AYN RAND: APOSTLE OF SELFISHNESS AND HERO OF THE ALT. RIGHT

Ayn Rand

Russian-American novelist, promoter of selfishness, 

hero of the alt. right

1905-1982

Russian educated atheist Ayn Rand believed that selfishness was a positive virtue. She hated Christianity, championed abortion and, in addition to writing a few toxic novels and a small volume about selfishness, she also started a club that was dedicated to the promotion of selfishness. That the right wing lauds her and follows her selfish prescriptions for American society is a jarring contradiction, ESPECIALLY since the majority self-identify as Christian, and Rand's philosophy is the antithesis of Christianity.

"Abortion is a moral right which should be left to 

the sole discretion of the woman involved; 

morally, nothing other than her wish in the

matter is to be considered."

~ Ayn Rand ~

Several of America's contemporary government leaders have been remarkably affected by the fantasies of this novelist whose world view, if widely enacted, would regress the civilizing influence of Christianity on mankind back to the beginning of time.

Rand wasn't an economist and, in fact, her imaginative pronouncements on this field are dismissed by professional economists who have studied the history of economic systems and who know that we are stronger together than we are individually. It is the positive glory of human beings that we aim to enable every one of our members to succeed, and we lift up one another because we know that, in doing so, the human species becomes more successful. The dog-eat-dog world of Ayn Rand produces the opposite result.

"Jesus said unto him, 'thou shalt love the Lord thy God

with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy

mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the

second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as 

thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law

and all the prophets.'"

~ Matthew 22:37-40 ~

Because selfishness, xenophobia, racism and misogyny that are promoted by the alt right are damaging to the human race, as a whole, the alt. right movement, as typified in its most virulent form in the ravings of Steve Bannon, has to discredit and discount the experts in crucial fields of knowledge, even Biblical scholards. This bizarre subculture lionizes opinion without foundation while deriding experts in favor of fiction writers.

Steve Bannon and Marie LePen - 2018

"Let them call you racists. Let them call you xenophobes. 

Let them call you nativists. Wear it as a badge of honor."

~ Steve Bannon, 2018 ~

Ayn Rand was famously racist and nationalistic. She spoke against Native Americans, Arabs and indigenous people, in general. Her brand of politics is for white people only.

Followers of alt. right personalities resolutely ignore professional opinion in favor of people whom they perceive to be the common man, in whom they see themselves in some capacity. The pleasing mirage that the alt right personalities project, caters to the ordinary white guy, who then feels that maybe he too can rule the world without the bona fides typically required to do so. Slovenly Steve Bannon, with his baggy clothes and unkempt mop of hair, is their spokesman.

What is really going on here? At the heart of the modern alt right movement is the fight of the wealthy to grab even more wealth than they already have. The disparity of income in America is already the second worst in the world among all nations, but the wealthy are using hot button issues to coerce the white majority into helping them in the biggest smash-and-grab since before the French Revolution. The poor, disabled and elderly are hungry and poorly housed, yet the wealthy want to eliminate social programs that help alleviate their suffering. Ayn Rand disparages the charity that would help them.

"Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor, will

themselves call and not be heard."

~ Proverbs 21:13 ~

Ayn Rand is the figurehead upon which the right hangs its political hat because her philosophy is conveniently hostile to poor people and minorities. According to Rand, it is immoral to make a man contribute to the welfare of the poor, vis-a-vis taxes. This is contrary to the Christian ethos, but the followers of the alt right are so mesmerized by the smoke and mirrors of Paul Ryan and people like him that they fail to call this movement into account for its violation of the central tenets of Christianity.

"You shall give generously [to your poor brother] and your

heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because

for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your

work and in all your undertakings."

Deuteronomy 15:10

On Facebook and other social media, I have had too many conversations with supporters of the lies of the alt. right mouthpieces who blame everyone's troubles on lazy, criminal poor people, minorities, and the like.

When faced with hard facts that disprove the myth of "massive fraud in the disability system," for instance, supporters resolutely cling to the lies. The payoff for believing poor-hating propaganda is too great to give it up, since those lies serve to elevate the status of the common man without any effort - somewhat like the video games that allow us to be big winners by the flick of a finger on a button. To be a winner, without having to bend one's head to any authority, without having to accept inconvenient truths that emphasize our lack of status, and without exerting a lot of effort, is too heady a wine for people who have chaffed under the annoying limitation of being ordinary for such a long time. Why accept facts when the lies let us believe that the poor are to blame for all our difficulties?Having a scape goat that possesses less power than we do allows us to look down upon them and pretend to some superiority. It is also far easier to withdraw assistance from the poor than to reclaim the ill-gotten gains of the wealthy.

"For all those who exalt themselves shall be humbled,

and those who humble themselves shall be exalted."

~Luke 14:11~

The psychology of Christianity is brilliant. People of real religious faith and comprehension already know this, but it also stands the test of objective examination. We can reject selfishness, not just because Jesus said so, but because it doesn't produce good fruit for humanity as a whole. We can embrace modesty and humility, not just because Jesus said to do it, but because those virtues propel us in a positive direction that is healthy for the individual as well as the group. We can share our wealth with the poor, not just because it is emphasized continually throughout the Old AND the New Testaments, but because it makes sense for the survival of our species.

The authorities upon whom one bases one's world view and activities is a clue to one's heart, so I ask you: Who is your authority? Is it Jesus, or is it Ayn Rand?

THE SOUND OF SILENCE

"I need solitude for my writing - not like a "hermit" - 

that wouldn't be enough -

but like a dead man."

~Franz Kafka~

Earlier this month, I had to stop in the middle of a grocery store aisle and yell, "This music is too loud!" Of course, no one paid the slightest bit of attention to this crazy lady, holding her hands to her ears in the dog food aisle while some old song blasted out of the speakers above my head.

