MOVING ON.....2024

A Note From The Author: Jacqueline E. Hughes

I am so happy to welcome in the new year, 2024!!! My Blog is changing-up a bit....mainly because I am evolving. Travel will always take precedence in my life and, my journeys will be shared with you. This 2024 version will offer a variety of new stories and personal ideas, as well. This is all about having fun and enjoying this Beautiful Journey called......Life!!!

Showing posts with label Build A Better Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Build A Better Life. Show all posts

Thursday, November 16, 2023

DON’T DIE WONDERING

 


A series of essays….




THE VALUE OF HAVING A GOOD CONSTITUTION

                      Image by artist Pedro X. Molina



….as seen through my eyes!




By: Jacqueline E Hughes



Life consists of many different levels of happiness, sadness, loneliness, surprises, with accolades bestowed upon worthy recipients in all fields, shapes, and sizes! Our heads and minds are being spun out of control by so much activity at any given time that, if given a title, vertigo may suit a situation, perfectly. So, I ask, when is the best time to throw in the towel and allow the brain to relax? Or, in today’s world—would that action even be wise given the intense pressure we live under?


Michael Langenmayr, of the Daily Kos, recently wrote an article entitled: "We are sleepwalking towards authoritarianism." I believe he hit it right on the head. Just as we remain in deep disbelief and denial of his four years in office with all of his lying and cheating in order to monetarily line his own pockets with ‘the people’s hard earned gold,’ his long-term plan to undermine the U.S. Constitution, our government, her citizens, and Democracy (with a big ‘D’) itself remains in constant motion.  Always moving forward towards his intended goals, he remains the venomous snake slithering in the tall grass.


We have handled his past actions with kid gloves—and continue to do so today under the title of ‘being fair,’ ‘after all, he was our president,’ and, ‘he’s a human being and a citizen of our nation and deserves justice.’ I ask you, does he, really? Does he deserve what I would call ‘special treatment’ after pitting us against one another and dividing our nation in two? I ask that he be treated, within our court system, as any other citizen of the United States would be treated. I ask for justice for all of us who have had our lives disrupted by this unethical and highly despicable man. 


“It doesn’t echo ‘Mein Kamph,’” says fascism expert and Yale professor, Jason Stanley, as drumpf compares political rivals to vermin, “This is textbook ‘Mein Kampf.’” Evidently, far from being a banned book in the very open and liberal environment he grew-up in, Mein Kamph served as Drumph’s bible, text book, and bedside reading material incorporating his pledge to “root out the Communists, Marxists, Fascists, and Radical Left Thugs that live like vermin.”



According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, the definition of vermin is: wild animals believed to be harmful to crops, farm animals or game and carry disease; parasitic worms or insects; people perceived as despicable and as causing problems for the rest of society. I ask you now, who, as any given individual with or without the power to impact minds and change the flow of democracy to suit his own agenda, spits in the face of innocent immigrants seeking a better life, discontinues programs meant solely to benefit the people, and forces his will on vulnerable politicians convincing them that his path is the righteous one? 


It seems to be a point of fact, given the past nearly eight years, that to even attempt to understand this lowly human being and what he says and does, one must take the words he spits out of his puckered mouth as the truth about himself, instead. When he speaks ill of others, one must turn the tables with the knowledge that he is speaking about what he has done, is currently doing, or will be doing in the future in order to become the leader of his newly formed authoritarian regime. He has always been demoralizing and self-serving.


His point of repetitiveness is a tactic that has been used throughout the ages to teach or convince others about anything you’d like them to believe. Placing an audio tape of my French lessons under my pillow and listening to its content over and over again may have helped me on my French quiz the following day, but it still remains a form of brainwashing. This is why repetitive chants of ‘lock her up’ can be so effective at bringing crowds of people together as one while convincing them that to lock her up is the best plan to follow.


Can you imagine how beautiful it would be to channel all of the energy he places in hate and fear into good deeds and programs that would benefit all of humankind? This is what President Biden has been doing throughout his presidency, as well as working on filling the ‘dark void’ created by his predecessor. 


