The real world.

Please excuse the typos as a result of my haste in posting this... hopefully I corrected them.


I don't find TV entertaining, nor do I find it to be a distraction from life's worries.  How could I find such a shallow, materialistic form of entretainment to be soothing or comforting?  Why would I choose to immerse myself in a world where I am told I am too old, or too sick or not fashoionable enough or succesful enough? Rather than entertaining, I find today's media to be alienating and shallow, and discouraging.  After watching TV I feels discouraged and inadequate.  Maybe I am prone to low self esteem or I have issues with depression.  Regardless, I can't stand it.

I am so sick and tired of this disgusting, filthy, hypocritical and duplistic world filled with greed, and selfish ambition, inequity and pain; suffering and death. This is a world where the well to do justify their wealth and their greedy excess saying that they worked hard and earned it- while many go to bed hungry, dressing in hand-me-downs and rags and all the while go without basic healthcare. The media portrays wealth and selfish ambition as the height of achievement. Television commercials and society place more value on the latest electronic gadget than in human beings. Parents place more priority in providing their children with the latest smartphone or expensive Disney Land trips than in moral values or books. In fact we live in an entitled, distorted society where a child who goes without a smartphone or who has never been on a theme cruise is made to feel deprived. Dysfunctional, broken families and immoral relationships are glorified on TV shows, movies and reality shows, as selfish ambition and self centeredness is portrayed as the norm. Expensive, self centered, self help programs are on the rise. Today's society and culture places value on what should be considered junk, and what is truly junk, is deemed valuable.

I am so sick of self righteous hypocrites. While people are tortured and killed for their political and religious beliefs in third world nations, women belly-ache and complain because they don't have the right shoes or expensive purse or a mansion. Even the luke-warm, dull devotioals in my "NLT Sanctuary" bible annoy me as they are largely written by uninspired, wealthy women who have the means and luxury to stay at home. These so-called "inspirational, thinking" women have nothing more important to think about than to contemplate on making crafts, preparing dinner or homeschooling their children. For them, a bad day is when their husband comes home late, missing a shoe sale, or their dinner is overcooked, or a stubborn grass stain won't come out of a soccer uniform. These same phony "Christians" have the financial means to "sacrifice" money on "spiritual" retreats and getaways, so they can feel return feeling, refreshed, and "holy" and "pius". They go on expensive "fasts", consuming small quantities of expensive gourmet, yet healthy organic food, under the guise of self- sacrifice, when in actuality, they simply want to lose weight. The thought would never cross my mind to throw out a bible, but I am tempted to dicard my "devotional" bible, where God's inspired word is embellished and tainted by frivoulous and uninspired materialism. For each person that spends the day pampered in expensive, luxurious spas, getting pedicures there are countless human beings, that languish in pain and hunger and filth. Countless numbers suffer with terminal conditions and debilitating pain from diseases such as cancer and ALS. For every healthfood snob that will only eat organic, or expensive gourmet meals, or five dollar gourmet cofees, there are countless others who are so hungry that they will eat stale cereal or bread because they must fill their hungry bellies with whatever edible food they can find. For every pampered pet that gets groomed, trained in obediance academy, and has fancy gourmet food, and periodic vet visits, lyme disease vaccines and hearworm pills, there are children who go without nutritious food, clean water, vaccines and antibiotics. And there are countless hard working parents scraping by with multiple jobs and low wages, who die for want of healthcare. People spend endless hours fundraising for endless frivolous causes, sporting organizations and other humaitarian and social causes to feel good about themselves, when it is simply a disguised effort to provide for their own greedy wants and tainted consciouses. Many fans cry at the so- called hardship endured when a "misunderstood" drug abusing, wealthy popstar or famous model is found dead in a luxurious hotel room, yet the memories of the unknown, tortured prisoners of war or missing and exploited children are not even remembered.