Shopping used to be very enjoyable for me. Stores were quiet. If there WAS music, it was typically very soothing, but then some idiot got the bright idea to bombard shoppers with advertisements punctuated by blaring music. The advertisements are created by manufacturers of the products that the stores sell. The store gets some kind of financial benefit from the manufacturers when they blast their customers with this kind of canned sound.

I learned this about 5 years ago, when I complained to the manager of Smiths grocery store, where I used to shop. The manager told me that she wasn't allowed to turn the music down, even though I appeared to be the only person shopping there, at some odd time of day. "Corporate" had to approve turning off or turning down the volume of the music. The customer is no longer right. The customer is now a captive.

The problem with loud music is that it prevents me from concentrating on what I need to buy. Instead, I typically flee the premises, my head pounding, and a growing sense of desperation. Half the time, I don't buy half of what is on my list. I have learned what I can go without, as a result of this recent assault on my brain cells. Smiths Grocery Store, and other corporate monsters, would make more money if they eliminated this music torture from their policies, but I doubt they will give it up, since they believe they are benefiting from it financially. Maybe the manufacturers of the products give them more money than what they would make from the customers who run frantically out of their stores.

Smiths Grocery Store no longer gets any of my meager funds. Instead, I shop at Sprouts, but they have ALSO started playing really loud music. To combat this modern tendency, I have taken to wearing ear plugs when I shop. They help to tone down the volume, but I would be happier if they took out all the noise.

A few years ago, I found out that I have several eye problems that are going to result in partial or complete blindness at some point in the future. I really wish I could have lost my hearing instead.

I have always wondered why appreciation for peace and quiet does not seem to be shared by others, since even when people have the option to enjoy the sounds of nature, for instance at a park, they will destroy the environment with loud radios and other noise devices. I have often remarked about this to friends, wondering aloud why other people seem to be intent on receiving as many separate streams of noise as is humanly possible, whereas I cannot even filter out a conversation if music is also playing.

Yesterday, I read a medical ARTICLE about how some great writers and creative people have an inability to filter out extraneous noise. They have the kind of brains that incorporate a wide ranging amount of information in their construction of literature, or painting or whatever. Marcel Proust also wore ear plugs! He covered the walls of his room with cork.

Evidently, creative geniuses have "leaky sensory gating." I am very happy to be in such illustrious company, instead of just being eccentric. Now, if I could only be paid like a genius, my life would be a heck of a lot more serene. I could buy a shipment of cork.

Silver Rose Parnell
(c) Copyright 2018
All rights reserved.

ALL LIES COME FROM SATAN

Lucifer is banished from Heaven

When you become holy, the devil hates you. When you pray, it makes him scream in rage. He wants you to be HIS minion. He is jealous of God, and that jealousy is what got him kicked out of Heaven to begin with . Lies are the method by which Satan binds followers to himself, and lies are a sure sign of someone who has given themselves to the dark one.

The number, kind and degree of lies that a person spews is a sure indicator of just how much the liar is in thrall to Satan.  If you are a holy person, however, the degree to which you are merged with God is the same degree to which the Devil's people will attack you.

"Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth:

I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I came 

to set a man at variance against his father, and the 

daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law

against her mother in law. And a man's enemies shall

be they of his own household. He that loveth father

or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he

that loveth son or daughter more than me is not 

worthy of me. And he that taketh not up his cross

and followeth me, is not worthy of me"

~Matthew 10:34-38~

When we give our lives to the Lord, and if we obey his commandments, we become part of the body of Christ. As adopted sons and daughters of the Lord, we share the goodness that is God. There is no deceit in God. There cannot be! Therefore, people who lie distance themselves from God and join themselves with Satan. Liars share Satan's hatred for the goodness of God, and if a liar sees goodness in another person, the liar automatically hates the good in that person.

This is why the holier you become, the more troubles you may have. You will be the prime target of every evil that you encounter.

Some people imagine that the more holy you are, the more fun your life will be, and the more worldly success you will have. Just look at the lives of Jesus and his followers and you will realize the folly of that idea. Jesus and all but one of the apostles died in grisly fashion because they were holy.

We are called by Jesus to carry our cross. Carrying a cross isn't pretty. It is a harsh, sweaty, bloody struggle. Like Jesus, a crowd may taunt you, spit on you and call you names. They will lie about you and tear your reputation to shreds with vulgar cat calls. It isn't pretty, but we must not lose our nerve.

Saint Peter, on whom Christ built his church,

was crucified upside down

Banish the idea that love of God brings you earthly success. Quite the opposite. If you are a true believer, and if you follow our Lord sincerely, you may be in for a bumpy ride. Satan will pursue you unmercifully. He will torment you and try to turn you to him, tempting you with every earthly delight.

You may be surprised at the guise in which the Devil appears to allure you. There is no profession, no status and no beautiful visage that is automatically exempt. Satan sits within the most unexpected persons, squatting there like a fat toad, belching lies, calumny, and all manner of deceit. Satan has been a liar from the beginning, and appears in the first book of the Bible, coaxing Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of good and evil that God told her not to eat. Satan appeals to her ego, promising that she will be a God herself as a result of her disobedience, encouraging her to compete with the Lord - something with which he himself is familiar, having refused to serve God and been thrown out of heaven for it.

"And the serpent said to the woman, 'no, you shall

not die the death. For God doth know that in what 

day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be

opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good

and evil."

Genesis 3:4-5

If you are one of those holy people who has truly given themselves to the Lord, and you find yourself the target of lies and calumny, do not lose heart. Being attacked by liars is a sure sign that you are on the right track.

Pray for those who are trying to destroy you here on earth. They will be destroyed at the end of their lives and thrown into Hell like Satan, if they do not renounce him, not only by words, but by their actions. After all, even Satan can recite the Bible. It is one's actions that determine whether or not we really love the Lord.

Thy pride is brought down to hell,

thy carcass is fallen down: under

thee shall the moth be strewed, and

worms shall be thy covering. How 

art thou fallen from heaven, O

Lucifer, who didst rise in the 

morning? How art thou fallen to

the earth, that didst wound the nations?

