Shaken, Not Stirred

I don’t believe in people being totally self-realized.  If we are always growing, we are always changing; if we are always changing and adjusting, then we cannot always know that person we will be in ten years or even less.  This doesn’t mean, however, that we don’t have some idea of who we are at the moment or can’t predict generally what our tastes might be, given what we already know to be true.  What it does mean is that if we truly want to be become more ourselves, we must grow.

No one comes out of the womb knowing everything they need to know, it’s physically, mentally and spiritually impossible.  Yet almost to a person we all think that at some point we “arrive” at maturity and will, somehow, not have to do any more.  This is a gross misunderstanding of what it means to be “mature”.

Not only do we have to continuing growing throughout our lifetime, if we don’t, we will stagnate, harden then become characatures of ourselves.  I’ve seen people do this so often that it scares the hell out of me to let myself go there.

Maturity is about taking responsibility for one’s own.  A person who is “self-realized” takes responsibility for not only their successes or failures, but their growth in all of the areas needed.  Realizing we need growth is the first step to maturity.

Remember those kids in school who would exclaim,  “Oh, you’re so immature!”?

They were reacting to an image of maturity not the actual reality of it.  I was taught that an adult acted a certain way, worked a specific way and identified themselves with certain societal norms.  What I mean is this:  As I was growing up, an adult went to school (trade school or university didn’t matter), got a career for life and bought a house, got married and had a family.  The expectations of this were not lost on me because they are, in a sense, the natural order of things.  What I didn’t like was the cookie cutter method they drove home.

We don’t all have to style our hair the same to be mature.  We don’t have to wear the same style of clothes, work the same type of jobs or be married with children to be mature.  Maturity is taking responsibility for one’s choices and not passing the buck.  A person who is self-realized, adult and ready to face the world isn’t one who is static and unchangable but adaptable, fluid to a point and ready for anything.  If they don’t have the tools at hand to work out a specific situation, they find them through creative endeavor or other people in their community.

This is maturity in its rawest, truest and most realized form.

Anyone who is truly alive, in every nuance of that word, must expect to be shaken up from time to time.  Many times life simply stirs the pot a bit to get the meat off the bottom, but when it really shakes things up, we need to see this as a good thing rather than a curse.  How we face our change reveals our level of maturity.

I’m not merely speaking of how we react to disaster because that’s a different issue altogether as far as I’m concerned.  Rather it’s more about the common happenstance which the world and local situations bring to us.  A person who chooses marriage, chooses to be committed to all that entails.  This doesn’t remain static either, for if both people are mature, the relationship will grow and change.  How they handle this change determines their level of maturity.

I hate the the most common reason for divorce which is “irreconcilable differences”.  Now this might be true for some but not for everyone who cites it as a reason.  Differences should never be completely irreconcilable because that suggests that we are unwilling to adjust to our growing reality.  I had one girlfriend complain that I had changed in the short time since we dated, and I just couldn’t help but laugh.  What I did was adjust some of my habits to fit her.  I didn’t change my entire personality but adjusted those things which drove her nuts and moderated them.  I would do this for a job, why not a relationship?

Adjustments never mean that we have lost whatever it is we have changed up, rather it means we might add or subtract elements to fit the conditions better.  Adaptation to environmental conditions are expected when living in extreme climates, right?  Why not relationships?

When we think we cannot be adjusted or changed for the sake of a relationship, then we need to leave it alone.  Just like for climates, we have to decide whether or not we can take the heat or cold or whatever weather/environment presents itself, before we decide to live there.  This is true self-realization and maturity.

Love is a choice not an emotion.  A principle not a romantic notion.  When we say we choose to love, we do so for a lifetime.

I’m divorced.  When I took my vows to love, honor and cherish, I meant them, therefore I will continue to do so even though I cannot treat my ex as a wife anymore.  Yet I will continue to love, honor and cherish her as my son’s mother, all the while recognizing the traits in her which made me want to marry her in the first place.  This doesn’t mean that I will trust her with my heart or fall in love with her again, though not impossible, it’s not probable, practical or safe.  What it does mean is that I keep my word and do everything in my power to remain faithful to those vows within the new paradigm.

Maturity knows when to move on.  It knows when we are beating a dead horse trying to get it to run, so to speak.  Yet it also fights for what is important and doesn’t surrender until all known options have been tried.  The mature, however, know when to surrender, when the situation has become so hopeless that anymore effort is fruitless and foolish.

