ECONOMIC RECOVERY STIMULUS HELP OURSELVES

Global Wobbling - Getting Back to Basics -  Scattered Thoughts

Somehow it all ties back together though!

Dr. Colette Dowell N.D. © 2009

  Great Grandma Causby

    I remember in the 1990s, when here in America, severe weather changes drawing dramatic hurricanes, tornadoes and floods brought horror to the news screen. Tremendous tragedies were beginning to escalate, citizens were in need, and during these times, people's awareness of disasters began to rise. Consequentially, due from post emotional and mental realization of overwhelming "struck down by God" catastrophes (and many of them), unification emerged and individuals began to help others they did not know or have ties to, the only bond being of natural inborn empathy and compassion.  Times were hard, but people were not.  It was like there was a soft white cloud that past through the land, shimmering its silver lining overhead, and when it past through and shadowed the people with all its glory, everywhere citizens gathered, gave of themselves and were managing to control chaos.  The success in surviving this era is partially attributed to the fact that most of the then "NOW" Generation had knowledge of basic survival skills, those that are essential in kindling and maintaining any civilization. Examples being: how to build a safe fire; water irrigation; agriculture; weather and season changes; sewing and cooking; building and maintaining shelter; keeping family and friends in check and the grandest of them all being: the knowledge and practice of the 'Golden Rule'; "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." [This applies to any class, race, creed, nationality or religious groups - it is for all to feel and embrace - as in the first and most important basic quality and skill any person shall possess.] It was the average American of Middle and Lower Class that was the backbone of regroup and rebuild. Monetary donations were given freely (except the low interest Fed loans) and volunteers worked exhaustive hours upon days and weeks giving of their mind, body and soul.¹ With perseverance and basic skills Americans were able to pull through the 90s and gain their strength and unite.

    Children born of the late 80s and 90s were programmed by television cartoons, advertising and peer pressure to get ‘Mario Brothers’ and other computer games. These games were embedding violence in their psyche that would be rewarded by reaching another "level" of "SKILL." The basic survival skills were now being replaced with computer rewarded skills, manifesting a false sense of self-esteem and acceptance of peers. Less chores were being performed by children, more goods were given to them to keep them occupied while their parents were at work and they were left on their own with only values they learned from the latest computer game or elevated action movies.

    Computer and Tech companies manufactured and marketed items more than ever, which were intriguing and fun to use. More high tech cell phones, cameras and download music were being circulated and children did not have to learn the skills of a photographer, a musician, or even learn how to write in their native language and vocabulary. Cell phone text abbreviations and sentences were born that relieved the need to learn language skills and vocabulary. Education of children was now in the hands of Computer and Tech Corps - stripping away education of needed skills for human survival. Children of the Middle and Lower Classes have not been taught the now descending arts and basics, leaving them dependent on jobs offered by factories and corporate structures. Families are torn apart due to increasing costs and need for both parents to work. Who is there to teach the children how to mend their clothing; how to cook their food (no- no cooking, micro wave and fast foods now); how to plant a seed and grow herbs or tomatoes in a garden or window box (no- no, buy hybrid agriculture at very high cost); how to repair a leaky faucet/plumbing; paint and preserve wood and reconstruct broken homes (no- no, houses are being torn down to build 'corporate' manufactured modular homes and high priced condominiums); how to fix your automobile (unless you are learned in computer auto tech); ad infinitum? I could go on and on here, but, what I am trying to say is: Genocide of family.

WE NEED TO GET BACK TO BASICS TO OVERCOME THE HOLACIOUS DOWNFALL OF OUR GLOBAL ECONOMY AND TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN REBUILDING OUR WORLD. 

