I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about the level of anger that is blowing through our communities, countries, and the world. There’s a whole lot of people quite angry about what has happened in the past 6 months. The financial downturn has put tremendous pressure on families, friendships, and employment. Oh, one more thing….we have a right to feel angry, we just have to be careful how we use it.

The face of anger is revealing itself right across the board. So many who played by the rules are feeling duped. A few days ago I heard an interview where a Reverend mentioned that he hasn’t lost faith in God, but in the System. Here in the United States the past few days have produced much bloodshed in Binghamton, New York, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Two events where anger and disillusionment reached dangerous levels. Most people out there are quite worried about their jobs, yet rest assured, we will get through this period of turmoil, and I believe we will come out stronger as a nation, and as a world community.

Usually anger rises specifically in one area at a time…unfortunately, in the past 6 months it seems to be everywhere….people losing their jobs, mounting bills, and health issues. There’s enough blame to go around, yet I do believe we are starting to stabilize and turn the corner. The line I’m hearing over and over again from friends and people I run into at the stores are “I’m hangin’ in there.”

The kind of anger we are experiencing can be put to good use. It gives us a chance to reflect, observe what went wrong, and try the best we can to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Anger, this time, has given us a chance to get finances in order, live within our means, and stop trying to be something that we’re not. It got so crazy over the past few years that quite a few people pretended and lived like millionaires, totally on credit. There was so much credit available that people practically choked on it. I knew that something was up when I started hearing repeatedly the term “Flipping houses,” as a way to make money. A neighbor down the street told me she had three properties that she purchased, no money down! I said to her, “Be careful.” She laughed and said, “Jennifer, no problem….I’m not in the stock market.” Well, we all found out through this housing crisis, if you own a home, you ARE in the stock market! Assets are assets.

There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, as long as we’re realistic. For me, the one thought that has come out of this is, health is true wealth, for sure. And, can you believe it? Frugality has become “hip!” A comment made by one of the victims of the Bernie Madoff scandal had a nice ring to it, for me. She said “I am not a victim, I am a survivor.” We will survive….we will go on….

Live Long and Prosper:)

Jennifer Avalon

© 2009 Jennifer Avalon

I am always amazed at the secrecy with which mankind thinks he is operating under, in relation to the eyes of God. Some of mankind who profess to be religious seem to think that they have the ability to shield God from their behaviour….that God can actually be played games with. Nothing could be further from the Truth.

How much better would this world be if those who profess spirituality really believed that there is a God always observing? Would they try a little bit harder to be kind…would they take the hand out of the pocket and lend it to someone in need? Would they re-think the idea that saying one thing but doing another is called Hypocrisy? True Believers do just that….they resist their human impulses and take the Higher Ground…even if it means less for them materially, or it isn’t what they particulary feel like doing at a particular moment…because they know God is watching, and they will be held accountable someday.

We all make mistakes….that’s part of being human. But an honest mistake is one thing….to claim a mistake when it was done consciously and with intent, is another….that is a game, and God can see through it. The ultimate master of the game is God….we will never win against God. The purpose of Life isn’t to win the game….it is to understand why we are here (to love), to correct past mistakes (acknowledgement), and to ask for forgiveness (atonement) We are human….we are not perfect.

I remember as a small child playing outside in the sunlight I always felt the presence of God…I “just knew” that He was around. I think many children “just know.” Perhaps that’s why Jesus said it’s important to come to Him as a child…meaning with the pure heart of a child. Meaning, you really believe, and know that you can’t win the game. Children know that they need their parents…they can’t survive without them. We can’t survive without God…..

Believe,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2009 Jennifer Avalon

There are many at this time in our country dissatisfied and frightened by the apparent lack of ethics in our political arena. I have even heard commentators use the expression “Our Founding Fathers must be rolling over in their graves.” If I was a Founding Father, I cetainly would be rolling over.

If you look at our country as a large tree with deep roots, which represent the Constitution, then the branches of the tree are the various elements of the government….and at the top of the tree sits the President of the United States. The military, who from what I understand are required to read the Constitution on an annual basis, are the ones defending the Constitution, the roots of the tree. When people hear statements on the news like one coming out of Illinois the other day that said people of that state will be able to bear arms, but maybe only if they first purchase a million dollar insurance policy to do so, then the Constitution is being threatened. The Second Amendment was not written to give people a chance to go hunting….it was written so that the folks can defend themselves against tyranny. Tryanny is, for example, when only the rich can afford an insurance policy to have the right to bear arms!

Lobbying is not American. It is not a part of the Constitution. It is using the money from special interest groups to influence senators and congressmen….creating an unequal playing field….once again, not American. One can bend and weave all they want, but at the end of the day I think most Americans know what this country is supposed to truly stand for….and that’s why they are becoming so upset.

What is the answer? Perhaps all of us who haven’t done so should pull out a copy of the Constitution, read it, and see if their elected officials are following it. If not, then we should demand more…more of our officials, and more from ourselves. If we just sit back and act helpless, then we deserve what we get. We are where we are not because enough people are involved and care….it’s because not enough people are involved or care. And why is that so? Because we’ve become lazy….we are a country that eats too much, drinks too much, and chases after material goods beyond our reach. Time to tighten the belts, put down the drink, and get our house in order.

The American Dream is still alive and well….just hidden under masses of neglect and carelessness. The American Dream is a concept….written by the hand of man through the breath of God. We must demand that it be kept alive, and that all of us…elected officials, government, and the person on the street, vow to uphold it. And those who don’t…well, maybe they should buy a boat and go live on an island somewhere….preferably far far away from the coastlines of the United States.

Red, White and Blue,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2009 Jennifer Avalon

 

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine where she said to me, “Jennifer, I think we all know right from wrong.” The more I got to thinking about the subject, the more complicated it became. Surely, everyone knows what’s right, or what’s wrong….it all rolls along quite easily until you interject opinion and perception.

Abortion, politics, religion, foreign policy, financial matters, how to raise children, education, social programs, life and death, the death penalty, etc. etc….these are just a few of the subjects where right and wrong, and what is considered a sin in our society, can wave the geiger counter needle all over the spectrum. When one interjects their beliefs on the subject, that too can make the answer of right and wrong quite hazy. If two people have opposing points of view on a serious issue, if both believe they are right, then who’s wrong?

Why am I mentioning all of this? Take a look at the newspapers, and media in general…society has turned Sin into perception. The daily headlines constantly make us all voice an opinion on what’s right before our very eyes. The Iraq war, women having octuplets, the Stimulus Package, and Bernie Madoff….where do each one of us come down on these matters? And at what point do we stretch the line of Sin so far that Sin ceases to exist?

As the old saying goes, “If it feels so right, how can it be wrong?” What’s strange about this statement, for me, is if we as human beings can do whatever we want, then we should be able to eat, drink, drug, sleep, spend, indulge…as much as our hearts desire, without any consequences. If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell you!!

So can we ask ourselves, are we at the point or are we approaching the point, where the word Sin is nothing more than someone else’s opinion we disagree with? Are we on the road of erasing the word “Wrong” from the public square? I hope not. As we live in an imperfect world, perception should never be looked upon as perfection. Disagreement and dissent are fine in a free society….but when we blur the lines of law, we are left with a book of empty pages to live by.

May Justice Prevail,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2009 Jennifer Avalon