Happy Independence Day - July 4th, 2008

This month of July begins with a celebration of our Independence.
Our forefathers declared our nation’s independence with a visionary idea that the government’s purpose is to support and serve the people of this country. As stated on our country’s Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness -- That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive to these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness……”

Gandhi also spoke of these truths and the power of non-violence, freedom, and equality for all people. Unfortunately, our government today continually breaks the agreements and principles upon which this nation was founded. For the first time in history, some of our leaders are ignoring the Declaration of Independence and we watch as our constitutional rights are being eroded away. As a nation, we are creating more karma with actions of discord toward the reverence for life, its people, its laws, and the planet.

Historically, oppression has been part of our history and continues to replay itself in different forms. After the US won the revolution and we declared our independence from Great Britain, what slowly occurred was that the British corporations infiltrated our banking system and controlled our trade. Today, we have been tricked into fighting a war based upon misinformation, and oppression is occurring via the loss of our constitutional rights and through the control of government by big money.

We are led to believe that we are free. The truth is that we are manipulated by those corporations whose only purpose is to reap excessive profits at the cost of everyone else, as well as that of the planet. Major corporations influence our government leaders, creating calamity, obesity, disease, and war through the laws they create and support, while ignoring what is good for all citizens of this beautiful country.

Currently, our country has become immersed in materialism, greed, and power - with little respect for the freedom of the individual. We have become a plastic-packaged society that looks good but has no connection with nature or Spirit. It has become painfully clear that we are ruled by unscrupulous corporations that pay off our legislators to have laws made in their favor, with the pharmaceutical industry being at the top of the list. Such decisions do not pay respect to humankind or the natural law. As citizens, we are struggling to meet the challenge of not being trapped by materialism and weakened by the loss of our constitutional rights. At this point in time, in so many ways, we are not free because true freedom involves good choices. We are slaves to a society that is built upon false pretenses and fundamentally ignores the will of the people.

We are confined to a system that does not support wellbeing on any level. The abuse of science and technology is slowly destroying our land and our precious environment, creating serious damage and climatic imbalances, as demonstrated by the global weather changes.

We are led to believe that more is better, that fast foods are easier and healthy, that drugs are good, and that our government knows better and always has our best interests in mind. We are lead to believe that the more we consume, the happier we will be. We are slaves to chemical foods, processed foods, and fast foods and need to break free.

We have become a nation driven by deception and “spin”, and a democracy that is manipulated by the media and gives us only what they think we should have. Today, we have a drug dependent society that infiltrates our lives via TV commercials and the media. You may have noticed that the pharmaceutical companies continually advertise their products on TV and also state their serious side effects as if it is all perfectly OK and normal. I see this as a problem for at least two reasons: (1) the young children of today are growing up being programmed via TV that all drugs are OK, even ones that may have serious side effects, and children are given the impression that drugs are needed to lead a healthy life. (2) Do you ever see herbs or herbal products advertised on TV? Herbs are far, far safer than drugs and have almost no serious side effects, yet the FDA wants that information suppressed and products banned.

Wake up Americans, and begin to see that the American Dream has eroded during the past years and we are truly not free from the overwhelming greed that is destroying our body, mind, and spirit. There is a very serious lack of good choices. Are we really free? Do we have a system that supports health care and provides preventive maintenance? Or does our system promote drugs and sickness in order to be under the control of the pharmaceutical industry? Does health insurance cover natural alternative products and techniques? Did you know that 70% of Hospice Medicare expenditures occur in the last thirty days of a patient’s life? Think of how much better it would be if the government spent that amount of money over an individual’s thirty years of life, providing quality of life through a natural health care and preventative program.

If things are going to change, it is up to us, individually and collectively.
With freedom comes responsibility. As citizens committed to reclaiming our freedom, we can create a better nation by improving ourselves, knowing our worth, educating ourselves and our families on all matters of life, and choosing to be more conscious and responsible in such matters as: choosing political representatives who best represent the good of the whole, buying and supporting the organic food industry, supporting eco-friendly products, natural health care products, using recycling shopping bags, outdoor pesticides, household pest control, pet care and pet care products, natural skin care and hair care, waste recycling, recycling of furniture and clothes, etc, etc, etc. Do as much as you can to support your health and the environment by purchasing natural green products, eco friendly products, and natural products. Teach your children well.

And don’t forget to share what you have learned with your friends and neighbors. Freedom is about having good future-oriented choices – and we need to spread the word that there is a grass-roots system that does not support the plastic, toxic, mainstream reality and does offer alternative choices based upon a consciousness of that which is good for the whole of mankind, as well as that of the planet. “Remember, we vote with our dollars”, as stated by my friend Tom Pfeiffer.

As you grow into higher levels of consciousness, awareness, and responsibility, you will improve the quality of your life by reclaiming your freedom of choice. Know thyself and know what is happening in your environment. Take action. Promote peace. Continue searching along your spiritual path. As the challenges emerge, continue to bring healing and harmony into your life and those of your loved ones.

On this Fourth of July, you may wish to make a further commitment to let your Spirit freely express through your life experiences. This is true freedom, and we all yearn for and bless that expression.

Happy 4th of July – Independence Day.

Namaste,
Light

Bryan’s Corner (links fixed)

While teaching a class in medical ethics at Everglades University, I became more aware of the evidence to back up my long held beliefs about medicine and health. Here are a few of my favorites, More next month. Enjoy, Bryan

The Duke study referred to by Bill Maher which proves exercise to be as effective as Zoloft for depression. If you are paying attention to the news these days, it becomes evident that turning your health over to doctors and their prescriptions is dangerous to your health (prescription reactions are now the 4th leading cause of death in the US. We can control our own health by conscious lifestyle choices and avoid the dangers of Big Pharma and the doctors who are trained by them.

Bill Maher tells the truth about Big Pharma, Diet and exercise. Extremely funny but true.

The health ranger plays with pharma giant Merk by telling the truth.

Patent on Pigs - Even for those who consider themselves to be reasonably well informed on the subject of Monsanto's designs on the global food supply, there is material in this film that sheds light on secondary issues, such as fertility, that demand our attention.