But, if we truly are ‘sleepwalking towards authoritarianism,’ are we, the people, not half of the problem? Have zombie-like weaknesses inhibited our own stance on saving democratic ideals while allowing this long term plan of chaos and self-importance to become a reality? Do we truly believe that good will overtake evil even if we choose to sit back and do absolutely nothing about it?


Once again, the press is, effectively, trying to ‘even the playing field’ and stir the simmering pot of hate and fear by consciously pitting President Biden and close family members against the unraveling of our nation by a man whose criminal record and deeds (and those of his close family members) rival those of all of the mob bosses that have preceded him! 


These are not normal times. The things happening in this country right now are anything but making us feel normal. The standards by which we’ve come to know and respect in our lifetime are being dragged through the mud on a daily basis by thugs who idolize power over country and push all limits in order to grasp that power. Why are we allowing ourselves to ‘sleepwalk towards authoritarianism’ and refuse to wake up to the fact that all of this is actually happening? There are many people out there who want to participate in this ‘new regime,’ this Mein Kamph manifesto of one of history’s greatest antisemites and symbols of pure hate; the man that Donald idolizes and outlines his own political ideology and future plans for the United States of America!


Please ask yourself if we can afford to allow any of this to happen. Have we become so complacent and satisfied with the current situation that we are unconcerned with changing it? Drumph is attempting to change our lives by trashing America and her ideals—and is succeeding just by being able to run for president even after he’s been indicted for crimes against the democracy we hold so dear. He has not once shown any interest in making people’s lives better. Let’s face the facts. It all comes down to a choice between fascism and democracy and which one you and I will ultimately choose.


Are we capable of turning a blind eye to what is happening around us or will we be a part of the noise around us? Our job within the next year is to make the noise work for us! We have to filter all of the noise that is currently surrounding us, extract the positive, and take it ten steps further by letting our voices be heard, loud and clear. 


We need a good storyteller in the White House. Someone who will represent the Biden Administration, the Democratic Party, in a positive manner while teaching the entire American public, not just those of us who wish to keep our country thriving under democracy, about our nation’s history, current status, as well as setting a future for her people that holds all lives valuable, healthy, and strong. We need a storyteller to point out the achievements of those working hard to make the economy improve, provide healthcare for all, offer new jobs to the jobless, give hope for the future instead of trashing America, and make life that much better day after day. Let’s find our storyteller!


I am only one person who has lived long enough to see the imbalances of good versus evil and understands the differences between them. Who am I to give references on how to improve life for all of us, you might ask. I am an American citizen who loves her country and will not die left wondering if we were strong enough to thwart this threatening evil brought on by the power hungry liars, cheaters, and narcissists of this world. Let’s wake up and stop our ‘sleepwalking towards authoritarianism!’ Become active and learn to make lots and lots of good noise.


Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved


Thursday, August 17, 2023

PURPOSEFULNESS & SELF-ALIGNMENT HELP US DISCOVER SIMPLICITY

 

A series of essays….



THE LIGHT YOU BRING INTO THIS WORLD IS
BEAUTIFUL, IRREPLACEABLE, AND NEEDED.    —- TWLOHA
\


….as seen through my eyes!



By: Jacqueline E Hughes


I know… I know… This is a mouthful of words. Actually, the term self-alignment has been part of our spiritual vernacular for many years and can be identified with mindfulness, or the state of living in the moment. Living a purposeful life, recognizing our goals and the path to achieve them, brings us full circle. For me, this is where simplicity and living a simple life comes in and helps to round out the picture…keeping us humble and in control. 


Here’s to making Self-Alignment, Purposefulness, and Mindfulness the keys to unlocking our best life possible.



Purposefulness & Self Alignment


My father was proud of the vehicles he chose to drive and call his own. He would trade-in his Chevrolets every two years throughout the 1950’s even though it always looked as though they just rolled off the new car lot with a spit shine and a snappy tune playing on the radio. Cars were definitely his thing; we all knew this. No eating in the car unless I say so. Keep your feet down and where they belong. Don’t touch or smudge the windows. And yet, it didn’t bother us all that much because we knew exactly what was expected of us, I suppose.