Love never fails; situations do, relationships do, life does, and so do we.  Realizing this fact is maturity.

Humiliation

We’ve all faced it at one time or another.  We’ve all had to deal with it to a greater or lesser degree.

The movie industry thrives on it because it creates the best/worst tension in a plot:  How does the main character handle it?  Will they rise above it or be defeated by it?  In the teen flicks they have to rise above it, of course, but in real life most don’t.

We rarely get over those humiliating remarks because they shape our futures in subtle and obvious ways.  Some people change behaviors or expressions to adapt and thrive, others end up sinking deeper into the stereotype others have written for them.  A few actually just ignore the whole thing and move on to live.  I would like to say that I’m the latter but I’m still reacting to painful memories.  On the other hand, I don’t know how to adapt, yet I don’t know how to sink either.  I guess I’m a little stupid that way.

One of the churches I attend is mixed racially.  I’ve learned much about the problems between races but the one common thread is the debilitating, demeaning and totally excruciating humiliation by the powerful over the less fortunate.  It seems that those in power cannot wield their authority with commonsense or decency but must humiliate their victims, I mean, subjects, to the nth degree.  I don’t know why because it makes no sense.

I remember my dad used to say that if a man acted like a man, he treated him like a man; if he acted like a dog, then he got treated like a dog.  He was talking about race here.  I grew up with all sorts of friends because my folks weren’t segregated in attitude about friendships.  But they remained rather old school about it at the same time.  It was like they were progressive for their day though hesitant about complete acceptance.

Once in high school I sat in a Bible class discussion group barely able to keep my eyes open.  I had worked at my job late the night before and was pretty sleepy after lunch, which was when the class began.  Anyway, I didn’t take part in the discussion much because I was just too groggy to care, when out of the blue the teacher came over and asked how we were doing.  A guy across from me said,  “Fine!  But Varnell (me) over there is looking like himself…”  Then he grinned big expecting the group to laugh.  I was so blank that I couldn’t do anything but stare at him numbly and wish to say something cutting back.

The teacher looked back and forth between us, while the other kid began to laugh nervously, then said,  “Well, it looks like things are going fine here.”  and walked off.  The other boy never cut me down like that again.  In fact, we became sort of friends after that.

But I learned a lesson that day:  Staring down an opponent works quite well, as does silence.  I haven’t used it much since I read Mad magazine’s One Thousand and One Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions, but I learned that it worked to reverse the humiliation.  Up to that point all I had done was wish to God that I could melt into the floor or disappear to Neverland.

I’ve humiliated others, mostly by accident, and rarely intentionally, because the act of humiliating another brings back the memory of what it felt like, so I avoid that as much as possible.  In fact, I always try to apologize if I even think I’ve done this to someone else.  Yet there’s another reason too:  I hate it when I see the pain of it all rise in their eyes.  It kills me to think that I caused such a thing to someone else.  The guilt is unbearable too, which explains why I’ve become such a softy toward the outcasts and marginalized, I guess.  I’ve been there a time or two and it feels awful, so I won’t inflict this pain on anyone else purposely…

I guess once we accept ourselves for who we are, we’re able and willing to accept others.  I like the differences in other people.  I seem to adapt to them or find ways of seeing it through different eyes or something because they fascinate me to no end.

The next time we’re tempted to humiliate someone else, think:  Why am I doing this?  Is it just to make myself feel superior?  Because the truth is none of us are any better or worse in worth than anybody else–no matter what popular opinion tells us.  All of us are worth infinitely more than we know and no more in that value than anyone else on earth. 

If we valued each other as much as we would want to be valued, what would the world be like?

The Poetry of the Soul

I realize that many people think of poetry as words spoken or written.  Unfortunately this leaves out a wealth of other ways to be poetic.

Take the previous entry “Hersong”, the woman in question has now met a man who speaks the poetry of her soul, he writes the song that plays her heartstrings and brings out the moon and stars for her.  She’s happy with him and I don’t think he’s a musician or writer of any kind that I know of…

I once talked with a friend’s wife after he gave her flowers to show his love for her and she said,  “Yes, these are very nice, but I wish he could help me around the house sometimes.  That would be more romantic than flowers to me.”  I think all of us have heard even in passing about love languages, but her response set me to thinking at the time.  Different people need different expressions of love.  A person who is practical and organized needs the one who claims loves him/her to give in this way; while the one who is somewhere else needs something else.

