage and report on these events at a rate rivaling that of the speed of light. If these occurrences were so morally repugnant, then don't further glorify them by giving them primary news time.

I hope that integrity, honesty, and respect can once again be restored on so many levels; with respect to me personally, as well as to each citizen in this country. Each news station, and not just CBS with Dan Rather, was guilty of being "too left" or "too right" at some point during the political campaign. Numerous highly elected/appointed officials were discovered to be fraudulent, incompetent, or just plain stupid. I hope that those in office will prove to be more competent, and i hope that the citizens of this great nation will demand more transparency of them so that we don't run into situations like that of former Homeland Security nominee Bernard Kerik.

I hope that the American public can stop being apathetic and honestly assess the sad state of this great nation. I hope we can actively pursue routes to truly fix our problems now, instead of suffering gravely in the future. The dollar is plunging against world currency, we've severely over-extended ourselves militarily/monetarily worldwide, most nations don't like us (with good reason), and we are in never-before heard of debt (the trade deficit just hit a record high the other day). If it means protesting like the citizens of the Ukraine did, making wiser decisions in whom we elect, or actually going out and doing the grunt work ourselves, I hope that we won't just be satisfied with the status quo.

I hope the elections that have taken place over the course of the last year, can give birth to positive global relations. From Australia's President (a strong ally of Pres. Bush) to the Ukraine's newly elected Yanukovich (who was truly democratically elected), I hope that these elections, coupled with the elections taking place in 2005 (from Palestine to Iraq), will help to bring about peace throughout this world.

I hope that the barbaric and grisly acts committed from one human being to another can cease this year, both domestically and internationally, from the very young to the very old. I just read a news article of a 12-year-old repeatedly raping, and then murdering a 3-year-old boy. How sick? And need I mention the multitude of terrorists related beheadings and butcherings from last year. This point I will expound on:

In general, people need to first learn self-respect. Because if you recognize how valuable you are as a person, you will respect and value other people that much more (that's a complicated thought, but trust me, it makes sense).

And people need to learn to respect everyone's right to be themselves, and to believe what they wish. In this last year, we saw the further proliferation of "non-tolerance" in this country and abroad. We witnessed the rights of people challenged on so many levels in the US court system last year. From religion, to sexual orientation, to race (for the umpteenth year).

I suppose religion was the biggest of the three. We saw the rise of "the Christian right," which sought to crush all other religions, end abortion, and tell gay people that they can't be gay anymore. But my personal "religion of the year" award has to go to Islam, which rose to worldwide prominence (for the 3rd year in a row) because of a few goons that believe that its ok to kill non-Muslims (and Muslims that disagree with them) as long as they label themselves martyrs and claim the Qur'an as their guide.

Oppression is a terrible thing. And I understand that depending on where one is located on the planet, your religion might be the one that is being oppressed (and certainly this is the case with Muslims in various nations). I recognize that many of these Islamic extremists believe that the world needs to cleansed of non-Muslims, especially in Arab lands. But if the world is indeed destined to be Islamic, can we let Allah do that and not self-proclaimed martyrs?!!!

I hope that the 6-Billion-plus people that inhabit this planet can come to completely value, respect, and live by the concept of Charity (which is a word that not only speaks to monetary gifts nor love, but also to affection and understanding). Do what you can to respect yourself and present yourself with dignity and integrity, prefer those in need over yourself, and totally respect the differences that exist from person to person. And when Charity is expressed to you, whether it be personally intimate or distantly attributed, respond with the same level of Love, expressing your appreciation.

This final statement I make to everyone, from the 12-year-old murderer/rapist, all the way up to Osama Bin Laden. What makes you so much better than anybody else that you can take away another person's innocence and/or take their life? One thing we all know is that you didn't give the life, who gave you the right to ruin it or take it?!! Honestly, no matter your religion, socio-economic status, or personal beliefs, who do you think you are?

I hope and pray that each individual can learn the value of Life as well as Love, and when these things exists, learn to respect them!

Now, Respect that!!!
-Maelstrom