Page 6 of 13

“The Savage History of Mankind”

August 21, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

Mankind’s history is filled with war, bloodshed, pillage, rape, and savagery by one group against another – whether it be nation against nation, religion against religion, tribe against tribe, or any other defined association of human beings against another or others.

Collectively, we may have entered the supersonic age and become sophisticated space explorers. We may have collectively advanced intellectually, technologically, and in the fight against major diseases and in the battle against many natural and man-made catastrophes.

But in our midst there still continue to be barbarism, hatred, violence, and evil pitting groups against each other or orchestrated with a fake front using God or some other self-righteous rationale.

Take a peek at the continued hatred and violence in the Mideast, the recent history of ugly warfare in Serbia and Croatia, the violence between Hindus and Muslims in lands that once made up Old India. Remember the massacres involving the Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda. And witness the heinous, vicious acts committed today in the name of God in Iraq and neighboring countries.

To be sure, historically, savagery has not resided on elements within any singular group. Almost every racial, tribal, religious, national, or other grouping of human beings has a record that is less than stellar.

It appears to be human nature among many to hate or to dislike, to fight and to acquire, to dominate and to suppress, to conquer and impose…and to use any means – including terror and barbarism – to further its ends.

The President recently made remarks comparing the present-day savagery by those using religion as a front, with barbarism committed in the name of God by adherents of another religion during the Spanish Inquisition and the notorious so-called Holy Crusades of the Middle Ages.

Indeed, such an analogy is significant in reminding us that evil exists, and has existed, among people from every corner of the planet since the beginning of recorded history.

“Us Vs. Them? – Cops Vs. The Public?”

August 21, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

Recently in the news here in the USA, there has been a spate of incidents involving law enforcement and members of the public – in physical confrontation resulting in bodily harm and sometimes even death of either a citizen, or a police officer, or both.

This is a sensitive issue and there’s a lot of rhetoric emanating from both sides of the issue. It is tragic when a member of the public is brutalized by someone wearing a badge whose job it is to protect the public from the very same criminality. It is also fearful and heartbreaking when a criminal attacks and hurts or kills a member of law enforcement who is out there protecting us from violations of our person or property.

Those of us who respect the law and respect the constitutional and human rights of citizens to be safe from thugs, in uniform or out of uniform, or on either side of the law, are the true victims. We end up feeling a loss of security – from both the violent criminals among us who use race and other devious means to whip up a frenzy if it can help exonerate their evil , and from those wearing a badge who use it as a license to express their own personal deficiencies, frustrations, or bigotries.

Perhaps, we all need to take a step back and recognize that life is not always black and white, and that there are both good and bad guys in uniform, and out of uniform. We must examine each case thoroughly before jumping to the defense of either cop or alleged victim.

America has a documented history of thousands of cases of brutality, planted evidence, assault, murder, and other crimes against citizens by those whose job is to prevent the same. And those citizens have sometimes included minorities, women, and children. The record, though, includes the violation of the rights of individuals regardless of race – many white Americans also have been traumatized by thugs in uniform.

But we also have a longer and more horrific record of murder assault, rape, theft, and brutality against citizens and law enforcement by criminals of all pigmentations and group classifications. In the final analysis, when the smoke clears and the dust settles, we must recognize that evil and ugliness exist on both sides.

We are better served by working harder to weed out criminals among us and by working harder to vet those who enter law enforcement. For the former, we must not exonerate evildoers among us who use group association conveniently when the chips are down but who deprive us of our own rights to safety – regardless of whether we belong to the same group or not.

For the latter, we must recognize that cops are human too, and often bring baggage from their personal lives to their job. Therein lies the greatest danger, for when a criminal mentality is clothed in the attire of a law enforcer, all hell can break loose and we are doubly threatened as law-abiding citizens.

It is imperative, if we are to move forward together that we weed out the bad guys from both camps and work together to have cops whom we respect and who respect us. And we must not allow those among us to hide behind the cloak of race or religion or ethnicity when they have violated our individual and group rights to safety and security, and who cry injustice if there is none.

It’s not always a case of them vs. us. The record clearly indicates that each case needs to be evaluated separately.

“The Story of Love”

August 21, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

Artistes, songwriters, poets, musicians, actors and actresses all tell the story of love through voice, words, instruments, videos, film, and stage.

It is a story as old as mankind’s history. Yet it never loses its allure, its joys, or its sadness. Yes, it is often a story whose beginning is usually captivating and alluring – but whose ending can be one of triumph…or of turmoil and broken dreams.

The storytellers will come and go, to be replaced by other storytellers, for that is life. As time marches on, new performers and writers replace those whose acts no longer take up front page.

Yet those who replace them tell the same story – perhaps with different instruments or newer technology, or with a freshness that appeals to a newer audience. But the story of love, however novel or old, remains as it has always been – the fusion of two hearts who reach out to each other full of hope and promise, passion and dream.

