Make Your Soul Grow Kurt Vonnegut

In 2006 a high school English teacher asked students to write a famous author and ask for advice. Kurt Vonnegut was the only one to respond - and his response is magnificent:

 

“Dear Xavier High School, and Ms. Lockwood, and Messrs Perin, McFeely, Batten, Maurer and Congiusta:

I thank you for your friendly letters. You sure know how to cheer up a really old geezer (84) in his sunset years. I don’t make public appearances any more because I now resemble nothing so much as an iguana.

What I had to say to you, moreover, would not take long, to wit: Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.

Seriously! I mean starting right now, do art and do it for the rest of your lives. Draw a funny or nice picture of Ms. Lockwood, and give it to her. Dance home after school, and sing in the shower and on and on. Make a face in your mashed potatoes. Pretend you’re Count Dracula.

Here’s an assignment for tonight, and I hope Ms. Lockwood will flunk you if you don’t do it: Write a six line poem, about anything, but rhymed. No fair tennis without a net. Make it as good as you possibly can. But don’t tell anybody what you’re doing. Don’t show it or recite it to anybody, not even your girlfriend or parents or whatever, or Ms. Lockwood. OK?

Tear it up into teeny-weeny pieces, and discard them into widely separated trash receptacals. You will find that you have already been gloriously rewarded for your poem. You have experienced becoming, learned a lot more about what’s inside you, and you have made your soul grow.

God bless you all!"

 

Kurt Vonnegut

 

What is paganism?

 

What is paganism?

From a Christian viewpoint, pagans are generally characterized as those who are caught up in any religious ceremony, act, or practice that is not distinctly Christian. Correspondingly, Jews and Muslims also use the term pagans to describe those outside their religion. Others define the term paganism as any religion outside of Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity; whereas some argue that a pagan is anyone with no religion at all.

Pagan comes from the Latin word paganus, which means “country dweller”; paganism can refer to polytheism or the worship of more than one god, such as in ancient Rome. A pagan is also considered to be one who, for the most part, has no religion and indulges in worldly delights and material possessions; someone who revels in sensual pleasures; a hedonistic or self-indulgent individual. Another, more modern term is neo-paganism, which refers to some of the contemporary forms of paganism such as Wicca, Druidry, and Gwyddon.

These modern “pagan” practices are actually similar to their ancient counterparts in that they rely heavily on hedonism—sensual gratification and self-indulgence and the pursuit of happiness and pleasure to the exclusion of everything else. In ancient times, sexual ceremonies were a major part of pagan religions. The Old Testament references these perverted religions in such passages as Deuteronomy 23:17, Amos 2:7–8, and Isaiah 57:7–8.

Though they are numerous and varied in their practices and beliefs, pagans do hold to some similar beliefs. For example:

• The physical world is a good place, one to be taken pleasure in by everyone.

• Everyone is considered to be part of this Mother Earth.

• Divinity reveals itself in every facet of the world.

• Every being, man and animal, is a derivative of the Divine. As such,

• Most pagan religions do not have gurus or messiahs.

• Doctrine is superseded by one’s own responsibility.

• Solar and lunar cycles are significant in pagan worship.

Any form of paganism is false doctrine. Paul addressed this perversion of the truth in his letter to the believers in Rome (Romans 1:22–27). The people Paul described were worldly and materialistic, worshiping created things rather than the Creator. They worshiped trees, animals, and rocks, going so far as to abuse their bodies in deviant sexual practices to revel in their passions. Paul then goes on to tell us why they did this and the end result:

“Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done” (Romans 1:28).

In spite of common assumptions, most pagan worshipers claim they don’t believe in Satan. However, there’s no question that Satan is their chief source of influence and control. Though they will deny it, they deify him in their worldly and sensual practices. Paul tells us plainly how Satan works in the lives of people without God, through his power, his signs, his deceit, and his lies:

“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness” (2 Thessalonians 2:9–12).

That Satan is alive and well is powerfully evidenced in these pagan practices. This was not only clear in the times of the first-century church, but also in today’s postmodern world. To the faithful believers who know the Lord, pagan worship is what it appears to be—the power and deceit of the prince of this world, Satan (1 John 5:19), who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). As such, paganism should be avoided

Electric roads?

 Believe it or not!

 

"Workers removed the asphalt in Russia, and found this mysterious "road" made of metal.

You know that they always have some fancy explanation to shape your perception of how primitive we were. Good ol'days.. 

 

 

Sarcasm aside, riding a horse with carts would definitely be a nightmare on this road, and not to mention walking.

