by Charly Mann

Michele Obama said recently that people in the United States are "just downright mean", and I agree. People on the left hate people on the right, and people on the right hate people on the left. Inflexibility and intellectual immaturity seems to be the only way the two sides of the political spectrum communicate with one another. I see little difference, for instance, between the acerbic and incendiary style of Ann Coulter and Michael Moore. They both use derision, fear, hate, and anger to advance their agenda.

I do not think I could say who is angrier in this country, the left or the right. Granted the left is usually more erudite and polished with their hate, with spokespeople like Keith Obermann, than the right, which tends to be loud and bullying like Rush Limbaugh. What I hate is all this anger, and there is plenty to go around. No one is listening to the other side, and I think that is frightening. In some ways, liberal intolerance is more repulsive to me than that of the right, simply because they claim to be better educated, sophisticated, and tolerant. What is stupid is not the ideas of either side, but the closed-mindness that both exhibit. This country has a lot of problems, and what we really need are people who do not want to argue, but work together to fix them.

From reading and listening to the radio, television, and blogs on the left and right, I have discovered these facts:

Liberals describe themselves as tolerant, concerned about the environment, forgiving, wanting higher taxes for the rich to give more benefits to the poor and middle class, and as all around good people. They see people on the right as intolerant, warmongering, lacking respect for the environment, wanting to help the rich instead of the poor, unforgiving, and caring more about punishment than rehabilitation. People on the left see corporations as evil because their profit motive is a form of selfishness, which causes the inequality between the rich and poor. They see big business as exploitive, and always looking for unfair advantages over their workers and competitors. They want far higher taxes, regulations, and government controls on big business to marginalize their wealth and power.

Conservatives see themselves as favoring individual liberties and responsibility, smaller and more decentralized government, less taxes for everyone, and believing our major religions should be our guide for moral behavior. They see people on the left as intolerant to people who are pro-life, own a gun, are fundamentalist Christians, and think capitalism is preferable to socialism. They think big government and socialsm are evil, and point out the lack of freedom in and millions killed by socialist and communist governments in China, Russia, and Nazi Germany. (The full name of the Nazi party is the National Socialist German Workers' Party.) They fear a “New World Order” in which governments will control most financial institutions and businesses. People on the right agree that rich businessmen and companies are sometimes imperfect, but say that is an area where laws and regulation should prevent abuse. They also point out that it was capitalism, not socialism, that liftted the majority of the people in the world out of poverty in the last century, and has doubled the living standards of most people every generation.

Listen fully to all sides and find common ground

Of course no social system that the right or left could create would ever be perfect. We are after all human beings, and have a long history of corruption, selfishness, and cruelty on both sides of the political spectrum. The real evil going on is that no one is listening to other side. People just cannot accept that their beliefs may not be correct. At what point will people realize their anger towards one another needs to be better managed, and turned into real dialogue? There is ambiguity and two sides to every story, and it is time to listen, empathize, and try to understand. We are all guilty of living with the assumption that our religion, political viewpoint, and philosophy is correct. We deride, mock, and ignore those that do not agree with us, but rarely can we truly explain or justify our own beliefs in depth, or make logical and factual arguments about the fallacies of other people's ideas. We are imprisoned by our lack of information on most subjects. By accepting the ideas of one political party or religion without questioning, we give up our ability to think , know, and reason.

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better,
To paint a picture or write a letter,
Bake a cake or plant a seed,
Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
With rivers to swim and mountains to climb,
Music to hear and books to read,
Friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world's out there
With the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain.
This day will not come 'round again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it's not always kind.
And when you go and go you must,
You, yourself, will make more dust.

by Charly Mann

What makes a great song? A combination of memorable verse and melody that express a feeling which deeply touches our soul. The lyrics are actually more important than the tune in reaching us emotionally. The music of a great song amplifies and compliments the sentiments of the words. A great song ultimately needs a great singer and arrangement to translate the lyrical sentiments into an audio expression that we will never forget.

