Get used to it!

Hi Folks,

     I'm writing today to ruminate upon a basic fact of our natures, human nature... 

     The great majority of us, human beings, that have normal capacity for experience can very quickly habituate ourselves to almost anything.  We are born with a miraculous capacity to adapt to our environments, physical, psychological and emotional ones.  From our natal moment we begin to adapt...we emerge from the waters of our mother's womb and begin to use our muscles to counteract the effects of gravity, ...light from the room assails our visual senses and we learn to  adjust, to our new "normal",  ...someone cuts the umbilical cord, and we breathe using our freshly grown lungs...our ears are assailed by discordant noises very dissimilar to the rushing fluidity of our mothers heartbeat, and we perceive a new normality, ...these first few moments of our exterior life are full of changes and necessary adaptations.  It is this kind of primary adaptive experience which serves us well through the many changes and adaptations which will be required of us for the extent of our physical lives.

     Adaptation is the most readily identifiable cause for us humans, as a species, to have survived the rigors of the physical world we were born into.  From the time of Adam and Eve until today, and beyond to all of our futures...the physical skill of adaptation has been with us, preserving the comfort of our lives better than a well trained servant.  I wonder if perhaps the skill of social adaptation is as important, or even MORE important than our physical ability to adapt? 

     From the scientifically offered premise of our cave-dwelling ancestors who survived by banding together in small clans to guard against danger, and starvation, and to preserve comfort...through the establishment of kingdoms and fiefdoms and the rule of feudal lords...and as our social evolution continued while democracy and socialism and communism and the rule of law came into effect in this earth's societies...we have adapted. 

     It is no wonder that the choosing of our leaders is of critical importance to us!  As humans, living in the societies which are created and shaped by the people that rule us...in whatever form they come... there are few decisions which are more important and more dangerous than the choosing of a leader!  Even leaders that have been chosen poorly, or who have become corrupted by the power and wealth of leadership may continue to effect our societies for extended periods.  Lifetimes, in fact.  The fall of multiple leaders in the Middle East took place after lifetimes of decadent rule, and sometimes only after generations of mismanaged or corrupt rule.  Choose wisely in the beginning and shape your society for the better, choose poorly and decay, and corruption, and an eventual war or uprising of society is all that will contain or eradicate a poorly chosen ruler.  At the very least, a poorly chosen leader may halt the progress of an otherwise advancing society.

     In Central and South America we can witness how a poorly chosen ruler can cause the advancement of a society to falter, or stop altogether.  In Korea, and China and Russia...and the United States of America we can ALL bear witness to the same thing happening.  And yet, our societies adapt.

     IS adaptation, social adaptation, a good thing?  Yes, it IS, ...decidedly good in fact.  We must be cautious however of our innate skill of adaptation, because we also have a tendency to become habituated to things in our lives which we would be much better off without. Leaders, both secular and theological ones, come to us with bright plans for our futures.  That is why we elect them, or allow them to lead us (for those societies on earth that have foregone the formality of elections).  We must preserve our societies from those leaders amongst us that show us the bright shiny futures they will attempt to bring to fruition, while skillfully guarding their own darker plans of personal wealth, power and control.  We MUST investigate the character of our potential leaders, and even the moral basis upon which they will lead us...these things are indicative of the KIND of people, and leaders, that they are...and will become.  There is no more important thing in our lives, from a purely secular viewpoint, than to pick wisely...those that will lead us.  Because once we pick them, we begin the process of adaptation to their way of thinking and their goals, and their plans, and their exertions to shape OUR societies.  Those of us that live in societies where we are given a voice, even if it is a nominal voice, should do our utmost to pick a leader which will preserve the KIND of society in which we want to live. 

     Try to put aside the tactics of groups of men that wish to decide these things for you...they DO NOT know what YOU want for society...they know what THEY want for YOUR society.  Please make an effort in the upcoming election year, in America...MY society, to choose your leader based upon the type of society in which you wish to live.  Vote your heart, and your mind, and your morals, and your ethics in 2012.  Shy away from simply tossing your vote into the pool of fetid organic political tripe that is offered up to you by the parties which are in control of our nations government.  These two parties are so similar that they have to define themselves with "issues of the day"...instead of the great encompassing issues which truly faces a society as large and generous and spectacular as our American society. 

     If we truly want "change" in America, then vote for change...the type of change which YOU believe in, and keep the political machinations of the two-party American political system at arms length.  Vote for an independant candidate, RUN as an independant candidate, BE an independant American!  STAND for your values, whatsoever they may be, and JUMP at the opportunity to impact the society which you live and work within, SWING your lives away from the mealy-mouthed pap which is spoon-fed to the voters, and VOTE as though your lives depend upon it...because really....they do.

     Prepare your minds.  Take a REAL LOOK at what is important to you as a person, and what would be best for YOUR family.  Make THIS ELECTION YEAR, your personal election year.  You have my permission to be selfish, and vote for what is best for YOU, and for YOUR country, and for our society.

Richard