While the story remains the same, no matter who tells it or what medium is used to tell it, falling in love will always be here to stay. For the human psyche is programmed that way. We seek someone to love, and to be loved in return. We often enter romance throwing caution to the wind, and being enveloped by the object of our heart’s desire, even as that person is enveloped likewise.

So many stories start out shining brightly and optimistically, for who among us will cast a dark shadow when love bowls us over and Cupid’s arrow has done its work?

Perhaps that is why the story of love will never grow old, even if it is told and retold by successive artists. Whatever its final outcome – joyous or tearful – it is a story that most distinguishes us humans from all other living creatures.

For many of us, even if the story does not always have a happy ending, we will keep on dreaming and pursuing, for without love, life will never be what we want it to be.

“A Tranquil Mind Can Go A Long Way”

August 19, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

I’m no doctor and do not attempt to provide medical advice, but as a writer who observes life in all its manifestations and attempts to share those observations with his readers, I so wanna say – speaking colloquially – that one cannot under-estimate the impact of a tranquil mind on the body.

Many in the medical field have long established a link between one’s mental well-being and one’s physical well-being. Hardly anyone of us can avoid the ordeals of daily life – involving work, school, family, loved ones, neighbors, strangers, commute, finances , etc. – but a mind that can relax, that will not easily get agitated, that takes life in stride can surely minimize bodily harm.

It’s not easy to avoid getting temperamental, agitated, angry when a curve ball comes along, or to sometimes feel vanquished by the vicissitudes of life. The thing is to try to control the emotions that can create or aggravate physical or medical conditions.

Perhaps it involves simmering down when the urge is to retaliate or get angry. It might even involve applying the biblical admonition that a soft answer turns away wrath; it might mean not “winning” every argument, every fight, conceding sometimes.

Often it also means being thankful and satisfied for the blessings one already has accumulated along the way. One must stop and pause and give thanks. It’s great to be ambitious – but it’s useful too to compare one’s standing and point along the spectrum with that of peers and others who have yet to reach that mark.

The critical perspective, though, is to not get worked up emotionally and otherwise when adversity or shortfalls come along, to keep a relaxed mental state free of greed, envy, hostility, malice, turbulence, hate, and discontent.

It’s a tall order – but if it adds a few years to life or makes the rest of the journey more pleasant, and the body less impaired or sick, it will surely be worth it.

“God Is Not A Business Proposition”

August 18, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

God is not a business proposition. He is not a ritual to be performed in a church, mosque, synagogue, or temple for others to see, or to deceive oneself that one has found the path to happiness and everlasting life.

God is an Experience and a Power and a Supreme Being unlike any other, and who exists in the privacy of one’s heart. He so envelops one’s being that even when others are not viewing, even when there is no material gain, one lives and breathes as much purity as one can for others as well as for oneself.

“The Power of Everyone To Make A Difference”

August 18, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

One often sees and is impressed by the display of peoples’ academic and professional credentials. It is important that individuals performing duties or services for others be properly qualified. One does want, for example, the doctor who treats one to be an M.D. with proper training, or a corporate executive whose company products or stocks one purchases, to be adequately credentialed.

While we tip out hats to those who’ve attained the requisite designations and qualifications, we must remember that, other than for the qualified individual, these are of value primarily to clients/customers and peers.

In the larger scheme of things, in the world at large, everyone – highly credentialed or not – has an awesome opportunity to make their corner of the planet a better and more enjoyable experience for as many as one comes into contact with.

By our actions, behavior, interactions with others, the impact we leave can have far-reaching effects that mean a whole lot more to more people than the possession of a string of degrees, awards, trophies, licenses, and titles.

Each day we wake up and step out into the world, we make a difference to many – neighbor, co-worker, friend, associate, cashier, fellow passenger, mailman, delivery guy, shopkeeper, doorman, guard, customer…and a host of others.

When the smoke clears and the dust settles, the little things we do each day, the courtesies we show, the kind words we say, the smile we give, the helping hand we extend – all these and many more – will do much more to make life more enjoyable, to make the world a better place, to fulfill us more, than a long list of credentials from the best institutions can ever accomplish.

We all have that power individually, whether poor or rich, humble or well to do, highly educated or not, to reach out and leave circles of brilliance and positivity that can ricochet and expand infinitely beyond our immediate radius

“Pay Heed On A New Date!”

August 17, 2016 / Miles Alex / 0 Comments

“It’s important to pay heed and listen carefully to what you hear whenever you are on a new date. Mis-hearing can cost you a wasted effort.

“I once misheard what a blind date was remarking, when she whispered to me softly, “I am a sex addict.”

“I later discovered, much to my chagrin, that what she said was that she was a TEXT addict..damn…now I spend all my nights hugging my pillow while she texts away…”…”The Life and Times of Johnny Amazon”