~ Isaias 14:11-12 ~

PRAYERS NEEDED FOR THE HERMIT

Hermit in a garden

Painting by 

Hubert Robert

(1733-1808)

Since becoming disabled and, consequently, rather poor by American standards, I have been witness to and recipient of the hostile attitudes of Americans toward those on the lower end of the economic spectrum. While it has made me keenly aware of the mental suffering that is heaped upon the poor who already have quite enough in the way of difficulties in their lives, I have also been personally affected.

Although my Social Security is too high to qualify for almost all programs for the poor, I do qualify for a small discount on my rent. (Only the bottom third of poor people are eligible for government programs.) Very few properties have these programs, however, and when I moved into low income housing 14 years ago,  didn't know what I was getting into.

The onsite manager of the low-income property where I live is blatantly rude, greeting me with a pinched and ugly face whenever I try to communicate with her, and turning away from me when I try to speak. She has caused some chaos among the tenants by spreading gossip among us since she arrived here. (I became her target when I objected to her unleashed dog and its feces being left around the property and the multiple cars blocking the fire exit after she moved in.) It just escalated from there.

The manager's campaign of disinformation that was apparently calculated to draw down the ire of my neighbors on my head, has set off an apparently "sensitive" woman who now dances and chants 3 inches from my open windows. One of her performances last week had her chanting in a sing-song:

"Snippy snippy snippy

tattletale tattletale tattletale

You better not report me!"

She kept repeating this for several minutes, while she chanted into my bathroom window, as I was trying to use the facilities.

The previous manager who worked for the same management company ALSO spread rumors about the tenants. A social worker who regularly came to assess the needs of the elderly once pulled me aside and told me that the apartment manager was spreading some ridiculous lie of a sexual nature about me. The woman had a very strange imagination and, even though she knew that I had dedicated myself to God many years before that and that I had no romantic interests at all, I guess she thought it would be fun to just INVENT something. She did this all the time. She would get it into her head that something was true, despite having no knowledge of it at all, and then she'd spread a rumor.

This was the same manager who told me that poor people shouldn't ask for anything to be done in their apartments because they are getting a discount on their rent. They should just shut up and be grateful to have a roof over their heads. Other, similar comments were made. I am paying more than 30% of my income toward housing, yet I am often treated like the deadbeat friend who has been sleeping on your couch for three years.

The entrance to my imaginary hermitage

would be simple, small and inviting

For the longest time, the residents were dictated to as to when they were allowed to take a bath, wash the dishes or do the laundry. In another complex managed by the same company, the residents were told that they could not hang anything on their doors, decorative or otherwise because "poor people shouldn't expect to be able to do that kind of thing," or some such nonsense. ("No Christmas wreaths for YOU!" said Scrooge.)

All sorts of inappropriate measures of control and domination are employed against the poor, especially those who are alone, with no one to defend them. Single disabled old ladies, in particular, have learned to keep their heads down and not ask anything or complain. Most are afraid that they will be thrown out with nowhere to go.  Vacancies are few and far between in the low income housing complexes. The waiting lists are very long. There is simply not enough affordable housing. The housing that is available is in dangerous, crime ridden, traffic dense main streets, in neighborhoods that are usually "food deserts" with no grocery shopping for miles. Still - it is all there is. People who have no power cannot create decent housing out of thin air. They have to take what is available.

18th century hermitage

When I was a normal working person, I rarely had any interactions with the management of the buildings where I lived. I've lived in apartments for at least 40 years of my life, and never had any issues, except for one owner who was a drunk and who began showing up at my apartment, demanding sex. I moved out very quickly. That was an aberration. All my other experiences were pedestrian. I paid my rent. The landlords maintained the apartment. We parted amicably.

I imagined that, upon dedicating my life entirely to God, I would retire to a quaint little cottage, where all I would have to think about would be the God that I love. Having my attention diverted to unworthy topics by mean-spirited bullies is definitely not what I had in mind.

In my imagination, I live in this

"shabby chic cottage"

(with some adjustments for a prayer corner and chair!)

Recently, I read that our new head of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson (a retired surgeon) said that public housing should not be too comfortable, otherwise poor people will become dependent. He wants them to go to work and GET OUT.

Shortly after these comments were reported, it was discovered that he had spent $31,000.00 of taxpayer money for a dining room table, and that he intended to spend another $165,000.00 for a "lounge set." That dining room table cost nearly two years of my Social Security income, and is more than two years of a minimum wage earners take home income.

For a brain surgeon, he is an ignorant man. The vast majority of the poor are either working, have worked many years in the past, are unable to work or are CHILDREN and are not eligible to work. Fewer than 3% of the poor who receive "entitlement income" are able bodied people who are not working.

Evidently, a great number of Americans believe the same hogwash that Ben Carson and the GOP have been dishing out lately. I see it in the behavior of the management of the apartments where I live.

I also have a lot to say about the trend toward property ownership as a means of making money, rather than just having a place to live. "Flipping" properties is partially responsible for the astronomical rise in housing costs. The everyday American can no longer aspire to owning their own home, as a matter of course. A home in Boulder, Colorado that a friend's parents bought for $16,000 40 years ago, now sells for $350,000! That increase is not reflected in a proportionate increase in WAGES, however. Wages have stalled over the last 40 years, but corporate profits and CEO salaries have increased wildly.

I have spent years trying fix the issues that plague this apartment complex. First, I tried to make friends with the manager. That did not work very well. She continued to express opinions that were hostile to the poor residents, especially the elderly ones, whom she did not enjoy, and she spoke bitterly about them.

The current manager came to us from the same management company. She hit the ground nasty. Her demeanor is curt and rude, and that chip on her shoulder is quite large. (I have seen her switch modes on a dime, as it were, when an attractive man walks into the room.) With the tenants, however, she is ice.

