Enough war for a lifetime

I’ve had enough. I’m sick and tired of having to pony up more money to support things like libraries, schools, libraries in schools… I pay taxes and that is where I want the money to go, not to the military industrial complex.

“Today in Capitalism” by Iraq Veterans Against the War

“Hey Siri, what is the military industrial complex?”

“When you load a $70,000 missile onto a 28 million dollar drone so it can fly at the cost of $3,624 per hour to kill some people in Yemen who live on less than $1 per day.”

I vote according to my beliefs, not because I belong to one party or the other — and yes, I’ve contacted my congressmen. But the system is broken- if it ever worked at all.

I believe that simply by being born on this planet there are a few things we are entitled to: water, food, shelter and communication (i.e., television/internet). I don’t care what it costs, the internet (at the library for instance) is where we learn, connect, interact with our world, and it should damn well be free.

I’ve also had enough of the haves taking more than their share— not to mention more than they can ever use. I find it hard to watch such wasteful avarice among our leaders, knowing that they have access to the same information and therefore awareness of the state of our world, but choose to focus only on what they can grab with their own tiny hands. How can they not see the naked emperor as he walks by in the full-length window reflection, or in the mirror at the gym; his pudgy inner child running on the treadmill of consuming emptiness and disappointment.

“Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we cannot satisfy the rich.” -Anonymous

I recently went to Durango for some energy work — energy as in collective consciousness, not the fracking industry (clarified for John Foulkrod.) After a truly healing and revealing session, I went out with old friends who know me well and we had a great time eating and drinking, talking and laughing.

After I returned to the house where I was staying, I went around to make sure all the doors and windows were securely locked, closets were devoid of serial killers wearing hockey masks, lights were off, etc. Then I went to sleep and slept soundly, until I heard my name and a knock on the door; sharp and twice, like a Jehovah’s witness. I got up to see if my cousin had shown up for breakfast earlier than ever before in her life and I went into the upstairs bathroom to peek out the shower window at the empty front step below… no one. Then I went downstairs to investigate. Everything was just as I had left it, except for a lamp that was now on. I checked to see if it was on a timer… nope.

I choose to believe that we all contain an energy (or soul, or stardust, or whatever you want to call it) and it stretches beyond the tangible world we experience every day. It is comforting for me to believe that the end of this life is not The End. Although, my practical side can make a solid argument for the end being just that: curtain, lights, show’s over. And as much as I like to believe there is more to the whole exercise, I can’t help but notice that our minds are the ones relaying the news that we are more than our human bodies. Except when a lamp turns on inexplicably.

The mystery of it is what makes life worthwhile. I mean, worst-case scenario we just get the time we’re here to experience the full spectrum of living on Earth, and best-case scenario the journey continues. That simple realization has reinforced my mission in this life; to gain new experience, create integral connections, and generate positive esprit.

I’ve also fixed a sticky note to my bathroom mirror. Note to self: do not reincarnate. I mean, really; enough is enough. This tedious haves vs. have-nots struggle has been going on since the beginning, and it doesn’t look like we’ll solve it anytime soon… So, as my friend Walker often says, “peace out, girl scout.”