The best expression of love I’ve ever discovered, though, is personal involvement in the other person’s interests.  I’ve met wives who couldn’t stand golf but went along with their husbands because they enjoyed their company and wanted to hang with them in something they loved.  I’ve met husbands who couldn’t stand shopping (this is not to say all husbands don’t like shopping just most) but who went along to carry the bags or just hang with their wives while they did.

Doing these things must be a willing investment in their passions.  I’m not trying to stereotype, just using common examples to give a clue as to what I mean by speaking poetry to someone’s soul  When we involve ourselves in other’s lives, we invest in their interests and passions.  I might not share all of these with another close friend or love interest, but because I care about them, I will give myself over to being with them.  That’s not to say that we shouldn’t have time alone with our hobbies and such, or don’t need down time on our own, it’s more to point out that if someone actually likes our company, we should be grateful and speak the poetry they need to hear.

I write poetry, but if all I did was use words and my actions never followed, all of them would be hollow and meaningless.  It’s only when my actions demonstrate my passion for the person in question that the words take on any meaning.

Where are Their Poets?

Her Song

 

IN HER LIGHTNESS OF BEING

I SEE A DPTH BEYOND MEASURE

THE SUN SHINING FROM HER HAIR NOW

IS JUST NATURE’S WAY OF MAKING SURE

NO ONE READS BENEATH THE SURFACE

OF THE STILL WATER

SEE THE PURPOSE AND IT’S MEANING

THE EYES THAT SHOW THE LIGHT

ALSO NEVER LIE

 

WHERE IS THE POET WHO WILL

RHYME FOR HER

BRING OUT THE STARS AND MOON

TO SHINE ON HER

WHO WILL BE THE FIRST

TO SING FOR HER

WRITE THE SONG THAT

STILL LIVES ON AFTER HER

 

I CAN TELL HER SCENT FROM ROSES

LIKE A GODDESS COME TO LIVE AMONG MORTALS

THOUGH HER FEET ARE FIRMLY PLANTED

HER HEART GAZES FROM HEAVEN’S PORTALS

IT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIVING

IN COLOR, BLACK AND WHITE OR SHADES OF GRAY

SEARCH THE WORLDS FOR A REASON

YOU WON’T FIND ‘TIL LOVE GETS IN THE WAY

 

WHAT OF YOUR DREAMS?

HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE BURNING DESIRE?

I STILL BELIEVE

HOPE IS ETERNAL FOR IT STIRS THE FIRE.

CAN YOU BREAK FREE TO LIVE UP TO THE PROMISE THAT LOVE LASTS FOREVER.

FOR THOSE LOST AT SEA

FIND THE STORMS AND THE CURRENTS

BRING THEM TOGETHER.

WHAT OF YOUR DREAMS?

HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT BURNING DESIRE?

STILL I BELIEVE HOPE IS ETERNAL

FOR IT STIRS THE FIRE…

 

 

                                                (c)2000 Jonathan Varnell

 

 

 

Honoring the Brave Among Us

I just read an article of a lady that rescued 2500 Jewish children from Warsaw, Poland, which you can access here: 

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/holocaust-hero-who-saved-children-dies/20080512084809990002 

Her story and stories of those like her move me to say that we all could do well to emulate their lives and attitudes.  These people valued others above their own safety, demonstrating in the process the truest form of love ever given.  This is the kind of person I hope and pray I grow into and have become in some measure now.  Selflessness should never go unnoticed.  In fact, this kind of heroism should be celebrated and lauded for generations to come.

So in keeping with my own views on the subject, I want to celebrate this woman’s contribution to the legacy the human ability to give till it hurts.  She ended up arrested by the authorities, ignored by her government and denied recognition until late in her life by her own government.  Her vocation after the war?  She continued working in the social services.

In my insignificant, small way I want to honor Irena Sendler, who saved the lives of not only 2500 children but allowed those children by risking her own freedom and safety grow up and multiply her investment into families of their own–now four generations deep.

Love As I Understand It

I could quote verse after verse from the Bible to show where my understanding comes from, but I won’t.  I will, however, quote one passage which has made the biggest impression on me over the last twenty-odd years.  Jerome Wernow, the Pastor of Grace Point Fellowship (www.gracepointfellowship.org/) in Camas, WA, brought home a couple of points I hadn’t thought of before and I decided it would work here.