(HOLACIOUS IS  WORD I HAVE USED SINCE I WAS A CHILD; it is a cross between horror, Holocaust and malicious)

    It is easy to do if one starts taking little footsteps and self educate or gather in-groups to re-instate skills that are needed to survive. One thing I would like to emphasize, it is of my opinion, the first major skill to learn and USE is reading, writing and comprehension of language. With the ability to read and understand what you are reading, you can learn a tremendous amount. There are books available that teach a variety of skills. I prefer older books, written with a strong vocabulary, and some even possessing actual literary genius (you will gain a better perspective of words and all their different meanings). In addition, now since the internet is available, there is a virtual encyclopedia of knowledge out there, but you need a computer and ability to get online. If you are reading this, you are online - if you know of other people who do not have a computer and the ability to get online, help them out. Ask them what their dreams and desires are, what subjects interest them, and what is it they would like to learn. You can help them out by finding a hard copy book written at the level of language they can understand.²

    I am from an era that was in the beginning of a major transition; the 60s; the 'Hippies', the 'Make Love - Not War' groupies. "Donna Reed" and "My Three Sons" were on their way out, and "My Favorite Martian" and "Batman" were on their way in. Doris Day was not allowed to sleep in the same bed with Rock Hudson. What we were allowed to view and hear on the Television screen (movie theaters as well) was very limited as far as any sexual innuendoes. Yes, Elvis was staggering, and he too was reigned in as well during the late 50s and early 60s. We, the audience were not allowed to hear words that were considered to be foul, vulgar, nasty, disgusting and so forth because we had stricter censors back then (the minimalist censors of modern broadcasting and film today display horrors and teach that sex of most any kind is OK while a child is undergoing puberty). However, styles, such as the mini skirt started the lanky looking legs and topless bikinis were blooming breasts, the 'bullet' bra was not needed any more and 'Free Love' began to take over in some sectors of humanity. The family started breaking up, the mother was not at home providing for her children as much (she was out working to help pay the mortgage), so fast food joints sprang up, masses of frozen TV dinners and chemically preserved prepared foods were being heavily marketed. Cancer began to rise, pollution soared and the "Partridge Family", "Out in Space", and the “Jackson 5" replaced "Leave it to Beaver", "Father Knows Best" and real ethical home family values.

    Now, I just wonder how things would be today if we were to have kept the family in-tact as in ancient tribal mentality days, or even as in the 'Victorian Era'? Anything, (within a positive realm) would be better than what has happened during the last 50 years of breaking the family up. Both parents having to work leaving their children behind with no more family dinners, gathering round to talk and loving their families was not a good thing to happen (in my opinion). Family time is needed so the parents can educate their children; discuss chores that need tending to maintain the home or farm and prepare for the following week; create a form of direction, guidance, organization and discipline; and exude goodness. Beyond the minimum need of tradition of family unit, still, basic skills are needed to enrich and insure one's existence. ³

    Things have radically changed and not for the better. Rarely in new homes do you see a dining room. Typically they are built with a kitchen just big enough for a microwave and breakfast bar tied to a room just large enough to fit a plasma TV in front of an oversized couch with its matching recliner (unless, of course you are of the upper .05% - .2%, and very wealthy; enough to afford a maid, chef and a kitchen large enough to cook for a family of four to six people).

    I think I am old fashioned compared to modern times. I learned how to cook; design patterns to cut and sew my own clothing; crocheted and knitted with my grandmas; learned farming and folk remedies from my grandfather; landscaped, painted and repaired parts of our family's home; received straight A report cards from school; read all of the time; played sports and was classically trained in music. Oh, yeah, I took care of our pets as well. When I became a 'Hippie' I had the skills to go out in the woods and start a safe 'Smokey the Bear' camp fire, respect, love, honor and enjoy nature and survive in the woods for days and even weeks at a time. I knew how to work on my own cars; my International Jeep and Volkswagen Van (I took auto mechanics in school); I knew how to work with clay and mud and build adobe bricks and homes; I was skilled in many areas of survival. I carried with my being a profound sense of freedom in a positive manner, that being; I had at least some form of trust in humans. I never did believe that the Russians were 'Ruskies' and bad people, I did not think that because you were black you were bad, I liked hanging out with Indians and I was in awe every time I saw a person of Eastern background or 'yellow' in color. If some one told me something, I believed them (I did not want to live my life not believing in people before I discredited them). Even though times were hard for me, I was optimistic and eager to learn how to become a self sufficient adult. I have written in other papers about some of my learning sagas that are of benefit to some individuals; as experiences we live though that seem so bad at the time, can be very helpful later in maturing our psyche and beings in general.

