Did we Forget?

Did we forget the reason we left? We left for freedom. The freedom for all, not just for some that believed there was only one way to live. Some have found a path that is right for them, but they should not believe that that path is the only way. There are many paths and many trails- many ways to reach the point of true happiness.

But instead of freedom we often stand for division, we stand for class, we stand to punish those that have made it, and deny those that want to escape the hell that freedom has turned into. The lives that have been lost are often turned into capitalistic holidays, while we all light up the night sky with fireworks and claim independence, in that same sentence we preach hate and discrimination.

It would seem as if this country’s flag is a cross. But it is not. It is a symbol of our independence. It is a symbol of the generations of slaves that built this land, the generations that have fought for this land, the generations that have yet to come and change this land.

Freedom should not be a set of laws based upon old beliefs that deny love, deny opportunity, and are dependent on castes, and classes, economics, and knowledge that separates one another. Man’s history on this planet is dark. We have killed in the name of our Gods, and our beliefs. We have killed for material; we have killed for simple pleasure of killing.

It comes time for us to understand something, a simple fact in America; we are not separate- but one. We are one people under one law that no longer believes in freedom for all, but rather freedom for those that believe that same ideas and rhetoric that has been forced fed over and over again.

Republican, Democrat, Socialism, race, sexuality, and economical status are all tools to destroy, divide and conquer. Divide the people allow for them to fight so that others can remain in power and control. Some of those that often follow religion do not know what they are following. Why? Because they have been taught not to question, but only accept.

Is this right? If society did not question slavery, bigotry, and opportunity, what type of world would we live in today? Because even those these issues, or problems, have been buried beneath the false flag of hope. We continue to judge what actions are correct, we continue to engage in gluttony and greed as our waistlines increase, and our debts become unbearable.

Even those that claim to live the righteous path are caught in the lies and deception of freedom in this country. We should not be bound by ancient stories that guide us to real darkness and control. Because our original creator is a loving and caring being that created a world that gave us life. That gave us a brain, a heart to love, an opportunity to experience, and then wither and return to the earth. But these religions, these political positions, were not created by God- but by man.

These stories to ethical and intelligent minds make no sense. Those that have learned to question authority, and to seek true peace, often find themselves pointing to contradictions in life that cast us further into the darkness. For I am not the original man, I am the second generation of man. I am enlightened by the world around me.  I see the harmony between the earth and the creatures that walk on all fours. I am one with the planet, the wind, and the sea.

When the sea dies, I die.  When the planet dies, I die.  When the sun dies, I die- we all die.  The human race dies. We are all interconnected. If you want to believe in God then believe in all of God.  Think of the blades of grass, the leaves of trees, and the animals that run free in the forest, because we are all God. And we are all beings of God. That chicken or shrimp on your plate is a part of God and not anything else. If you want to experience true enlightenment and true peace, you have to forget all the trash that was produced to control you.         

If you want freedom, then accept all freedom- not just freedom for the rich, the religious, or those that believe the same so-called truths that you agree with. Our freedom and relationship with God is one that offers all freedoms, and not freedom restricted or limited to those that believe they are superior or live life the right way. 

The Stove Has Been Turned Off

An interesting point was brought to my attention while I was at a local café. America is no longer a melting pot. Do not get me wrong, it is true that we are a country of immigrants and different nationalities. But do we really live together? Do we have a common goal? Or do we isolate ourselves to our own culture?

I often record in one of the poorest parts of San Francisco. One day I had to take my children with me until their mother could pick them up. My son looked at me and said “Daddy, there are two different Californias”. I looked at him and his wide eyes scanning the scenery, and said “yes son, there is”. This is one of those moments as a father you are waiting for. The moment to explain some real shit to your child.

My children have not been exposed to the real world. They’ve never seen streets filled with trash, homes that looked like they were going to collapse and police cars every 10 minutes. But this was nothing new to me at all. I was exposed to this as a child, and I knew that this was the real world to the black community. Even though my grandmother moved me away from the city when I was in kindergarten, I still had the black experience growing up.

My father use to take me to the barber shop in the Fillmore. I would buy clothes and shoes right next door. I would visit my Grandmother in the Bayview district and walk to the store for 10 cent candy. Then I would return home to stare at the ocean and fall asleep to the sound of the waves hitting the shore.  I grew up knowing that I was in one world but there were others struggling and suffering in another.