The passage is Luke 6: 27-36, which says (quoting just verses 27, & 28),  “But I say to you who hear me:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

It goes on to tell us to gain a new attitude entirely, one completely different and opposed to that of the rest of the world.  Luke’s gospel was written approximately around the time that Nero ruled Rome, so he was addressing some very poignant issues for the church at the time and using Christ’s words to emphasize them.  Nero, to distract attention from his setting Rome on fire, targeted the Christian faith as the culprits.  He would set them up against wild beasts in the arena, have them crucified and is noted for telling them that if they wanted to be the light of the world, he would help them by covering them in pitch, hanging them on a pole and lighting them on fire.  He used them as human torches to light the way to Rome.

So Luke was telling his readers to hang in there with the attitude Jesus taught concerning love.  In context this teaching flies in the face of the current attitude in the the right wing Christian movement to control politics.  Nowhere in the gospels or New Testament as a whole were Christians forbidden to be in politics but they were encouraged not to make their beliefs a political statement.  In other words as Christ told a Roman official that His followers were not going to fight a war to gain a kingdom on earth but belonged to another place entirely.

Now that we have the context a bit, let me move on to the issue of what love means to me now.

I hear Jesus saying in this passage that no matter what an enemy does, we are to choose to love.  Very few people have practiced this ethic, I know, for history bears out the wars in Christ’s name almost every century.  Yet just because the followers have refused to follow the teaching doesn’t mean the teaching’s bad or misguided.

Love is a choice to benefit another person, think good of them, influence them for good and care about their life, needs, and heart.  Jesus continues this thought with what has become known as “The Golden Rule”, a slight misnomer.  Verse 31,  “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”  The greatest law by Jesus’ own interpretation was that we love God supremely and the one that follows, He said, flows out of it, is that we love our neighbor as ourselves.

The teacher of the law asked who his neighbor might be and Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan.  Jews and Samaritans were enemies at the time, much like the Palestinians and Jews are today, so Jesus illustrated in His story the ethic we are reading in the passage above.  The second law flowing out of the Greatest Law is to love our neighbor as ourselves, which includes our enemies.  It points to us doing good to those who ostracize us, mistreat us and being of a different attitude toward them and everyone.

That’s what love means to me.  I believe my attitude must reflect a choice Christ illustrated on the cross when He forgave those who beat the crap out of Him, mocked Him then killed Him in the popular torture of the day.  The Jewish leaders purposely wanted Jesus crucified to show Him cursed by God, for their law stated anyone hung on a tree was cursed and cut off from memory in Israel.  Their intention was to cut off even the memory of Jesus by making Him a cursed person.  Jesus, barely able to breathe, prayed that they be forgiven for their cruelty.

If everyone in the world chose this kind of love, what kind of world would we have?  Those who have read my blurbs on this blog know I’m not all that impressed with Christianity as a religion.  I am, however, very impressed with Christ, whether His story is made up or real.  He represents the best humans can imagine or be.  If His story is real, then we have the greatest example of love and compassion given in human history.  If He is just a good story, then it is a story which cuts to the heart of human nature and shows us for who we are and points us to what we can be.

I would rather be loving in the face of torture than defiant, angry, bitter or violent.  I believe there is a time for war, don’t get me wrong, but it must always be tempered with compassion.  We fight wars only to prevent greater atrocities from happening.  Love sometimes uses violence to clean up the violent one’s messes.  But war is never the the first choice for love.

If we are to love our enemies, then even in war a follower of Jesus must love and show compassion for the other side.  We must change our attitudes, thought patterns and outlooks so that we can approach others with love.  Love is not weak for it takes incredible courage, fortitude and stamina to love when all hell’s breaking loose.

We don’t need a new system of government in our world, great programs or better health care, we need hearts changed by the principles of this kind of love to rule, work and reach out.  If each person worked for the benefit of everyone else, no one would ever want or have a lack because others would provide the community and support during their struggle.  Then they, in turn, would do the same for those who supplied their needs.

This is love as I understand it.

Join Our Group!

There’s a point when one practices any art form where we get our craft down and begin to make art.  I went by our lady silversmith’s blog yesterday just to see what was new and read that she was learning to set stones.  She spoke of the learning curve in her work and showed pictures.  But looking at her other work, it’s not hard to expect beautiful things out of this young woman.  She has the craft down and creative mind to bring about what she sets out to do–it’s evident in her work.