It isn't just the tenants who are given the cold shoulder, though. Evidently, service personnel are lorded over by the woman in the front office. A delivery man was almost in tears one day after she abused him. I remember so vividly him saying, "just because she's beautiful doesn't mean she can just treat people like dirt." He was obviously feeling very stressed. He had to restrain his response, and I could tell that it was costing him some brain cells. His face was a little red. Tears were in his eyes, and I would bet his blood pressure was sky high.

In my imaginary hermitage

my kitchen window would look out onto 

a quiet and peaceful neighborhood.

Prior to becoming disabled, I was clueless about the mistreatment of the poor in American society. I never had a lot of money, but I was not on anyone's radar because I never received any services for the poor, even during periods of unemployment. I worked, paid my rent, and minded my own business.

Despite the rude treatment I have received from this manager, I have made a point to remark upon anything good that the management team did for me, and I reported it back to their boss. I think it is important to be fair to people. This was not appreciated. Instead, it was just used against me as "proof" that they never did anything wrong. It isn't anything of the sort, but dishonest people will twist themselves into a pretzel to make the facts into something that means the opposite of the truth.

Since making friends with management did not work, I began to try and get my needs met by reporting to the manager's boss, who just denied that her people had done anything I reported.

I have asked my state representative to step in, but, apparently, they couldn't do anything but forward my letter of complaint, which (after languishing for many weeks in his office) ended up in the hands of the very people who caused all the problems to begin with! Again, management just denied the truth and added some lies to spice things up a bit. They finished it off with a broad attempt at character assassination, escalating the whole mess.

Others who have lived in subsidized housing report very similar experiences of harassment, followed by gaslighting, which just feeds into the popular notion that people are poor because they are of poor character. People are poor because they don't have money.

The worst characters in the world can often be found among the wealthy, when you think about it. Many of them lack scruples, ethics and morals. No one wants to criticize the rich, however, otherwise they might not be able to get some of that lovely money with which the wealthy routinely bail themselves out of trouble when their misdeeds are found out.

In the Bible, it is made clear that the poor will see God. We have the best part of the bargain, in that case.

I imagined my hermitage might be

pink and sweet

Currently, I am in a Mexican standoff.  I have to conduct all my business with management in writing, otherwise they lie about it. A friend attended a meeting I had with the manager's boss and was as disappointed as I was about the result. The boss did nothing but deny and defend.

After 13 years, my patience has evaporated. I did my best to make this situation work, and I can only conclude that, in order to have some peace and quiet, I need to move to a market rate property in a more peaceful environment. In fact, I am amazed that I have endured this long. The Lord has blessed me with a very long fuse.

This experience has made me extremely wary of "low income housing." I can't imagine what else I will have to live without in order to pay another $200 a month in rent, which is what I estimate it will cost, but perhaps the new place will have cheaper electricity. Currently, the electricity in this apartment costs about $165.00 a month in the winter! I have often wondered if I am paying the electrical costs for someone else's apartment in addition to mine - or perhaps the exterior lights or something - but it may just be that the construction of this apartment is very drafty.

I ask for your prayers that I may find a proper space in which to pray, meditate, contemplate and get my physical needs met. My friends have been searching for a place for the last 3 or 4 years, with no luck. Let us pray that something in the right neighborhood opens up. I am hoping to be near friends who help me as well as a good church.

May God protect us all from the bullies!

Silver Rose
(c) Copyright 2018
All rights reserved.

SAINT OLGA AND SECOND CHANCES

Jesus is the Lord of second chances, and third chances and on and on and forever. The most unlikely people have become saints - not because they never did anything wrong, but because they repented and intentionally moved toward the Lord. My 34th great grandmother, for instance, is a stark example.

Saint Olga, "Equal to the Apostles"

879-969

My 34th great grandmother

Saint Olga (called "Equal to the Apostles" by the Orthodox Church) killed an entire ethnic minority of people in her land, in retaliation for their having killed her husband. She was devious and deliberate, and murdered them all. The same force, intention and will that was brought to bear on those awful deeds, was later directed to God and carried her to sainthood.

We can redirect our energies to that which is all good, and join the Lord, or we can direct them to that which is evil and go elsewhere. If we walk toward Him, Jesus opens the gates for us. If we deliberately choose evil, thinking that God will forgive us for doing so, we will be on another road, going to that other place, and, even though Jesus is standing at the gates, waiting for us, we will not be there. We have taken another road.

Indeed, Jesus even comes out onto the road to meet us, if we have chosen Him by doing His will. He and God the Father reside with us, when we demonstrate our love by 'keeping his word, i.e., obeying His commandments.

Jesus answered him, 'if anyone love me, he will keep

my word, and my father will love him, and we will

come to him and make our abode with him'

~ John 14:23 ~

All the major religious traditions are concerned with methods by which we may join the good and leave evil behind. This is a highly simplistic rendering, but true nonetheless.

Goodness is inclusive and generous, warm and embracing. Even if a person does not know Jesus but embraces goodness, he is already part of the body of Christ by doing so. The Catholic Church recognizes that God is goodness, itself, and welcomes that goodness in persons.

Some people, ignorant of the heart of the faith, choose the Good and travel the road toward God, keeping the commandments without knowing they are doing so, and find themselves being met by Christ and His Father on the road. Many have gotten a wonderful surprise after death, I would guess! Thus, there is no salvation outside of The Church, but The Church is an awful lot bigger than most people realize.

I once knew a woman who became enraged when I explained this doctrine of The Catholic Church. In the middle of a restaurant, she stood up and shrieked at me, "There is no salvation without Christ!" I tried to explain to her that she was right, but not in the way she believed she was right. Her legalism would exclude many good people who, through no fault of their own, did not know Christ but lived a life in keeping with Christ's commandments. She wasn't having any of it. She belonged to a legalistic, narrow church with a poor understanding of Christian theology.

