My Blog Will Be Moving!

Hello, I just wanted to let everyone know that this blog will move to a new address. Please go to the link and follow my new blog because I will no longer be updating this one. The new site address is www.wildearthharmony.blogspot.com. Thank you in advance and I look forward to seeing you on my new site! :)

Glenn Beck on the Idiocy of Americans

On January 17th, Glenn Beck reported on John Dean's comments concerning the susceptibility of 25% of people in a given population to easily follow a leader who will instruct them in what their views should be. Dean elaborates on this point and concludes the segment with a warning about the power that the Palins, Becks, and O 'Reillys hold in the world. Unfortunately, many do take the media at face value and fail to investigate the claims that are heard on the television or radio. Beck, instead of acknowledging that many people do in fact blindly believe what he reports, says that these liberals are, "Evil." He cannot merely stress that other people may have a different viewpoint, but creates a fear of them. It is entertainment personalities like Glenn Beck that create fear, and in turn violence, in those who are opposed to each other. There can be no progress if civil discourse between groups is impossible.

Here is a link to a brief biography of Glenn Beck. You may find his past in the entertainment industry and education (or lack thereof) an interesting testament to his credentials.

Miriam Smith Killed Dog For Chewing On Bible

Authorities have charged Miriam Smith, a South Carolina woman, with felony animal cruelty. After her nephew's dog chewed on her Bible, she hanged the animal from a tree with an electrical cord and burned its body. Animal control officers reported that Smith told them she killed a female dog named Diamond because it was a "devil dog." She worried it could harm neighborhood children. Authorities said bond wasn't immediately set for Smith and she is jailed in Spartanburg County after her weekend arrest. She faces 180 days to five years in prison if she is convicted. Authorities say the remains of the dog were found under a pile of grass with part of an electrical cord still around its neck.

Religious faith can be a wonderful quality, but this woman demonstrates just how dangerous a misinterpretation of such a belief can be. Her disregard for life and ignorant conviction resulted in the death of an innocent animal. All of life is sacred, and it is our responsibility as human beings to uphold this principle. Please sign this petition in order to help ensure that Smith is held accountable for her actions.

The Call of the Wild

Today, while walking my dog, it was below freezing outside, and the gray sky gave way to a wind that bit at my cheeks. The winter storms have left behind a blanket of snow in this metropolitan world. When the light reflects off of the snow, it glitters all around and reminds me of the beauty in nature. No one else is seen, aside from my dog, Hector, and myself. I imagine that they are all tucked away inside, hiding from the cold. I, on the other hand, embrace it. The chill on my skin reminds me that I am still alive, invigorated, and I feel the warmth of nature's love embracing me.

 Jack London wrote in The Call of the Wild, "So peremptorily did these shades beckon him, that each day mankind and the claims of mankind slipped farther from him. Deep in the forest a call was sounding, and as often as he heard this call, mysteriously thrilling and luring, he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it, and to plunge into the forest, and on and on, he knew not where or why; nor did he wonder where or why, the call sounding imperiously, deep in the forest...It filled him with a great unrest and strange desires. It caused him to feel a vague, sweet gladness, and he was aware of wild yearnings and stirrings for he knew not what."  Once one comes to the realization that the shallow world around us suffocates life, you are never the same again. To feel such a yearning for real meaning makes old ways of life impossible.

Once you strip everything from your life, money, technology, possessions, etc., what do you see that is left? Do you see an emptiness? The essence of our beings is not material possessions or even money. It is unconditional love. The universe offers us this love every minute of every day. A quiet moment in nature can reveal this love to us, but too many of us rarely, if ever, feel it. External circumstances can be allowed to dominate our lives, but that means that it will also determine our happiness. If we allow outside influences to control us, then we will never feel the flow of fate that guides us in the direction our lives are meant to take. How many times have we weighed the options around every decision we make? When was the last time we  let the universe guide us on our journey?

Just as I now wander the streets in winter, reveling in nature's perseverance through man's evils,  I struggle with this ubiquitous need for revelation. All I know that we need to find an outlet for this awakening and feel the unconditional love of the universe that guides us in our paths. I feel the road beneath my feet, the chill of winter's breath on my cheeks, and Hector's gentle pull to keep moving forward.