This is not about staying in the Asian, Black, or Latino community, but rather assimilate and become one. America should be a country with a common goal to make things better for everyone. What is our common goal? Do we have one at all? Can we please pick- and soon- before we have no chance at all?

In order for America to return to glory we to need to come together and realize that we are repeating history. Sure it may not be full out Civil Rights in the streets, but some of the scenes in the news could be changed to black and white and we may not be able to tell the difference.

While I lived in Texas, every day I would see the Texas flag everywhere I turned. It was sort of like a cult thing in a way, but it worked. I had pride for the state of Texas, and was proud to be a Texan even though I was a transplant. There was common goal in the Lone Star State pride, the pride of being a Texan. My son and daughter still have that pride to this day. They enjoy California and family and their new friends, but when you say “Texas” it makes them smile. The pride they have should be the same pride that we have when we see the American flag.

But in order for this to truly happen we have to assimilate, we have to define an American culture that has rituals that embrace our different cultures but remains focused on us being united. Without all citizens of a country being behind one goal we will accomplish nothing. We will continue to be divided by politics, religion, sexual preference, gender, and last but not least, class.

I am proud that my children have lived in Texas and California. I’ve learned how to assimilate myself in an environment that was not known to me. I knew that in order to be successful and to make it in Texas I would have to assimilate. Assimilating is not destroying your own cultural beliefs, but rather accepting the community that you live in and becoming one.

We do not need separate classes for children that speak one language; we need classes that teach our children all languages, so that we can compete in a global world. In order to return to number one we have to realize that we are no longer the top dog- we need an objective.

A melting pot is something that takes ingredients from all over the world and makes one delicious dinner- a common goal.

Help Wanted

Since when is it the responsibility of the government to create jobs? There needs to be some accountability by the people to accept that we are falling behind. Our lifestyle has started to exceed the amount of money that we are bringing in. The economy is a complicated machine that has been fed a virus led by the people, the government, and big business. Those that have lost jobs need to re-examine their skill set and create a job for themselves or take a pay cut and get used to the new style of living in America.

There are always opportunities in America and around the world, but our need for goods at a lower price, shareholders demanding huge profits, and people buying what they cannot afford has placed a strain on those that have made proper financial decisions. The president is not responsible for creating jobs. We the people need to create jobs, support American companies, and educate ourselves so that we can compete with the global markets.

Call center jobs have been lost to companies in India, manufacturing jobs have been lost to sweatshops in China, and it is easy to see what is happening when you stand in line for one of those new shinny phones- we are supporting everyone but ourselves.

Some people laugh and say that America will always be a superpower, but that is a theory that is slowly crumbling. America is an Empire and our walls are starting to burn, and our weaknesses are being shown across the world. The time of American exploitation is coming to an end. This is not a “the end of the world” conspiracy theory, but this is the end of the world as we knew it. This is reality. America has no natural resources that other countries are dependent on. America has depleted all creativity and has subjected itself to a state of vegetation.

This vegetation, or coma, is reversible- we can demand for companies to bring jobs back to America. We can increase the amount of tax on imported items. We can fix health care so that it is affordable for companies to offer their employees health care and compete with companies around the world. Capitalism is a system that is dependent on the citizens to spend money and government to regulate and protect the people. The more that we depend on the government to fix the economy, the larger the government becomes. The more government jobs that are created equal more taxes we are forced to pay.

Teachers, police officers, public officials, fire fighters, military personal, and a wide range of other jobs are all dependent on taxes for salaries. This money does not come out of thin air. So when people express their concern about the government fixing the economy it has to be understood that the only way to fix a capitalistic economy is by spending. Small business is the only way that we will escape this horrible economy. The corporations only care about the shareholders not the employees. The President is a man, a mortal, not a job making cybernetic machine. Americans have always found a way to forge forward. That is how our country was built. It is not the responsibility of the president to find citizens a job but rather the citizens to create jobs and opportunities for each other.

We have become lazy and dependent on government. We should not always look for someone else to blame, but rather find solutions ourselves. We can not continue to fight amongst each other and be divided by political agendas and religious ideology. Change within America has never been easy- there has always been bloodshed, riots, and causalities, but this is a revolution that many do not want to face.