Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Rough on the Surface

It really hits you when you have spent a few weeks traveling and enjoying the beauty of this world to come back to ordinary reality. By ordinary reality I don't mean what is really real, just what most everyone thinks is real. Tossed and turned by the wind, waves, current and storms constantly churning at the surface of the sea.

Some people have big powerful ships that insulate them from all but the big storms. Others have less bold and brash boats but still travel in reasonable comfort and assurance of getting through the day without drownling. Saddly, a lot of people float around in small, fragile boats and all too many cling to life rafts just trying to stay afloat.

Then there are the ones not dependent on the size or power of the boat - they have become master seamen who are one with the sea and neither fight or embrace it - they just live it moment by moment anticipating the changing forces and accepting each storm as a test of skill and joyfully soak in the energy of the bright sunny days with equal involvement.

You can extend the metaphor in all directions and you will still find the parallels and maybe some insights into life at the surface of life. You are at the helm of your ship - plot a bold and life embrassing course!

The surface is only a very small part of what is here of course.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

checking in

Have decided to get into blogging a bit more. Who's out there?
Who's reading? Who knows. But REGGAE.com gets a few million hits a week so, maybe you jumped over to the BLOG to check it out.

The last piece was on Obama winning the election. That was a year ago. Still lots of hope but inevitably reality has set in and you realize that no matter how much people want to change, change is hard and usually slow. We live in a "want it now" world where people have forgotten that patience is a virtue.

Some things seem very clear. We need to really get going with alternative energy and stop burning oil. Coal we have got to keep away from - it's dirty and dangerous and more destructive to the environment than oil by a long shot. We should really go for bio-diesel - recycling cooking oil to fuel buses and trucks - there's a good idea. Wind, solar - every roof in sunny climates should have some solar cells and we should be able to sell electricity back to the power companies as easily as buying it.

Health Care - no brainer that we need to do something! What? That's the hard part. There are so many options and it is a huge capitalist industry - not saying that is bad in and of itself but it seems to have lost a focus on taking care of people and only is focused on profits. There has got to be some balance. Provider costs are out of control, insurance costs are out of control and legal costs are out of control. It is a vicious cycle. If we can get a health care bill that fixes some of the problems without creating too many new ones ... guess we will have to see what happens and hope for the best.

The World is always full of change and energy pushing and pulling. Just returned from a stay with friends in Maui. The pace is slower than is possible in S. Florida to say the least. There are many very pretty vistas in FL but nothing compared to the grandeur of the beauty in the Hawaiian Islands. In FL for a while but heading back to the club soon where we can make our own riddum on a quiet stream a little removed from the torrential flow of the river of humanity.

Jah Bless and Guide,
One Love, Ras John