I’m at a crossroads with my musical agenda.  For some reason I went through a phase in my writing and playing where I bearly wanted to do it anymore.  I don’t know exactly why, though it could have had something to do with the stuff that was happening at the time.  After I got married, my ability to write began to dry up.  The best reason I have been able to think of up to now was that I was waiting for something and put myself on hold for a time.  So much happened the three of four years leading up to our divorce that I think that everyone and everything just set me back on my heels.  I had to reassess why I did music at all.

You see, I always worked hard at recording with whatever medium I had available financially.  I bought a four track cassette unit when they first came out and recorded about six tapes worth of finished stuff along with twenty or so tapes full of rough drafts.  Then the hard disk recorders came out and I bought a Roland 1680 with my 401k.  I thought I was investing in my retirement but it didn’t turn out that way–at least not yet.  So now I have about twenty or so songs almost finished and several just started.

Then the bottom dropped out and I couldn’t really muster the energy or desire to write or record.  I’m not usually one who goes by moodswings, though I definitely have them.  I usually use a mood to write something fitting that state of mind rather than waiting to get out of it.  It becomes my muse, if you will.  In fact, I used to be able to write at the drop of a hat, both words and music just flowed a lot of the time.

Now I’m having to start all over again.  I still have the love for my craft but no realistic direction for it.  I ache down to my toes to finish a couple of the albums I have in mind but have no real timeline for them.  That’s not saying I haven’t had goals and the discipline to meet them, it’s just right now I don’t know where to begin the process again.

Here’s the irony:  A local church wants me to come join their group.  My hesitations range from a reluctance to be committed to something I’m unsure about to the desire to follow my own vision.  I’ve noticed, however, that when anyone reaches a certain quality in their craft, others want to own it or join forces with it.  I think the group in question just wants to do that latter, but this complicates things.  I don’t really want to join a group right now.  I’ve writing this down actually so that I can assess why and the “why” has become clear by putting it into words.  At the same time, my other commitments take precedence because they came first–which includes my album goals.

I have never met any of my own goals for the music I write.  I’ve had visions of what I would do, dreams about what I could accomplish and the ability to make things happen but never have I just focused on those things that drive the joy to create.  I keep sidetracking myself with other people’s visions and wishes, then losing all enthusiasm because they ignore or try to take over my own.

I don’t believe this new church group is of this type at all, but being confronted with their desire to have a fully committed guitarist in their group forced me to look at my own goals.  I’ve been drifting for too long now and I need to focus on what I want to leave behind for my son.  I want him to know who I am personally, for sure, but also who I am as an artist.  On the other hand, I crave to accomplish just one or two collections of songs that reflect my vision and heart for God, love, family, the world at large and issues that strike me as important.

Until I do this, I’m no good to another group, half-hearted in my commitment to someone else’s vision and frustrated in my craft, which would explain why I’ve been shut down for so long.  I can feel the change coming and it won’t be long the passion takes me in its swift current and drives me to whatever end it comes to.  I’m ready for it.

Challenge

Most who read this blog (all five or six of you ) know my Biblical leanings.  So when I quote it, I know most of you won’t think I’m trying to use it convince you of anything merely to show why I reason or choose to think as I do.  Proverbs has a really good one which goes:  As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

I have been very honored to be challenged by people I respect for both their intellect and friendship.  I maintain that  life not put under the stress of being questioned is a life stuck in a rut which is probably not deeply rooted.  If a person refuses to be questioned on any subject, there’s usually something wrong with their self-worth, respect for others or ability to feel safe outside certain parameters.

I am one who has struggled with this issue all my life.  I refuse, however, to be boxed by my past, friendships, perceptions of others or even my own religion.  Politics played in the Name of Jesus isn’t the gospel for Jesus Himself made it clear to the Roman ruler, Pilate, that His “kingdom” was not of this world, if it were, His servants would be fighting right now, but His country was from another place.  The gospel is about reconciliation not beating others or gaining control over them.

So why do I mention this in this way?

Mainly because when I stand up to a challenge, I don’t want anyone to think that I’m being pigheaded or closed to their perspective but demonstrating “logically” why I choose the perspective I have rather than the one they presented.  The word “logic” has a problem because what one considers to be truth dictates the logic, or reasoning one uses to prove their point.  If one person sees the world as a godless existence, their logic will reflect that and visavie.  This doesn’t make what we think or argue necessarily logical where truth is concerned because no one has the last word on truth except whatever reality rules the universe as we know it.  Since none of us actually can lift the veil or curtain covering whoever or whatever is operating the show, we must use what we have to argue our points.