The fact is that no one will ever be "good enough" to deserve Jesus, and, once you start inventing reasons to exclude people from heaven, there is no end to it.

"Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel

of Christ or his Church but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere

heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will and

they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may

achieve eternal salvation."

~ The Catechism of the Catholic Church~

The most important thing seems to be that we try to do His will. We will fail, of course, some of us many times, over and over again, but our Lord is the Lord of second chances, the Lord of Divine Love. He sees our hearts and knows our intentions.

The thing to examine during this time of Lent is whether or not we really ARE trying to do His will. Are we being obedient to everything, or have we rejected certain teachings because we don't agree with them? In this case, we have to ask ourselves why we think we are a better authority on the teachings of Jesus than His Church. What are our bona fides, our credentials? If we are honest with ourselves, we aren't the experts.

Our Lord is the Lord of second chances. Lent is the chance to take advantage of it. I pray you all make good use of it, and ask you to pray for me, as I pray for you.

God bless us all.

Silver Rose Parnell
(c) copyright 2018
All rights reserved.

MINDFULNESS AND TECHNOLOGY

Saint Julian of Norwich

Coming on the heels of the ridiculous concept of "multi-tasking," technological gadgets are frequently used as escape valves, removing us from engagement with life and others. How many times have you had a conversation with someone and, as soon as you start talking, you can hear them typing on their computer? Many people do this. Later, the recollection of the typist is missing crucial aspects of the conversation, and there is no comprehension of nuance at all.

Ironically, the thing which we are trying to obtain by retreating into gadgets is the very thing that will elude us when we use them for this purpose, i.e., peace of mind and heart.

It is just a fact that the mind cannot concentrate on more than one thing at a time. "Multi tasking" may APPEAR to be a situation in which one is doing two things, but the mind is simply being fractured at smaller and smaller intervals, popping back and forth between two or more objects of attention. While it is attending to one, it is missing signals from another, and vice versa.

Teresa of Avila in mystical union with the Lord

Modern life is so chaotic, so full of noise, news and fun new programs and devices, that it is easy to lose the regular habit of prayer and meditation. The advantage of cenobitic monastic, which is lived with other people, is that there is a structure into which everyone can fit themselves, and that structure carries each person along with scheduled periods of meditation. The rest of us have to discipline ourselves. Lent is the perfect time to reassess our habits so we can eliminate those that fracture the mind and increase those that serve our need for peace and prayer.

I have previously written about the simplification of my external circumstances and some habits of mind. Along with this type of spring cleaning, I find that I also have to revisit the discipline of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a state of recollectedness in which all one's attention is focused on one wavelength, one topic, one person, in the present time. When occupied with God during prayer time, it allows me to be aware of His presence. When studying, it brings all my brain cells to bear on the topic, so that I can absorb as much as possible of the information. When interacting with others, I bring my whole self to the conversation and am thereby more genuinely present for others. It is necessary for prayer and meditation.

"Christ the Yogi"

When meditating, our capacity for mindfulness is increased, while mindfulness is also necessary for meditation to occur. They go hand-in-hand, each being required for the other. Meditation helps gather and focus the mind, the benefits of which extend far beyond the time devoted to prayer and spiritual disciplines.

There is a false idea being promoted by people who have little or no experience with mindfulness or Eastern meditative traditions that meditation is a process whereby you empty the mind of all thought and just passively float. It is the opposite. In meditation, one is completely focused on the object of meditation.

In the Christian world, we use the term "Contemplation" for what is called "meditation" in other religious traditions. Christians will be surprised to learn the many similarities between religions. The Lord is everywhere, except for hell, of course, which is simply the absence of God, I am told.

Father Bede Griffiths

In India

This little blog post is simplistic in the extreme. Saints and sages have written and taught thousands of words on meditation, contemplation and mindfulness.

I recommend reading some of Father Bede Griffiths' writings if you wish to learn more about this topic from the Catholic perspective. There are countless other authors and books. The Vedanta Society of Southern California has a catalog of books from various religious traditions that they have curated carefully, and I highly recommend them.

In the meantime, try putting aside your gadgets during times when you are supposedly doing something else, and establish regular times of prayer and contemplation in your daily schedule. Try to focus your mind on one thing at a time, and don't succumb to the chaos around you. See how you feel, and then let me know how it works for you.

May your Lenten journey be full of peace and love!

Silver Rose Parnell
(c) Copyright 2018
All rights reserved

CONTROL FREAK

My Command Post - 2018

When you are young and energetic, and you have time on your side, options and possibilities are seemingly endless. There are so many conceivable life tracks and end results that it resembles a good science fiction novel. Only the Divine Writer knows the end of your story.

At the end of your life, however, very little is under one's control. Mastery has flowed through your fingers, when once it was held solidly in your palm.

When you are 63, and you are going blind in an excruciatingly slow manner, your screaming bones won't take you further than a block or two from your car, and your relatives have stolen your inheritance, leaving you a pauper, options, life tracks and end results are frustratingly limited.

EXCEPT, when one is talking about the spiritual realm. THEN, the options are very big indeed. The picture is broad, expansive, fabulously transcendent. No matter how much suffering one endures on this earth, no matter how low people force you down the totem pole of estimation, no matter if you are so discounted that even Walmart wouldn't take you, Heaven is waiting for you on the other side - provided, of course, that you have not succumbed to the temptation for evil that Satan places before you at every opportunity he can find.

That woman who stole your husband? Do you wish that disaster befall her? Say goodbye to heaven. All those little lies you told because you have decided they do not matter? Say goodbye to heaven.
The overdose of sleeping pills you gave to your demented old relative because you are just sure that "he would not want to live like that." Say goodbye to heaven.

Say goodbye to heaven if you lie, cheat, steal, give false witness, commit adultery, or gossip with the girls over drinks at brunch, without remorse and without confession and absolution. Say goodbye to the Pearly Gates.

It is Lent, people. Time to repent, confess, and be shriven - or the end of your life won't be something to look forward to.

