I Am An American

I came across this on a wooden plaque as I was going through some old boxes of my father’s collections.  I find it to be full of words by which to live, that are incredibly relevant today:

I Am An American

Lloyd E Smith

These duties I share with my fellow citizens:

It is my duty to obey my country’s laws.

It is my duty to vote, so my government may truly represent the will of the people.

It is my duty to keep informed as to the honesty and ability of candidates for public office.

It is my duty, by my vote and my influence, to correct injustice.

It is my duty to pay such taxes as have been devised by representatives elected by me, to defray the cost of government.

It is my duty to serve on juries when called on.

It may sometimes become my duty to hold a public office for which I am suited, so my government may function efficiently.

It is my duty to defend my country, if need should arise.

It is my duty to abide by the will of the majority, to stand behind my government, so my nation may be unified in times of crisis.

These rights and privileges are mine:

I may think as I please.

I may speak or write as I please, so long as I do not interfere with the rights of others.

I have the right to vote.  By my vote I choose the public officers who are really my servants.

I have the right to choose my work, to seek any job for which my experience and ability have fitted me.

I have the right to try to improve my lot through various means.

I have the right to a prompt trial by jury, if I should be accused of a crime.

I may seek justice in the courts where I have equal rights with others.

I have the privilege of sharing in the benefits of many of the natural resources of my country.

I may educate my children in free schools.

I have the right to worship as I think best.

I have the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Amen, brother.

Your Daily Wisdom

“You can find your true identity within yourself. Nobody can find it for you. You must get up in the morning and find your true identity. You need time to be all by yourself, where there is nobody else. It will bring prosperity. Your radiant body will become brighter. There is no make-up that works to make you brighter, or for your character. You can try anything you want, but for character, you have to work with yourself. You must make your own path in your own life for your own prosperity and richness, and you have to be beautiful, bountiful and blissful. This the way God made you.”

- Yogi Bhajan

Happy New Year

Is It Over Yet Already?

I truly do wish everyone the best in this year of change, 2010.

A new year . . . a new decade.

As we draw nearer to the infamous and much-prophesied December day, 2012, there seems to be a lot of nervous energy being burned up vying for the Blue Ribbon in the “Absolutely Bloody Bonkers End Times Planetary Sublimation Scenario” Contest.  I feel compelled to reach out and collectively stroke the frightened, paranoid and truly confounded and whisper softly to them that it really is going to be alright.

But then, what the hell do I know?  I’m just a guy who pecks out his own version of Internet Drivel in hopes of possibly discovering the Meaning of Life.  Perhaps the strange — or even sad — bit is: I actually believe the world will be better.

So you’re thinking, “That must mean he has the answers to the sticky problems of surviving the ensuing mayhem!”

Sorry, lad (or lass, as the case may be).  No such luck.

In all seriousness, though, if I could encourage others to any one end, I guess it might be to think and act out of a pure essence of being — as a child.  Share because you care.  Love because that is what you are.  Play and frolic, run and climb trees, dance and howl to the moon, sing like no one is listening, splash in the tub, suck Jell-o through a straw, be goofy and laugh until you can’t breathe.

Most of all, believe in the spirits of the wind and the trees and the rocks. Listen to them in the quiet spaces in the forgotten corners of your mind . . . listen, and they will guide you.

It works for me.

Thanks for reading.

Namaste.