The Way to Peace

MLK, Jr: History and background

"We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin ... the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered.” 
-- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Jan. 15, 1929 – Apr. 4, 1968) from speech at Riverside Church on Apr. 4, 1967 in opposition to the Vietnam War, one year before he was murdered. 
Read more here: http://bit.ly/1if2eGK 
More resources for learning about Dr. King: http://bit.ly/19u6a3e 
Resources on the Civil Rights Movement: http://bit.ly/1c12nLp 
Photo: Dr.King in a March 25, 1967 antiwar march in Chicago. (AP)

On our modern society

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways ,but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

--George Carlin

On "Black Friday"

Does this make ANY sense?

Really, folks, don't play the game.

The things you learn on T-shirts

It seems we can be so profound on t-shirts, can't we, as a society?

People want to be either funny or profound or both and there it is, right on the front of their collarless, short-sleeved, 100% cotton shirt.

I saw one the other day that I agree was true. It said, boldly:

"Success is a choice"

And I think they're correct, whoever "they" were (the one wearing it).

But the flip side of that?

I contend that failure is not always even remotely a choice. Not at all.

I also think that to assume that is to assume ugliness on those who didn't "make it", who didn't "succeed."

Things go wrong for people It happens all the time.

Wrong choices, wrong turns, wrong assumptions. You can never know.

It could be the right thing but at the wrong time and there you are--a failure.

This is what's wrong in giving too much credit to people who have "succeeded", first of all. It's dangerous to give too much credit to the successful, for fear of building up one huge ego.

The danger of assuming bad things about the failed is that it dooms them to moral ugliness and that's grossly unfair.

Finally, it's important that "success" is absolutely not defined as having lots of money and/or things, objects, property and properties.

We either know this or should--that success isn't just about money--but it all too frequently gets lost or forgotten, especially here in materialistic heaven America.

Quote of the day II--from the same earlier article

"... from Thomas Jefferson, from a letter to John Adams: 'Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the path of destruction.'"  --Dr. Jean Houston

Link to original article:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jean-houston/beyond-the-pathology-of-h_b_721610.html?ref=fb&src=sp