Amen.

Silver Rose Parnell

SLEEP WITH THE ANGELS

Bedroom suite

I have a beautiful bedroom suite which is fairly new, but by the time I finished paying for it, I was already having trouble sleeping in it, due to scoliosis and other back issues.

It has been a couple years since I slept in the bed, but it occupies the bedroom, sitting there like a giant toad, eating up all the space I COULD be using for something else. It is a mammoth thing, made of very heavy wood, cherry colored, with a padded faux leather backrest on each side. The foot rest is very handy to hold onto when I am changing my shoes or some such thing,and that is all it is good for, with the exception of hosting boxes of sewing gear and baskets of laundry.

Back pillows, knee pillows, leg pillows - I have tried them all, to no avail. I cannot sleep in the bed.

Dreams are something in my distantly remember past. I do not know the last time I had a sleeping dream, as opposed to a nightmare, but even nightmares elude me, as I have been sleeping in reclining chairs, and I never really go fully "under."

A few years ago, I priced mechanical mattresses - the kind that folds you up so that back and knees can both be elevated, with a mattress made of a special kind of foam. As soon as I lay in it and adjusted the level of lift for back and legs, I felt my whole body relax, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I could tell that sleeping on that bed would be like sleeping on clouds, sleeping with the angels.

THAT bed was $3,000 three years ago. Amazon has one for for about $1,000 right now - but the mattress is only 12 inches, and I can't believe it would accommodate my commodious frame!

The costs of disability are enormous, if you actually address the needs of the body. I used to sleep on a mattress on the floor when I was younger. It didn't phase me. Now,  the idea of going to sleep is stressful. Can you imagine?

Every time I have a need, I start to calculate. If I were to sell the bed and the matching carved end tables, I might be able to buy a little twin bed, and pray that my tall body would find rest on it, but I have no idea to whom I would sell my current set. I cannot have strangers coming to the apartment, etc. etc.

I am disgusted by the body's constant NEED for things, sick and tired of fretting over how I can possibly afford to address its needs! Really, it makes me want to throw my hands up in the air, scream, and throw something.

I think back over my life and wonder, how did I end up like this? It isn't as if I tried to be alone. It is just how things worked out. I started out as a nun in a Hindu convent and then converted to Christianity, but none of the Catholic institutions wanted an ex Hindu nun. It is a bridge too far for them, I suppose, and you really can't blame them. They imagine all sorts of things. Now, I am far too old and too sick to even pretend I might be of any use. I did try to marry, a long time ago, but that wasn't meant to be.

In any case, I have given myself to God, but God is surprisingly UNHELPFUL. You would think He would step up, but he doesn't.

Please pray that He becomes a little more responsive, as I am gradually losing hope, and fear I will lose my mind if I don't get some relief. Just say a quick prayer for me, if you would.

God save us all.
(c) Copyright 2018
Silver Rose Parnell

Did Putin Orchestrate the Trump Presidency?

In the Indictment of the 13 Russians and the 3 companies that conspired to put Donald Trump in the White House, it is charged that the Russians started their activities in 2014.  Donald Trump is crowing about it because he claims he had not decided to run yet - a point which isn't relevant, if Putin is the one who convinced Trump to run in the first place.

When Trump traveled to Russia for the Miss Universe Pageant in November of 2013, I think Putin and his operatives quickly saw Trump's desperate need for approval from a strong man figure (not a callow, privileged cadet with a curled lip who got 5 deferments from the Viet Nam war because he was in military school and lastly because of BONE SPURS.) A malignant narcissist is always at the mercy of his own need for approval.

Donald Trump in military school

holding bowling trophy

Trump was later to claim that he never met Putin, but since he lies continually, I can't believe him. He may have had a private meeting, but it was probably not even his first, since he has been getting millions of dollars of funding for his golf resorts from Russia for many years. These extensive financial ties to Russia go back to at least 2007 that we know of, and probably before that. Several of his top administration aides and department heads have multiple strong ties with oligarchs and their banking institutions, some even sitting on the board of the most infamous bank that launders money from these creatures.

[In 2008, Donald Trump, Jr. famously announced that "we see a lot of money pouring in from Russia." Trump's ties to Russia are longstanding, and, like everything else with Donald, it is all about the money.]

In June of 2013, Donald Trump appeared to be courting Vladimir Putin with a tweet that read:

"Do you think Putin will be going to the Miss Universe Pageant 

in November in Moscow - if so, will he become my new best friend?"

~ Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump ~

18 June 2013

A few months after the trip to Russia, Trump posted a glowing approval of Russian oligarch Vladimir Putin.

"Putin has shown the world what happens when America

has weak leaders. Peace Through Strength!"

~ Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

28 Apr 2014

You can see in this tweet an obvious bromance brewing between Trump and Putin, but I doubt it was mutual. Putin was grooming Trump, pumping his ego, encouraging the hero worship, and schooling Trump in a philosophy convenient to the Russian state.

Between Trump's late 2013 trip to Russia and his capture of the oval office, he frequently mentioned Putin and Russia in his tweets and his speeches, all of it glowing with approval for America's traditional enemy, which Reagan used to call "The Evil Empire." In one astonishing speech, Trump invited Russia to hack into Hillary Clinton's emails and release them. Putin obliged.

Comedians made hay with Trump's INVITATION TO RUSSIA.

You can see the video yourself, all over the internet, including the web page of the LOS ANGELES TIMES

While Obama was still in office, it became known that Russia had hacked the Democratic National Committee, had released Hillary Clinton's emails, had undergone an extensive social media campaign designed to foment discord in an already fractious electorate and had worked to ensure the election of Trump.  The Obama administration struggled with the question about what to do with this information received from U.S. intelligence agencies.

When the Obama administration was preparing to leave office, there was some concern on the part of that administration about how much Trump and his crew could be trusted with sensitive information about Russia, because Trump's love affair with Putin had made everyone wary, and they were not sure whether Trump was a cooperator or a stoodge.

