"In all your getting, get wisdom. Wisdom is the principal thing." In all your giving, give wisdom. Wisdom is the greatest of gifts. Let us daily increase in wisdom, love, gratitude, reverence, healing, peace, joy, happiness, laughter and prosperity. A great warrior nation born in bloodshed, grows by bloodshed and in spite of bloodshed. It excels in bloodshed and develops the physical power to destroy the planet many times over. I think of blood covenant. Abraham with his Creator. Jesus with His followers. We can see the bloodshed of war results in blood covenants between survivors. Victors assist the vanquished. Today, every living being shares a common bond. We are all survivors, from long lines of survivors. Some have survived by martial superiority. Some have survived by covenant, contract and treaty. Most have survived by wits, luck and choosing wisely from perceived alternatives. Whether survival is a result of competing or cooperating successfully, choosing appropriately to the situation has become imprinted in our genes. Congratulations survivors! We use time to mark our progress. More importantly, we use time to identify and understand the natural world of cycles. From nano seconds to great ages, sunrise to sunset, we observe and expect repetition; the primary learning device of all creation. We plan a day or year based upon our understanding of relatively short cycles. To receive maximum benefit from short cycles, we need to know and understand the great cycles. We call the long cycles ages. The Machine Age reluctantly gives way to the Information Age. The Piscean Age (Jesus to now) violently gives way to the Aquarian age (next two millenia) which character is science and brotherhood. The Age of Man (Adam to present) gives way, kicking and screaming, to the millenial Kingdom Age. (Peace, order, planetary restoration.) Every age is chaotic in transition, often violently challenging survivors. Tradition becomes all which helped our ancestors survive. Progress struggles to get free of tradition. Three or more simultaneous age changes point to trouble times three. Survivors will be culled. The wheat separated from the chaff and the tares. Those who hold violence in disdain will hire those who do not, to secure life and property. What could possibly go wrong? The soldier does not make the ultimate sacrifice when she comes home in a body bag. She makes the ultimate sacrifice when she takes the loyalty oath, subverting self interest for a cause. Any cause. A slave contract is drawn so the soldier does the will of her commanders as long as required. Should the commanders be fools or traitors, the soldier cannot judge. She can only obey. Greater love has no person than to lay down her life for her professional superiors. Does love and nobility trump wisdom? "Wisdom is the principal thing." Is it too late to choose wisdom and a comforting, comfortable future of positive, personal security in the midst of violent chaos? Not while we yet breathe survivor breath. |
