Utopian Society

 What if the government made all the decisions but what if they made the right ones?

What if they supported sustainable agriculture and holistic medicine instead of letting the chemical and pharmaceutical companies run amok in private industry? What if treatment decisions were based on understanding human physiology instead of statistical associations?

What if they passed a law making it illegal to manufacture or own firearms? There would still be plenty of bows and arrows and knifes so hunters could still provide food for their families. (If a guy with no arms can do it, anyone can. #MattStutzman)

What if they promoted the acceptance of people who did not conform to traditional gender roles instead of supporting genital mutilation and chemical castration? What if they endorsed a woman's right to choose what happens within her own body but encouraged her to make that choice before becoming pregnant?

What if income was based on the creation of value? If I can't eat it or wear it and it won't keep me warm at night, I'm not buying it. That is not to say that entertainment and sports and iPhones have no value, but those industries are making billions of dollars while farmers and ranchers (who provide the basic necessities of food and clothing) struggle to make ends meet. (Yes, clothing, because the only things that should be rubbing against human skin are cotton and wool.)

What if all prepared foods with more than five ingredients were banned from grocery stores and home economics was required curriculum in public schools? (Final project: seven-course formal dinner)

No one will probably read this blog, though because I am not a rich and famous social influencer. What does Kim Kardasian have that I don't? Lots of money? How much of that money did she acquire by selling useless and over-priced belongings to impressionable young (and perhaps some not so young) women, desperately trying to change their lives by acquiring more stuff?

Second Brain

I have recently learned that personality (and mental health) can be significantly influenced by the bacteria in a person's gut. This phenomenon is referred to as the gut-brain axis and seems to be primarily controlled by the vagus nerve.

So who are we really? Is our gut microbiome a part of ourselves or should we view it as yet another environmental stimulus that influences our decisions? It must be noted that the composition of this internal microcosm, as opposed to the environment at large, is highly correlated with diet, and as such, we have some control over it. Therefore, it appears healthy eating habits can result not only in physical benefits but also mental ones as well.

Guns in America

The right to bear arms was an amendment crafted by the founding fathers so that the general populous should have the ability to organize against an oppressive government. They had no concept of the technological invention of mass killing machines that would take place in the future. Revolvers were not mass produced until the 1830s and rifles would not become mainstream until the invention of the faster loading Minie ball right before the Civil War.

This new technology was specifically designed for killing people, as efficiently as possible, usually in massive government wars. During the remainder of the 19th century, the maturation of such effective weapons of mass destruction would also result in the near extermination of a number of keystone animal species: grizzly bears, wolves, mountain lions, American bison, African elephants, rhinoceroses, and tigers.

Following the advent of automatic weapons (machine guns) just before the turn of the 20th century, people started turning gun barrels on private citizens with increasing frequency as more guns were being sold to individuals and ultimately finding their way into the hands of criminals.

Nothing good has come from this invention and yet, this mass slaughter of both humans and animals is all legitimized behind the veil of the second amendment. The founding fathers did not intend for their constitution to be used as an excuse for selling murder weapons.

Happiness

Some people seek happiness in the world. Some people seek happiness in God. I think both are missing the point. It is a well-known fact that happiness derived from material possessions is short lived. Neither can God make us happy, although He may want it so.

The Dalai Lama says the secret to happiness is love and kindness. We must learn to love each other. Anger never solved anything and will only antagonize the other person further. However, if one reacts with kindness, there is at least a chance of a positive resolution.

This idea is not unique to religion. Dale Carnegie said something similar in his book 'How to Win Friends and Influence People'... basically, something to the effect of "when you argue, all you get is two mad people." By the way, reading this book completely changed my perspective on how to interact with people. I think it helped me understand why many people act the way they do and how I could change my own behavior if I wanted to reduce the friction in my life.

Reacting with kindness is not without cost, however. Always 'turning the other cheek' at some point becomes too exhausting. You have to decide how much of yourself you are willing to sacrifice in order for the other person to get their way. Maybe that is where God comes in; He gives us strength.

"God called me in the morning and asked me would I do good for him alone without reputation." -Florence Nightingale

Limericks I

I once dated a man from New Jersey.
He said that his name was Sir Percy.
When I asked if he'd call,
He started to bawl.
All I could do was show mercy.

If you love what you do,
Working won't make you blue.
Each day is a treasure,
To count in your leisure
And cleverly collect what you're due.

Heal the World

How are the current US presidential candidates planning to encourage regenerative agriculture practices in their country and the world?

Ode to Nature

Since the dawn of man, Mother Nature has been used.
But in current events, she is being abused.

Tailpipes and smokestacks belch noxious fumes.
Smog fills the sky and earth warming looms.

But burning these fuels forever won’t last.
The sun is required or Midwest wind blast.

Then the air we could breathe but what about drink?
No water on earth forces life to the brink.

N P K put on cropland runs off all alone.
Compounds reach rivers and create a dead zone.

Chemicals leak from industrial plants,

And are sprayed over land killing insects like ants.

So much pollution makes physical changes.
Innocent mammals, birds, and plants it deranges.

All the water is gone, and the soils do scream.

Get back to the farm and make it all clean.

With air that is dirty and water unclean,
Mother Nature fights back because this is obscene.

Tidal waves crash and hurricanes blow.
The earth starts to shake, laying everything low.

Disasters aside, Nature's more subtle sway,
We need her resources to survive the next day.

Covered

Believe in God and everything will be okay; He's got you covered. Does he really though? If people have free will, is God really the one in control? What about, by your free will, trying not to do stupid things, thereby putting yourself in danger?*

The recent attempt on Donald Trump's life is a case in point. Not only was Trump almost killed but innocent bystanders were also injured and even killed in the encounter. Where was God? Did He have them covered? Look at martyrs as another example. They believed in God and paid the ultimate price because the free-will of the Roman Empire (to name one) chose to persecute Christians.

God didn't say: "believe in me and nothing 'bad' will happen to you." He said: "believe in me and I will save your soul." Just like an earthly father, he may try to protect you from the evil world, but he is not always successful. Sometimes, he has to fall back on the consolation prize -- a free, all expenses paid trip to heaven. Whether that is 'good' or 'bad' I guess is a matter of personal preference.

Is religion just man's response to the over-powering and potentially paralyzing reality that life is nasty, brutish, and short? In the animal kingdom, life can be, and frequently is, ended in a second; one wrong move, one bad decision, and it's all over. Humans are set apart from this carnage by participating in a civilized society, the morality of which is mostly founded on religious principles. However, religious morals backed by marshal low can't always guarantee a positive outcome and bad things still happen.

*"You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test." (Mathew 4:7) or the more secular version, "don't tempt fate."