Indeed, even though Obama issued sanctions against Russia just before he left office, and sent 35 Russian diplomats back to their country, Putin, apparently, had been told by the Trump administration that they could count on their reversal, once Trump came into office, so Putin did not retaliate against the U.S. for the sanctions. He thought they had no teeth. Lately, it appears that Trump has not followed through with his promises to Russia, and Putin has issued a warning that he may have to retaliate after all. Those of us familiar with Trump's poor character are not surprised that he would violate an agreement with an entity that helped him win an election. He has no loyalty to anyone but himself. With all the talk about Russia over the last year, and the release of the indictment, he can't afford to do anything that would actively help Russia.

My voting experience goes back to 1972 - the first year I was eligible - and there has been no scandal that comes anywhere near this magnitude of what we have experienced with the Russian attack against our democratic process. The danger to our national security that this presents is extreme.

I have been overwhelmed and shocked by the election of this morally bankrupt, incompetent liar. Learning that one of America's biggest enemies was instrumental in placing him in the White House makes the puzzle fall into place for me. I find it encouraging that, even though Russia launched a massive campaign against Hillary Clinton, in favor of Donald Trump, he still did not get the popular vote, which means that most people in America have some sense of decency, dignity and honor. The only reason he is president today is because of the stupid electoral college, which I pray is eliminated very soon.

Some disappointment remains that my fellow Christians have defended his hateful policies, refused to believe truth, refused to investigate him thoroughly, and resolutely supported him, even while he continues to fund Planned Parenthood. Their primary excuse for voting for this horrible little man was that he was "pro life" - which is a huge lie. The hypocrisy has made me cry every day.

"Not everyone who saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into 

the kingdom of Heaven;but he that doth the will of my Father 

who is in Heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven."

~Matthew 7:21 ~

It is my fervent prayer that my fellow believers adjust their values to Christian values, rather than what is currently being passed off by the Republican Party as "Christian." Modern Republican politicians advocate policies that are hateful, bigoted, misogynistic and hurtful to the poor and vulnerable - all of which are the opposite of what Jesus preached. This false association with Christianity is responsible for the election of Trump. Russia merely took advantage of our weakness in this regard. We are not helpless against them. We can repent of our mistake and do better next time.

God save us all.

(C) Copyright 2018, Silver S. Parnell
All rights reserved.

SIMPLIFY FOR LENT

The Resurrection of Christ

by

Pietro Perugino

The season of Lent presents us with a perfect opportunity to examine our lives and do a course correction in whatever way is needed. There ARE specific rules about fasting and abstinence from meat during Lent for Latin Catholics, of course, but this is a bare minimum requirement that establishes a foundation for a more comprehensive program, in a well developed spiritual life.

"On the Fridays of Lent, we remember the sacrifice of Christ...

and unite ourselves with that sacrifice through

abstinence and prayer."

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

We have all heard about the fasting and abstinence required of Latin Catholics in the 48 days or so that lead up to Easter. There are limits to its usefulness for the sick, the elderly and the poor, for various reasons, which I'll enumerate below, but first I would like to talk about keeping the spirit of the Lenten season.

Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemene

When you live as a solitary, accidental or otherwise, the ways in which one is NOT wholly in tune with God on a regular basis is fairly obvious to the intellect of those who are honest with themselves.

All I have to do is look around my apartment to see what is standing in the way of a more robust prayer life, and a more continual meditative mood. I have too much stuff, and I bet you do too! When you have STUFF, you have to maintain it, clean it and store it. Occasionally, you use it, but do you use everything that you have?

Every few years, I really need to do a major overhaul when I find myself moving STUFF from one spot to another and obsessing over storage needs. I have developed a program of simplification to address it.

The process is (1) eliminate (2) organize/store; and (3) Allot the extra time you've saved to prayer and meditation time.

Jesus knocking at the door of your heart

Areas of clutterbug infestation include:

Clothing and shoes
Somehow, I accumulated a lot of clothes. Now, almost none of them fit because I've lost quite a bit of weight. Boxing them up and giving them away is a blessed relief. I am going to return to wearing a monastic uniform, of sorts - not an obvious habit, mind you, but I will simply return to wearing only the gerua color peculiar to the vows I took many years ago that set me on the path of devotion to God alone. (Gerua is a range of peach to orange or orange-brown that Hindu and Buddhist swamis wear and which was worn by Father Bede Griffiths after he established his Catholic ashram in India.)

I have created a pattern for a long dress that I like to wear, and I will get some fabric and make a few for myself.

Me - on the day I took my religious vows

Many years ago and many pounds ago!

What happens when you limit the number of colors that you wear is that, first of all, matching your tops and skirts becomes easy. Fewer clothes are needed. All you have to do is figure out how many changes of clothing you need between wash days, and get rid of the extra stuff.

If you can't bear the idea of just wearing one color, pick 2 or 3 colors that appeal to you and do not keep anything that is not in that color range. The colors you choose should be complementary with one another, so that you can mix and match, if you so choose. You won't waste time trying to find a blouse that matches the skirt you want to wear that day because all your clothes "go" with one another.

A current picture

After getting rid of the excess clothes and shoes, I would cast an eye over the rest of the laundry and see if there is anything you are not using. How many sets of bedding do you have? Do you have extra towels you never use? Is there a pile of laundry in the hamper or on the floor that has been there for more than a month? If the answer is "yes," then you don't really need anything that is in that pile. Give it or throw it away.

Jewelry
You can only wear so many pieces of jewelry at one time. Keep the family heirlooms (or pass them on to your progeny NOW, if they're old enough), pick a few things you wear all the time. Give away what has no resale value, then take your silver and your gold to a local company that buys and sells precious metals by weight. You can find them in the yellow pages. Whatever they give you goes into the donation box or your parish envelope (in addition to what you customarily give.) Giving alms is another valuable Lenten tradition.