Churched and religious people protest and defend the rights of the unborn and the aborted yet neglect the needs of many women who are griefstricken and in true need from pregnancy loss. I am a pro-lifer- I even had my own prolife website in college. Yet at least the unborn have the comfort of going to heaven and seing the face of the Lord if they die. As Job said in the old testament "Why wasn't I born dead? Why didn't I die as I came from the womb? I would be asleep and at rest." Yet these same very people who advocate the rights of the unborn, write letters and picket at clinics, neglect the pain of the mother whose child had died in a miscarriage or a stillbirth. Little do they know that the same medical procedures performed for abortions, must also be performed on grieving mothers who suffer from incomplete miscarriages or stillbirths. In fact the health complications and financial cost burden is even greater for these later term procedures than for early term abortions. So, on top of medical costs and health complications, a grieving mom is also at greater risk for depression and prolonged grief. It is true that legislation can not impact pregnancy loss, yet a woman's life and well being is no less significant than an unborn life. These same "advocates" who push their beliefs and money to healthy, young women seeking abortions, who often do not want help- and prefer privacy and anonymity, are oblvious to the needs and loss experienced by a mother who has lost her child due to terminal illness or perhaps even a tragic crime or accident. What about those women who must endure a forced abortion in while in her eigth or even ninth month of pregnancy- as she is forced to have her child violently and forcibly torn from her womb against her will, simply because of her beliefs, or her race or her nationality- which was known to happen during the holacaust and still happens to many political prisoners in many nations. There hundreds of thousands of women in third world nations, with no access to minimal healthcare- who often die when they endure unrelived labor with no medical intervention. Without the available services that many take for granted here, many women suffer obstretic fistuals and still-births after three or more days of succesive, tortuous unrelieved labor. These women, if they do survive, are neglected- left to suffer in anonymity, grief and shame, while tons of money and support and free healthcare and counseling are offered to a healthy young woman considering abortion. Perhaps I am a bit repetitious, but I feel these words need to be written.

There is more to learn in the written world whether it is in print or even the virtual world of the internet.  Furthermore, I gain more empathy for my fellow man by reading a book- even a science or text book, or even browsing the internet or reading the news- where I can get a glimpse of the real world- with its poverty, illness, crime and death. Oftentimes I use the daily news as a springboard to continue my education concerning the realities of this world.  There are men and women enduring debilitating and terminal illnesses: cancer, ALS, paralysis! So many can not even get out of their own beds as their failing and weakend bodies have betrayed them. Some cannot even breathe on their own and must live on a vent- with the constant fear of death looming.  There are parents whose lives are a living nightmare, whose child has gone missing- never to be heard from again, or grief stricken women who have lost a child from still birth or SIDS. Millions starve to death, or die from a lack of basic antibiotics. I can scroll satellite images of the dirty, desolate, cardboard and tin shacks that impoverished families must live in halfway across the world over the virtual maps available on the internet. It makes me wonder what else they must lack- food? Water? Healthcare? I learn that not everyone lives in a mansion- yet from watching modern day tv you would think anyone who didn't live in a three story mansion with a well manicured lawn and indoor pool was deprived. Many people are still tortured for their political or religious beliefs. We can't take anything for granted- our freedom of speech, the food we eat, our health.... not even the air we breath- because there are countless souls out there starving, suffering, dying and grieving! I learn these things from reading about the world and living in the world.  I try to meditate on the experiences that others go through who must endure hardships and trials more difficult than my own.  Television tells me I am not young enough, or thin enough, or healthy enough, or wealthy or succesful or talented.... My first reaction might be self pity.  Yes it is true I don't have a succesful, exciting career, large home, expensive shoes or exotic vacations......yet I  am thankful nevertheless because I feel as if I have everything I need and more! Observation of the realities of this world, tell me that I am fortunate, and that I should be thankful.  These are the realities of this world- not expensive Coach bags, days being pampered at the spa, hi-tech internet phones or Disney Land cruises! People need to take the blinders off and wake up to reality. The movies, and shows on the media portray a fantasy world that so few are able to enjoy- it actually makes me sick even to watch most TV shows. People endure a lot of pain in this world- death, grief, terminal illness, poverty and natural disaster. Yet, many people choose live in the safety of their own cacoon- their own little comfortable lives, their own family, friends and career, focusing on materialism, instant gratification and ambition.
I was once asked by a elderly patient that I was transporting to the hospital -if I had any children. I answered her, "yes". After further questioning I told her that I had a boy and a girl. And she responded..."ahhh.... a rich man's family". I thought about those words, and yes it is true. I am "rich" in all that really matters and is important. I may not be rich by society's standards- as in the fact that I don't have material wealth, a career, special talents, or a mansion, or fancy shoes or an expensive Coach bag. But I do have my faith, and a promise of eternal life- and my two children, and I have my freedom- to practice my beliefs without fear of torture, and I don't have a terminal illness or chronic pain. I also have a place to live, and food to eat and clothes. In reality what more is important? Matthew 6:19-21