He had a mental schedule designed to keep his car maintained and running well and rarely did his schedule deviate, for as long as I can remember: oil change, check all fluids, tune-up, rotate tires that was followed by a wheel alignment which consisted of adjusting the angle of the tires to the car manufacturer specifications. The purpose was to reduce tire wear and to ensure that vehicle travel was straight and true.


Truth be told, my older brother and I were proud to sit in dad’s cars. His vehicle was the shiny penny among all of the others on the road. Taking pride in something can be a wonderful thing and should pay-off in the end. It can show that you have a purpose and a reason to care about something and/or someone and help them to provide such profound joy in life. I hope dad found great joy in life by simply loving his vehicles…


So, I’m thinking that if objects require proper alignment in order to run straight and true, how would this concept apply to us and our own mental and emotional status? Are we ‘off the rails,’ so to speak, when our lives are ‘out of alignment’ and the world is slamming curve balls at us at 90 mph? 


While looking up the word alignment in reference to cars, I was reintroduced to the prospect of becoming self-aligned, something I had dabbled in many years ago when a self-help group of friends met weekly to discover how to meditate, balance our chakras and lifestyles, and become more aware of the world around us. I was encouraged back then; I am even more encouraged about self-alignment, today.


In researching the term self-alignment, I’ve become more aware of the thoughtfulness and encouragement behind its basic concept. I understand how we could create a better world when each person is in alignment with their genuineness or authenticity, knows their purpose, and is able to inspire and create their dreams. It is imperative that we acquire the awareness, wisdom, and will to solve the problems we face so that we can build a better life, a better world. If we’re not aware of these problems in the first place, how can we change or begin to solve them?


We are all creatures of habit and as time goes by we cling to what makes us feel most comfortable. When life throws us curve balls, will we be prepared and able to cope with them long enough to allow hope to settle in and move us forward? Whether it’s our children leaving the nest to pursue their own future, a spouse passing and leaving a silence behind that is deafening, or experiencing great loss due to an unexpected disaster, how we react to a problem will make all the difference when moving forward.


Self-alignment can help prepare us for the unexpected because we are mindful of our own strengths and are better prepared to push fear aside when we need to the most. In turn, we become more aware of the world around us making it easier to help others in need while focusing on the true purpose of our own existence. 






If someone said that they could offer you a key that would open a door that may have been holding you back from achieving your full potential — would you take it? When you open the door, light pours in from all directions connecting you with greater energy, more clarity, and the awakening of unrealized talents and abilities. Have you felt you were being held back (unfulfilled) by not holding the key to self-alignment and purposefulness within your higher self in order to ensure that your travels through this life are straight and true? May the light you bring into this world fill you up with an abundance of joy and love!




Simplicity


If we’ve used our ‘key,’ wisely, to open the door, the detritus left behind by our past life will be scattered by the wind of enlightenment. Our potential will be unleashed. Fear will be diminished if not depleted and life will become less cluttered and living a simple life will abound, rounding out the picture…keeping us humble and in full control of whatever comes our way. Close your eyes and breathe in, deeply. Let your breath out, slowly, slowly.. Now, proceed.


A simple lifestyle can become the key to unlocking our best life possible.


In his own way, my dad was seeking a life filled with less clutter and brimming  with the pride and joy brought about by a job well done. Even his children learned quickly the parameters of his system and, ultimately, claimed for themselves the pride he felt in faithfully maintaining a prized possession. 


Life was fairly simple back then. I was happy to welcome the summer sunshine into my playtime hours and wash all of the day’s dust off afterward in my nightly Mr. Bubble bath. Helping my mother make simple sandwiches to be packed in a wicker basket makes me smile. Hopping into the car as dad headed into the countryside on a late Saturday morning to find a roadside picnic table for us to sit at and enjoy our sandwiches together was always a simple pleasure. Life was good and wholesome. 


Today, we can find joy in appreciating a simple life by casting away past tribulations and enjoying sitting in a colorful garden, a good book in hand, a cool drink in the other, and savoring the warmth of a sunny afternoon with gentle breezes caressing our faces. Discovering our blissful life is possible. Maintaining our path of self-alignment as we take on life’s responsibilities is more important now than ever before.



MOVING ON…..2013-2023



Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved