Solitude

Solitude

By Ella Wheeler Wilcox
December 31, 2016

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.

Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.

Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all,—
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.

There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.

Earth From Space

Earth From Space

By Lydia Hirsch
Dissident Voice.org
December 29, 2016

Looking at a photograph of Earth from space,
I am amazed by our ability to observe ourselves from afar,
to observe our existence in itself and relative to the solar system,
the galaxy, the universe.

I imagine myself as this isolated observer, the astronaut.
Outside of the gravitational pull of daily concerns,
I am able to see our planet more clearly, more fully.
I see its shades of blue, its sweeping storms, its continents:
it is beautiful.

From far away, it is small and delicate,
a ball for a young god to play with,
a tiny island of life.

I see that our existence is extremely precarious.
I remember that I was not born of this sterile space environment,
but of the warmth and wildness of the Earth,
which is, as far as we know, unique.

We live in strange times.
We have an advanced ability to watch ourselves,
an immense fascination with observing ourselves from afar,
and yet we cannot watch ourselves.

Or we can only watch ourselves
as our existence becomes increasingly precarious.
Our planet seems small, vulnerable, defenseless against celestial collisions,
a tiny ball in the hands of a heartless universe.

But Earth’s worst enemies are its own inhabitants,
who care not for its shades of blue,
for whom the next hundred or thousand years do not exist.
Who value more their shades of green.

What does it matter to them if someone else’s water is clean?

Seeing the Earth from far away,
I feel closer than ever to its unique beauty.
Beauty which comes from fish swimming through salty ocean water,
orangutans laughing with leaves on their heads,
and humans singing together, carrying water from the well, writing poetry.

We can enjoy this beauty for so much longer
or destroy what, as far as we know, only we have been given.

http://dissidentvoice.org/2016/12/earth-from-space

I Speak of Palestine

I Speak of Palestine

By Robert L. Green
December 27, 2016

I speak of your insistence
on believing what you’re told
to be so blind:
you must have learned
what not to know
to be so cold that you can say
“These people do belong
inside this tomb."

They cannot move
or live
or eat
And, yes,
I speak of Palestine.

You cannot hold
its fate is just
and not be part
of grinding up
their bones and blood
to mix with desert earth
and olive oil
to build your state, your jail;
a wall surrounds
their place, like this:
a torture room
a starving field
a stolen home
a human shield
a bullet for a child
and poison gas on village streets
their food, their food!

Their food is gone
you cleanse
and push
and punish
taking what you want
to have for you alone.

We know it’s rape,
and though the world records
your names and deeds,
the future courts and trials
will not revive
the dead, displaced and missing.

And yes, I speak of Palestine.

The Lost Sheep of Israel

The Lost Sheep of Israel

By Expotera
December 24, 2016

On Friday December 23, 2016 The United Nations Security Council
adopted a resolution that condemned new Israeli settlement
construction.

The 15-member Security Council’s vote on the measure passed 14
to 0, with the United States ambassador as the lone abstention.

Israel’s ambassador Danny Danon denounced the measure and
castigated the Security Council Members who had approved it
and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by
openly stating and saying the following:

“Israel rejects this shameful anti-Israel resolution at the U.N. and
will not abide by its terms. The Security Council does nothing to
stop the slaughter of half a million people in Syria, instead they
turn their focus on Israel and they disgracefully gang up on the one
true democracy in the Middle East, Israel, and calls the Western
Wall ‘occupied territory.’ The Obama administration not only failed
to protect Israel against the UN's obsession with Israel, it
collaborated with the UN behind Israel's back. Israel looks forward
to working with President-elect Trump and with all our friends in
Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, to negate the harmful
effects of this absurd resolution."

So in response to both Israel’s ambassador Danny Danon and
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's individual responses
above, I now very simply say the following below:

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.
I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ~ Matthew 10:34

I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)
and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and
are not, but are the Synagogue of Satan. ~ Revelation 2:9

You are under a curse, your whole nation, because you are
robbing me. ~ Malachi 3:9

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go
preach, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand".... ~ Matthew
10:6-7

Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? ~ Galatians 4:16

Terry 'TBear' Smith

Terry 'TBear' Smith

By Expotera
December 22, 2016

Yesterday I received some extremely sad news in regards to truly
one of the most honest, sincere, loving, caring, affable, humble,
dependable, strongest, wisest, and best childhood friend's that
I ever, ever, had while growing up as kid, Mr. Terry 'TBear' Smith.

Terry and I have known one another since we were four years old
and to this very day, I have never in my life met and/or befriended
another human being who was as, "Nice" or who was as, "Positive"
as Terry was and I am truly, truly, going to miss his big huge smile,
his big huge heart, and his big huge, "Bear Hugs" as well.

When I think of Terry, I always think of a quote that President
Nelson Mandela once said that goes as follows:

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is
our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves,
who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually,
who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small
doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born
to make manifest that glory of God that is within us; It's in everyone
and as we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people
permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

You see, Terry 'TBear' Smith was always letting his own little light,
"Shine" so this is why anyone who ever met him, befriended him,
or who was just simply around him for any length or period of time,
automatically feel in love with him simply because he consciously
gave everyone around him permission to let all of our little lights,
"Shine" as well, because his mere presence automatically liberated
all others around him which is why the news of his sudden passing
is so extremely sad, as well as so extremely heart breaking at this
present time.

So, "Rest In Eternal Love and Eternal Peace" Terry 'TBear' Smith,
my once in a lifetime childhood friend and beautiful Brother from
a different beautiful Mother because there are so, so, so, many of
us who are now very openly grieving your loss, but the wonderful
memories that I have of the two of us being, "Baptized" together as
well as growing up together are what I am now very fondly looking back on, as well as very, very, tightly now holding on to because in the final and closing words of Shawn Jenkins, "Find comfort in your wonderful memories.....let them dry your tears".....

It's Mourning In America

It's Mourning In America

By Expotera
Illustration By Ben Garrison
December 20, 2016

It's Mourning In America....

Yes that's right, "It's Mourning In America" because yesterday
the Electoral College officially elected, "Donald J. Trump" as
the 45th President of the United States of America, AND, the
United States of America is currently well over, "$20 Trillion"
dollars in debt, AND, the U.S. Military knows that, "Israel" was
behind 911, AND, the FBI knows that, "ISIS" is Israel, as well,
so in short, and inclosing, "It's Mourning In America"....

Google: Happy Birthday Tony

Google: Happy Birthday Tony

By Expotera
December 18, 2016

There are two great days in a person's life - the day we
are born and the day we discover why. ~ William Barclay

All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not
too much. ~ George Harrison

God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves
the gift of living well. ~ Voltaire

Fly free and happy beyond birthdays and across forever and
we'll meet now and then when we wish, in the midst of the
one celebration that never can end. ~ Richard David Bach

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count.
It's the life in your years. ~ Abraham Lincoln

So, happy, "Birth" day, Mom, and, "Thank You" for adopting,
for raising, and for unconditionally loving an abandon baby
boy like me, and a very special, "Thank You" to Google, for
very kindly wishing me a, "Happy Birthday" as well. ~ Tony

Justice

Justice

By Langston Hughes
December 16, 2016

That Justice is a blind goddess
Is a thing to which we black's are wise:

Her bandage hides two festering sores
That once perhaps were eyes.

The 12 Laws of Karma

The 12 Laws of Karma

By Raven Aurlineus
Conscious Panda.com
December 12, 2016

What is Karma?

Karma is the Sanskrit word for action.

It is equivalent to Newton’s law of ‘every action must have
a reaction’.

When we think, speak or act we initiate a force that will
react accordingly.

This returning force maybe modified, changed or suspended,
but most people will not be able eradicate it.

This law of cause and effect is not punishment, but is wholly
for the sake of education or learning.

A person may not escape the consequences of his actions, but he
will suffer only if he himself has made the conditions ripe for his
suffering.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse whether the laws are man-made
or universal.

To stop being afraid and to start being empowered in the worlds
of karma and reincarnation, here is what you need to know about
karmic laws.

1. The Great Law

“As you sow, so shall you reap.” This is also known as the “Law of
Cause and Effect.”

If what we want is happiness, peace, love, and friendship, then we
should BE happy, peaceful, loving and a true friend.

Whatever we put out in the Universe is what comes back to us.

2. The Law of Creation

Life doesn’t just happen. It requires our participation.

We are one with the Universe, both inside and out.

Whatever surrounds us gives us clues to our inner state.

Be yourself, and surround yourself with what you want to have
in your life.

3. The Law of Humility

You can’t change something if you refuse to accept it.

If what we see is an enemy, or someone with a character trait
that we find to be negative, then we ourselves are not focused
on a higher level of existence.

4. The Law of Growth

“Wherever you go, there you are.”

For us to grow in Spirit, it is we who must change, and not the
people, places or things around us.

The only given we have in our lives is ourselves, and that is the
only factor we have control over.

When we change who and what we are within our hearts, our lives
follow suit and change too.

5. The Law of Responsibility

Whenever there is something wrong in my life, there is something
wrong in me.

We mirror what surrounds us, and what surrounds us mirrors us;
this is a Universal Truth.

We must take responsibility for what is in our life.

6. The Law of Connection

Even if something we do seems inconsequential, it is very
important that it gets done as everything in the Universe is
connected.

Each step leads to the next step, and so forth and so on.

Someone must do the initial work to get a job done.

Neither the first step nor the last are of greater significance,
as they were both needed to accomplish the task.

Past, Present and Future are all connected.

7. The Law of Focus

You cannot think of two things at the same time.

Because of this, when our focus is on Spiritual Values, it
is impossible for us to have lower thoughts such as greed
or anger.

8. The Law of Giving and Hospitality

If you believe something to be true, then sometime in your
life you will be called upon to demonstrate that particular
truth.

Here is where we put what we CLAIM that we have learned
into actual PRACTICE.

9. The Law of Here and Now

Looking backward to examine what was or forward to worry
about the future prevents us from being totally in the here
and now.

Old thoughts, old patterns of behavior, and old dreams prevent
us from having new ones.

10. The Law of Change

History repeats itself until we learn the lessons that we need to
change our path.

11. The Law of Patience and Reward

All rewards require initial toil.

Rewards of lasting value require patient and persistent toil.

True joy comes from doing what we’re suppose to be doing,
and knowing that the reward will come in its own time.

12. The Law of Significance and Inspiration

You get back from something whatever you have put into it.

The true value of something is a direct result of the energy
and intent that is put into it.

Every personal contribution is also a contribution to the Whole.

Lackluster contributions have no impact on the Whole, nor do
they work to diminish it.

Loving contributions bring life to, and inspire, the Whole.

http://consciouspanda.com/the-12-laws-of-karma

I Believe

I Believe

By Sienna Harlequinn
December 08, 2016

I believe that the sun shines after the rain
I believe if you don't get hurt you'll never gain
I believe in not doing things the easy way
I believe that being selfish doesn’t pay

I believe in a second chance
I believe in a life long romance
I believe there is life after death
And standing up to a life of mess

I believe in love at first sight
I believe that revenge isn’t right
I believe that first impressions last
And there is nothing better then a good laugh

I believe that dreams do come true
I believe there's destiny for me and you
I believe that good things come to those who wait
I believe love never arrives too late

I believe something good comes from something bad
I believe that for tears of happiness there are tears of sad
I believe everyone has a guardian angel
And the good you do will be rewarded well

I believe sometimes there is no explanation
I believe money can't buy people's affection
I believe you don't know what you've got until it's gone
I believe a new day arrives with every dawn

I believe a smile can be contagious
I believe in being very outrageous
I believe in living with no regrets
I believe that life is as good as it gets

I believe that God watches over us
I believe the little things are worth the fuss
I believe you have each friend for a reason
I believe you will get punished for treason

I believe that what comes first is family
I believe we should all live in harmony
I believe in making the most of a beautiful day
And it's not the end until everything's okay

I believe absence makes the heart grow fonder
I believe you will lose if you sit and wonder
I believe every experience teaches you a lesson
And nothing cures better then a drinking session

I believe everyone has one true love
I believe sometimes we need a little shove
I believe the whole world is a stage
I believe we only get better with age

I believe that to learn you have to live
I believe that to love someone you have to give
I believe one moment can change your life
And there's still help when you’re in strife

I believe everyone has one true friend
I believe love helps a broken heart mend
I believe in the power of a song
And things will change before too long

I believe living is the best experience
I believe in not laughing at other people’s expense
I believe it’s hard to watch a lover leave
And when they’re gone all you can do is breath

I believe to always look on the bright side
I believe that life is just one big ride
I believe when I die people will grieve
But it’s ok because I believe

Isaiah's Calling

Isaiah's Calling

By Isaiah 6:8
December 4, 2016

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" ~ Isaiah 6:8