A great song is also harmonic perfection that gives charm to life and opens our heart. In just a few minutes it speaks to you, and creates a vision as powerful as a great novel or play. Such songs are gifts from God, and are the only great art I have experienced on this earth that I think the angels in heaven would truly enjoy.

How is one to live a moral and compassionate existence when one is fully aware of the blood, the horror inherent in life, when one finds darkness not only in one's culture but within oneself? If there is a stage at which an individual life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding and accepts responsibility for a life lived in the midst of such paradox. One must live in the middle of contradiction, because if all contradiction were eliminated at once life would collapse. There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light.

by Charly Mann

One's progress in life is perhaps best measured by the level of tranquility one attains. Tranquility is an inner calmness coupled with the absence of anxiety or agitation. The more tranquil you are, the more successful you will be as person, and the greater influence for good you can have on others. As you become more serene you will also become aware that there is much more to life than material comforts and physical pleasure.

People who have a tendency for calmness are 50% less likely to develop dementia than people who are high strung or prone to stress. This is because the ability to handle the rigors of life without significant anxiety protects the area of the brain called the hippocampus where dementia originates.

There are many paths for developing inner peace, but they all start with having good character. Good character rests on little more than being ethical and having a clear conscience. Selfishness is the main enemy of good character. The more we want for ourselves the less time we have for the solitude and reflection we need to scrutinize our thoughts and motivations.

Becoming more laid back is another great way to enhance your peace of mind. Too often we focus on things that are not important, or which we cannot do anything about. For example, most of us spend far too much time trying to second-guess the motives of people involved in our lives. One should also refrain from trying to interfere with how someone else lives their life. Other people do not always conform to our standards, but it is not our job to reform them. Once a person becomes an adult, the only time to offer advice is when it is requested. No two human beings are the same, and each has a unique way of living their life. Anyway, I happen to believe that God is far more capable than me at correcting someone else's behavior.

If you want to attain tranquility you need to be adaptable. Much of life is challenging and unfamiliar. Being congenial to whatever life has in store will enable you to harmoniously adapt and endure the obstacles along the way. At the same time, it is important that you avoid taking on more tasks and responsibilities than you are capable of doing well. Know your limitations.

Cultivating patience instills not only peace of mind, but a focus on achieving the kinds of goals in life that are most worthwhile and provide our greatest sense of fulfillment. Things like being a great parent, learning a foreign language, or becoming an expert on a subject, take years or decades to master.

Finally, I find there are two things in my own life that always make me content. The first is spending quality time with a close friend, and the second is reading a good book.

by Charly Mann

Not so long ago and fairly nearby lived a white deer in a rather mundane forest. This particular creature possessed the answer to the most important question in the universe, yet no one had ever been able to coax the information from this ghostly-looking animal.

One day, as I was walking through these woods, I thought I spotted a large white sheep grazing in a pasture adjacent to the forest. As I got closer, I saw it was instead this stubborn deer.  When I got within five feet I asked him to provide me with the answer to the question humanity had been pursuing for many millenniums. That is, “what is the meaning of life?” Silently the deer looked up at me from his grazing and slowly moved about ten feet further away. I then spoke even more forcefully and implored the stag to be generous and share his secret. At the precise instant my question was complete he vanished.

I then returned to the forest in bewilderment trying to imagine where the deer had gone. No more than ten paces into the trail, the deer reappeared in front of me, charging at me with his antlers pointed at my body. I called out, “Please God …” and suddenly he stopped and said, “Good fortune waits you beyond the bend in the trail.” I regained my composure and repeated the question I had asked him twice before. “Three times,” he said, “is the charm,” and he came up within six inches of me. He then looked directly into my eyes and spoke these words:

“A momentous time is near for the world you live in, and my appearance in your forest heralds a profound change in how man will live from now on. Here is the answer that all men seek. Life is eternal and that alone gives it purpose. Existence and consciousness should be spent marveling at God’s creation and serving your purpose of getting to know God better by trusting him.”

The deer then returned to graze in the pasture, and I turned on my camera, and when I got to the bend in the trail captured this photograph.