 

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These metal rods were used to delegate the electricity, and ground negative potential, and the dome towers used as Antennae receivers. Same thing was applied in ancient temples aka churches/mosques/temples that all have copper floors."

Inflation Reduction Act... what's in it?

 

Here is a bit of what the so-called INFLATION REDUCTION ACT has tucked away within the WORDS WORDS WORDS!!

- $6.5 Billion Natural Gas Tax Which Will Increase Household Energy Bills

- $12 Billion Crude Oil Tax Which Will Increase Household Costs

- $1.2 Billion Coal Tax Which Will Increase Household Energy Bills

- Corporate Income Tax Hike on U.S. Businesses Which Will Be Passed on to Households

- $124 Billion Stock Tax Which Will Hit Your Nest Egg — 401(k)s, IRAs and Pension Plans

- 95% Federal Excise Tax on American Pharmaceutical Manufacturers

- $52 Billion Income Tax Hike on Mid-Sized & Family Businesses

- Supersizing the IRS to Increase Audits – $124 Billion

KEEP IN MIND THAT VIRTUALLY EVERY SINGLE PENNY of this bill will ultimately be coming out of the consumer's pockets.

Remember this as you go to the polls this November.

Welcome to the Conservative Side of the Fence

 

Thanks to whoever put this analogy together! It was worth the read.

A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be very liberal, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favor of higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words redistribution of wealth.

She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch conservative, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his. 

 

One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father. He responded by asking how she was doing in school.

Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying. Her father listened and then asked, "How is your friend Audrey doing?" She replied, "Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over."

 

Her father asked his daughter, "Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA."

 

The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, "That's a crazy idea, how would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!"

The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, "Welcome to the conservative side of the fence."

 

If you ever wondered what side of the fence you sit on, this is a great test! 

 

If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one. If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed. 

 

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn't eat meat. If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone. 

 

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation. A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.

 

If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels. Liberals demand that those they don't like be shut down.

 

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church. A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and Jesus silenced. 

 

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.. A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.

 

If a conservative reads this, he'll post it. A liberal will delete it because he's "offended."

Well, I posted it. Your call.

Twitter blocking SCOTUS news.

 

Breaking: SCOTUS Sides With Praying Football Coach in Game-Changing Win for Christians https://thefederalistpapers.org/us/breaking-scotus-sides-praying-football-coach-game-changing-win-christians

Truth about gas prices.

 

A whole lot of truth about gas prices, and to those that say: "the president doesn't set the price of gas"... pay close attention and maybe read it twice:

From a production worker in a refinery on the Gulf of Mexico:

"You've been lied to by the President and his phony cronies, but I want to set the record straight. I'm going to tell you the truth, so pay attention"....

FACT # 1. There is enough recoverable crude oil within the continental US to supply current and projected future demand for 400+ years, and that's just the oil we know about. It doesn't account for future discoveries. ...

FACT # 2. We do not need to import a SINGLE DROP of foreign crude oil. The domestic oil industry can easily meet, and even surpass domestic demand. We've done it before, and we can do it again.

FACT # 3. The domestic oil industry currently cannot satisfy domestic demand due to oil drilling restrictions imposed by the federal government.

FACT # 4. The price of EVERYTHING revolves around oil, and the law of supply vs demand dictates the price of oil. When oil is plentiful, commodities are cheap. When oil is scarce, commodities are more expensive. Right now, domestic oil is scarce, and the price of everything is high because of these restrictions imposed by the federal government.

FACT # 5. We import foreign oil from countries that drill and produce it much cheaper than we're able to because they do not implement all of the environmental safeguards that we do. Their methods are FAR more destructive to the environment than ours are.

FACT # 6. Every year, the federal government leases tracts of land to oil companies so they can explore on it for oil. If enough oil is found during exploration, the company can then apply for a drilling permit which allows them to drill a well. If no oil is found during exploration, or if the amount found is not enough to be profitable the lease expires without ever being drilled on. Leases that are active, but not being drilled on does NOT mean that oil companies are being lazy, or are trying to keep the oil for themselves, etc. etc. It means they've either explored the lease for oil and found nothing, or found oil but it's not enough to justify drilling for.

FACT # 7. it’s not Russia's fault, or China's fault, or Ukraine, or India, or Venezuela, or Iran, or Bangladesh, or any other countries' fault as to why everything is so expensive right now. It's Joe Biden's fault, because he is suppressing the domestic oil industry for political gain.

EVERYTHING depends on crude oil... but you might not know that if you believe the lies that are being told about oil and the oil industry.

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