What Is Success?

Ely brought up something that I believe needs to be addressed by all of us, at least individually. Probably collectively at some point too, but I’m afraid that we are much too far along in our self-imposed doom for that to occur. The collective part, that is. So, we are left to ponder what success is as individuals.

I don’t know how we have done it, but somehow we have collected a special group of people here. A group that truly cares about each other, cares about America, (screw you Boosh, we are NOT unpatriotic simply because we believe that you are a cancerous mole on the ‘arse of the world and don’t mind saying so) and care about the future of this place which you have chosen to systematically destroy. We may not all agree on what success is, but I want to throw my two cents worth in. This will be in more than one part since, as usual, I have a lot to say. Thanks, Ely, for throwing this topic out there. It is important, I think.

Success

I am undoubtedly in the minority in my view of success. Unlike nearly everyone I know, I don’t give a damn about money. Never have. That can be a good thing, but can also have its downside. It is good in the sense that it is one area of my life in which I can eliminate what seems to be a major stressor for most Americans, the chase of the almighty dollar. I just don’t care about it. As long as I can have food, a warm (or cool) place to live in, and a way to get around when I need to, I am satisfied with that aspect of my life. I do not need a $250,000 house and the mortgage that goes with it, nor a new Escalade or Cadillac. What I need is a house that has enough room in it for my family, a computer, a few guitars and the dogs. Automobile wise, I need a car that starts every day, gets me where I am going, and has a working air conditioner. (a must) Really, pretty simple things for me to achieve, but I may have been lucky. I know full well that many people, in fact a whole lot of people, struggle to achieve the rather simple above mentioned lifestyle. And that is simply wrong, while we are spending billions of dollars blowing up the world. But, I digress.

The above can be bad in another sense. When one must share life with so many people who believe success is measured by where one lives, the type of cars they own, the amount of money in the bank, one with my views can be scoffed at pretty easily. If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it a million times; “Why has he not reached his potential?” I know that my views frustrate those closest to me, but like I said, I’m way in the minority here. The conditioning that Big Business, Hollywood, Politicians and many other entities have managed to implant in Americans brains, has been effective, to say the least. Those things, along with societal pressures to “make it big,” are difficult for most to fend off. Virtually everyone either has gotten or will get into the game of “one-upsmanship” with their neighbors and friends at some point. This has never happened to me nor bothered me; I chose immediately after high school not to play the game. Some people reach "my view" later in life; perhaps after "making it" and losing it like so many have, or are in many cases, still chasing it. I cannot fault them for that; it is just not my style. I believe that in the end, they will be disappointed, but I could be wrong. It seems to me that once one is caught up in that vicious cycle of needing more, more, more, now, now, now, it is a very difficult if not impossible lifestyle to get out of. I also believe that this has contributed as much as anything to how we, as a nation, have gotten to where we are today. I know that when the inevitable crash occurs, there are a whole lot of people who will fall a lot farther than I will. I feel bad for them, but also think that they should have paid a bit more attention. They will not deal with it nearly as well as I will, because they do not see it coming. But, we all make our choices.

Happiness

I think when one talks of success, they must also consider happiness. That is where my views and lifestyle fail me, fail me miserably. I see many people who are happy; they look at the bright side of everything that occurs. I admire them, and truly wish that I could be like them. You know, the glass half-full, half empty thing. I tend to fall in the 3/4 empty category, which is not a pleasant place to live. I am not a terribly happy person, and honestly cannot imagine anything in today’s world that could change enough to make me perpetually happy. But, I have paid attention, and that is the price you pay for doing so. If one chooses to live in a small box and ignore the larger picture, they can go through life quite happy. I envy them to a great degree; they seem to be the most pleasant people that I know. But that is just not me. I’m probably not viewed by most as pleasant, happy or even particularly likeable. I call it like I see it, and many are put off by that. But, in my view, this world is a cesspool, and I cannot ignore that, or let it go without comment. It’s just not the way I am wired. I don’t know if I am the way I am because of the things I have done in my professional life, or if I came out of the womb this way. I don’t guess it really matters, so I’m not going to spend a lot of time, or even one second, trying to figure it out. I want to be clear, when I say "the world is a cesspool," I’m not speaking of people individually. I’m talking about the leaders of this place we call the world. They are a collection of power mongering, money grubbing, terroristic misfits who essentially bullied their way to power. It’s a good deal if you are their friend, but it sucks for the rest of us. Or, in the case of George W. Boosh, he simply had it land in his lap. His power came from being one of the many born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and he has never given up sucking on it. I do not envy people like him, and am thankful for that. Boosh is a rare breed, one who somehow rose to lead the free world. Unfortunately, he could not finish a Harry Potter novel. The concentration power is just not there, you know. Funny how life works, isn’t it?

Peace, the Inner Kind

Aside from happiness, I believe that there is something more important that one must seek to be successful. That is inner peace. How one achieves inner peace is an individual thing, but I guess I am talking about a spiritual peace. Or, a peace with nature and with the physical space in which we live. Collectively, I think it is obvious that we as a people have failed miserably at this. While many of us respect the earth, we as a whole have abused the beautiful world which was given to us. Much of this abuse is due to the above mentioned chase for success, or more accurately, the chase for the almighty dollar. Other reasons are a direct result of our misguided leadership.

My road to inner peace has been a struggle. I had it for quite some time, then had it snatched from me. During this period of my life I was like a lost puppy in the rain, miserable beyond my wildest imagination. It took a long time to get that "peace" back, in fact I still am not back to where I once was. But, I appreciate what peace I do have all the more now. It is what I strive for, my personal "almighty dollar," if you will. Believe me, it would be a lot simpler to gain dollars than inner peace, but I somehow think that the reward would not be as special or comforting. I also believe that without this, one will not survive the upcoming events. We each have to be able to rely on someone or something, and that reliance cannot be on any fellow man. I say this for a couple of reasons. One, although I have thousands of acquaintances, I can count on a hand and a half the people who I would consider true friends. Maybe even one hand, I’m not sure. One thing that I am sure of, however, is that when the economy collapses or WWIII begins, each individual had better have a place to go deep inside themselves to find some peace. There will certainly be no peace in the outside world, not should you eventually summon the courage to open your eyes. But again, finding inner peace is an individual process, and cannot be pushed on you or shoved down your throat. If that occurs, it is not real. No one can tell you how to do it; it is a never ending journey inside of yourself. Just like the Real Deal and life itself, it is not pain free.

To be continued………………………

Cyclone



“I’m honored to shake the hand of a brave Iraqi citizen who had his hand cut off by Saddam Hussein.”

George W. Boosh; Washington, D.C.; May 25, 2004