This makes it ideologically difficult to conclude anything really, because people fight and die for what they consider to be true all the time.  The whole of the religious world has been in an ideological war both verbally and physically for eons.  Now the atheistic minded have waded in but haven’t brought any new tactics to the field, rather they usually exacerbate the problem by relying on the the same ‘might makes right” logic that has ruled the world since its inception however long ago.

Until we get to the point of being able to be challenged, consider one another’s points of view without rancor and with much candor, we will never know peace in the world.

That’s just my opinion, of course.

Standing on the Precipice…

I’m a Narnia fan.  I love the imagery and story telling of C. S. Lewis, it’s like he lived those stories and just wrote them down for us to share the adventure.

In one book Polly and Eustace come to Narnia via a world of pools (I forget how they got there from our world) and stand on a cliff overlooking clouds above a world so far below it couldn’t be seen.  Aslan tells them to jump, so they jump and travel on the lift of his breath.

This morning I woke up with a feeling of being on that precipice ready to jump forward toward the unknown.  My life feels on the cusp of something but I don’t know what at this stage–I just feel a change coming on.  Now it could be that my education and programming that God has a special purpose for each one of us is coming to light subconsciously.  Yet I think it’s more than that.  I’ve dealt with that issue enough to know that God works through some people, both throughout the Bible stories and today, not because they are more important or special than anyone else, but because they are available internally.  I don’t think they get special privileges or anything like that.  The sense for me is that I know a change is in the works, whether engineered by God’s guiding influence or sheer need in myself, I don’t know.  And I don’t care because it’s not important where it comes from, it just is what it is.

But one thing I do know for certain:  There are definitely times in all of our lives when we have to leap off the cliff and trust whatever sustains us to hold us up until we reach our destination.  Life is about risk–may be calculated risk but risk none the less.  We don’t accomplish anything by waiting for our tasks to be given to us, which brings up another subject altogether.

I think finding out how we’re made, what our “gifts” are (if we can call them that), and where we seem to thrive the most effectively should tell us more about how we’re created than fortune tellers, prophets or psychologists.  If we can admit to ourselves and others who we are and how we’re made, we find our lives, loves and relationships to both people and our work in general more pleasurable and fulfilling for everyone involved.

For example:  I’m passionate about writing both music and stories.  I love long thoughts so concept albums and books work better for me than singles or short stories.  This tells me something about my nature and purpose as a person.

A lady I’ve already praised for her artwork in silver (Al Gravitar Rodando), is gifted in this way and has found part of her purpose in life.  It might change and grow, but it remains a clear indication of who she is and what she can do with herself.

So I’m standing on another cliff, overlooking a land I don’t know from this height and ready to take a deep breath before I jump out on the wind currents of life.  Yes, I may crash and burn, but I believe that I’m the most effective and the biggest blessing to others and myself when I reach out for the goals burning inside.  I am not an island but a being intersected and interconnected with others who may or may not be considering the same leap into the unkown.

I am writing this to encourage them and myself to take the leap and go where the wind guides.  If nothing else, we’ll all have an adventure to talk about over coffee.

The Mother of Invention

Necessity is said to be the mother of invention.

I listened to a program the other day on NPR Science Friday which addressed alternate fuels.  It seems that now that we have all this need to find an alternate source to fossil people are discovering all sorts of means to keep the wheels ‘a rollin’.  But it takes crisis or sheer need to make people get off their butts and come up with some other means of doing a common task.

Yet that’s not the whole of it.  Now Europe is in a crisis because of all the bio-fuels, we’re seeing a food shortage as well as pollution.  I just heard this last week that Germany is suffering from pollution as bad or worse as fossil fuels from the bio-fuel they’ve been using.  Though the answer’s out there, we’ve got to be real about all this stuff.

Every time there’s been a great innovation or change in social structure upheaval brings about the needed conditions.  People starving find a way to survive despite their circumstances, those struggling to build, harvest or do business of any sort must get creative in those times.

We’re at a crossroads and now the reality of our situation is sinking in.  No matter whether global warming is a cyclic thing for the earth or we caused it, we have to come up with non-polluting power, travel and energy for heat in our homes or cooling for the hotter climes.

Necessity breeds invention, inspires it and almost, in my view, requires it.