Jesus feeding the 5,000

Gifts
Things that others have given me sometimes clutter the house. I have felt obligated to keep them, out of loyalty to my generous friends but, on the other hand, if I am not using them and they are just occupying space and gathering dust, isn't there another person who may have need of these items? Several mugs are going into a box with some other housewares. Do you have a lot of knick knacks you've kept for sentimental reasons? Perhaps someone else in the family would like to store them for you? If the rest of your family won't scream, you could even donate them to the Salvation Army or a similar group, as I am doing.

Housewares
Take a look through your supply of china and housewares that are meant for use with visitors. How many visitors do you typically entertain? How often? How many sets of dishes do you really need? Keep what you like and use. Donate the rest. Do you ever use that waffle iron? What about the griddle? The bread maker? Be realistic about what you will use and what will continue to gather dust.

Mental Baggage
As usual, I have "buried the lead." Getting rid of mental baggage may be the most important Lenten practice that I do. I renew my vows of forgiveness to all those who have hurt me. Mind you, when I do that, it is considerable. I have been violated in every way imaginable during my life. Relatives have stolen from me, lied about me and abused me. A husband has abused and tortured and tried to kill me. Even nuns in the Hindu convent spread mean, untrue stories about me. Worst of all, I was gang raped at 14. I have experienced a lot. It is no wonder that forgiveness is an ongoing process that I have to decide to do every day.

Jesus crucified

When you are cleaning house and eliminating things you do not need, things that are occupying your mind when it could better be spent praying and meditating, remember to put down the heavy burdens of resentment and grudges because holding a grudge is like "drinking poison and expecting your enemy to die."

Jesus endured far worse, yet he forgave all.

Try to see all the sins committed against you as an education that enables you to put yourself in the shoes of other sufferers and to feel the most compassion a human can feel. The greater the assaults against you, the kinder a person you have the chance to become. Don't waste the opportunity!

After you have completed the elimination of all unnecessary items in your mental space and your personal living space, it is time to address the subject of storage.

Storage
Throwing a pile of junk into a box and sticking it in the garage does not qualify as proper "storage" because it is unusable. It will simply sit there, waiting for you to handle it the next time Lent rolls around. You haven't simplified your life when you do this. You've just hidden the evidence of chaos.

This part of the process may cost you money or some physical effort, or both. Modern people do have to keep some things. At the very end of the process of elimination, you should be left with considerably less STUFF than that with which you started. Now, it needs to be stored in a manner in which it is able to be used.

I have a particular problem with filing papers. I never get around to it. If you are like me, I recommend having your bills converted into electronic copies that get stored in the internet cloud somewhere. You can't do that with valuable documents, of course. You'll need to save actual car titles, receipts and warranties and things of that nature. In fact, you may have to copy them to the cloud, but whatever bills can be converted to an electronic format, I recommend you do that.

Every person's STUFF is peculiarly their own, and I can't really say what will work for you. Because I am disabled and mobility challenged, I do not get out very often to do any shopping, but I have great luck on Amazon, which delivers even furniture. If you pay careful attention to the reviews for each item, you probably won't have to return very many things, if any at all. You can look up "office furniture" or "storage." It even accommodates an individual sense of style. Look up "shabby chic" or "French Provincial," and you'll see what I mean.

"A place for everything, and everything in its place" is a cliche for a reason. It WORKS.

Once you have finished the simplification process, and everything is in its place, you'll find yourself with a lot more time on your hands because you won't be juggling STUFF to the degree you were before. Not only that, but the tidiness of your living space may also inspire you and have an edifying affect on your mood! Lenten prayers and meditation may be more fruitful.

Christ's descent into Hades

At the same time that you are working on the simplification program, Latin Catholics have obligations to fulfill with regard to abstinence and fasting.


Here are the basic rules:

(1) Abstinence is the refraining of eating meat of any kind, except for fish. It is required of everyone of any age on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and every Friday during Lent.

(2) Fasting is required for Latin Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. During the fast:

"a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two

smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal."

~ United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ~

[Read about the Lenten fast in detail HERE]

(3) Sundays, since they are days of celebration and feasting, are not included in Lenten acetic practices, but individuals may choose to include those days, if they wish.

Exceptions are made for illness

The Church appears to presume a middle class existence when it makes some rules, which is odd, because there are more than 40 million poor people in our country today. Poor people are often not in control of the type of food that is available to them on any given day, and their lives are a continual exercise of privation when it comes to food. Abstaining from meat, since it is a very expensive dietary component, is often something one is forced to do all the time, unless one is willing to eat the dreadful meat mockeries that are sold through various drive-through restaurants.

"Substituting" meat with fish is also nonsensical for some, since it is considered even more luxurious than meat and is more expensive, even in the drive-through restaurants. You can get a small hamburger for as little as a dollar, but fish sandwiches are rarely as inexpensive as that. Habitual poverty turns these fasting rules upside down.

Trout

by Silver S. Parnell

Many of us, in addition, are continually dieting as a means of weight control. Ever since I was a child, I have had a terrible time keeping my weight down. Seemingly, when I am not looking, it balloons up and I have to take hold of the situation and push the pounds back down the scale.  I have managed to take off about half of my excess weight over the years. This continual diet constitutes a perennial fast, and it makes no sense to pretend that abstinence and fasting are a special, added penance.

Poor people eating at a shelter

I am poor because I am chronically ill and unable to work, so my lack of participation is officially excused, but I hope the other 40 million poor people realize that The Church is compassionate and won't fault them for being unable to follow Lenten prescriptions to the letter.

If you are able to adhere to the letter AND the spirit of the law, I say, "do it!" If not, just remember that the point of Lent is to participate in the sacrifice of Christ through some variety of penances during the time leading up to Easter, when our Lord rose from the grave in glory.

God bless us all.

Silver Rose Parnell
(c) 2018 Copyright
All rights reserved.