WHAT, ANOTHER GUILT TRIP ALREADY

Of all the trips I have ever been on the one I detest the most is the guilt trip. I am continually amazed at the times my fellow human beings use the old ploy of trying to make one feel guilty so they can get whatever it is they think they want. As a young man I used that ploy myself at times since it seemed to work so good. But at that early age I had not yet come to realize that making anyone feel guilty about anything was one of the most selfish acts I could have done. Through the years as I have watched human nature at work I began to see how often this ploy was being used time and time again. I saw parents using it on their children, kids using it on their parents, friends using it on their friends, and on and on. At times the one using these tactics are quite good at hiding the real meaning of their ways. Other times it just stands out like a sore thumb. The guilt implied can be either subtle or downright rude! Personally, I feel using guilt trips on another human being is totally uncalled for and also very degrading to the one being made to feel guilty. But because it does seem to work so good I suppose people will continue to use it.I am so happy that long ago I saw how others tried to manipulate others with guilt and I made a vow to myself to never allow that to happen to me again. And through the years I have had ample opportunity to test myself on this. There are still times when the guilt implied is so subtle I have to look really close but I have gotten pretty good at sniffing it out. Guilt is one of the most devastating emotions one can carry around. Or at least that is the way I see it. Now I will be the first to say that I do stupid stuff all the time and do things I am not so proud of. But still, I absolute refuse to allow anybody to make me feel guilty. Hopefully you are not one of those people who do allow others to make you feel guilty about anything. But I think it is always a good idea to be more aware of those in your life who repeatedly use the old guilt trip thing on you to manipulate your actions. And take a close look at yourself to make sure you are not doing the same thing to someone else. Life, being the mirror it is, may just show you the reflection of yourself using some of that "Emotional Blackmail" on another. May your life be guilt free from now on! Be good to yourself and even better to others!

CHRISTOPHER'S POETRY

My friends I wish to share with you a piece of work penned by my good friend Christopher Dos Santos. May you enjoy it as much as I have. With his permission I give you the following verse

You are one of a kind,

a golden reflection,

a sight to behold,

I love you.

You are exquisitely perfect,

a misstep impossible,

a flawless gem,

I love you.

You are the expression of divinity,

a murderer with bloodied knife,

a thief in the alley,

I love you.

You are magically eternal,

a whisper in the wind,

a star in the night,

I love you.

You are a fractal of all which exists,

a grain of sand in your shoe,

a taste of salt by the sea,

I love you.

You are an omnipresent sun,

a spirit dancing in a body,

a timeless enigma,

I love you.

You are the quintessential God,

a universe without borders,

a creator of reality,

I love you.

You are me as I am another beautiful you

a singularity appearing as two,

a being who cannot be judged,

I will always love you.

HAS THE WORLD FINALLY GONE NUTS OR WHAT?

How does one wake up in the morning and say,"Hey, I think I'll just go out and kill a bunch of people I don't even know?" I just don't get it! But then again maybe I'm not supposed to get it. Ok, here's another scene. How does one go about killing fellow human beings and do it claiming that it is done in the name of some God that declares that you should kill people if they don't agree with your beliefs? Another thing, why does anyone wake up thinking they are better than another person simply because of their skin color? Does the color of your skin dictate what resides in your heart? I don't think so! But what do I know? Why do a lot of folks get up in the morning and right away begin to try and figure out how to take something from another simply because they want to? Why do some people get up with the intention  to be as mean as they can to everyone they meet today? I wish I knew why------ no, maybe I don't after all. So I'll just keep on dreaming--- dreaming of a world where we all learn to walk hand in hand. Live and let live. Sometimes it is tough being a dreamer.