    I rarely see young people or even mid 30s people engaging in self sacrificing actions that are not motivated by self gain and monetary rewards only. I think credit cards have played a big role in that, because, with a swipe you can get what you want. Back when I was growing up, if I wanted something, I had to work for it. I received nothing until I could pay cash for it. You could not apply for a Visa or Master Credit Card unless you already had credit. A person had to earn their credit slowly; first a little credit card like say from Sears, then buy an appliance, pay it off in one year, apply at a bigger store like Nordstrom; rehash the sale bit for a year and pay it off and then finally Visa or Master Card would allow you to apply for a credit card. I was 29 years of age when I finally obtained my first Visa Credit Card. From that point on, I raised my credit line and paid it off every month, increased my standing and I was then able to go to a bank and apply for a loan and purchase my first home. I was a single parent, going to school and working full time; I had no support system and was forced to be responsible to maintain my financial situation and secure all my assets. I was never late on a payment and I paid in full without ever increasing the balance and paying interest on the principle. There were lean months and weeks, living off $35.00 per week to pay for groceries, roller skating, and gasoline. I lived within my means, and in all honesty, those were the happiest years of my life. ⁴

    Credit cards in modern times (the last 25 years or so) have changed the value of money. It is far too easy for people to take a card and magically swipe it to receive merchandise they do not have to pay for at the time. It is kind of like it is free - they are not looking at real money when they reach into their wallet, they are looking at plastic and for some reason the human brain does not equate plastic to earnings and available cash at hand .I think the corporations (major oil and tech) figured that out about the human brain and that is one reason why they developed the credit card - to make massive amounts of money and to enslave people to work at their factories. Kind of like the little Red Devil who bargains with you granting you all that you desire and then taking your soul forever. You do not realize at the time how long forever can be and the future repercussions of your deal until you start to sweat in Hell.

Anyway, I have gone on tangents here since the beginning of this little paper here,

but I wanted to put things in a bit of perspective to which I am about to address.

    First, what do you think the most necessary items are for survival? Guess - NO - Not a computer, not a cell phone, not a DVD player nor a lot of the consumer crap that is shoved down our throats via subliminal marketing techniques. FOODS, WATER AND SHELTER are the most important factors needed to survive. If you cannot afford to buy food due to loss of your job, and no car to drive any more because you lost that too or cannot afford the gas - you must KNOW how to grow your own food - even if you live in an apartment. In addition, due to the weather and climate change, food is getting hard to grow and crops are failing (that factor raises the price of food as well).

    If you live in a city or town in an apartment that has no available land for you to grow a garden, it is possible for you to grow a few nutritious vegetables and herbs inside your home, near a window or lit area. You can grow sprouts even, and their raw enzymes and life energy are filled with vitamins and needed fiber. Look for books/papers that teach you how to grow plants and vegetables (I know how, but that is not what this paper is really about).

    If your water is not clean, there are capsules to purchase that will kill parasites and also filters for your home water; so at minimum, the water you drink (in case of polluted water systems) will be somewhat safer (my water at home comes from a deep well on the land - but I still have filters installed). Clean and sterilize empty milk containers and other bottles/glass containers and fill them with clean water with a drop of bleach and keep them in storage. Keep the pills on hand, and only use them in case of an emergency; watch out for any expiration dates on them.

    Learn repair and building methods, in the event repairs are needed in your home or you find yourself out in the streets or woods, you can scrap out some shelter for yourself. You will also have a skill that will be of benefit. Trade and barter out your skills for the skills of others if you do not have money. You can help others with your skills and in return, the skills they possess, they will be able to help you. At this point in time, with the global economy the way it is, many of us are in hard times. Cash money and even credit is limited now, so, you must go back to old traditions such as the 'barn raising' days and organize groups who can create and trade their skills. Do not be selfish, help others, and set an example so others may follow; in the chain reaction we will do much better in surviving this crisis. Here I am playing Banjo relaxing after volunteering to work at a new neighbor's home that was in need of repair. Getting on dirty clothes and mucking about while getting to know a new neighbor can be real fun!

    You can learn how to sew and repair your clothing. Darn your socks if needed instead of going out and buying new ones. Knitting and crocheting are very valuable crafts to know. You can also weave by hand and make cloth to cover your body and keep it warm. Trade out your knitting for some one who repairs kitchen sinks (example) or clean a house in return for cutting the lawn and so forth. Build and repair on homes in exchange for garden vegetables. Go backwards into time, when the first settlers or any civilization were dependent on each other. That is what we have lost. We have given our dependence on each other to being dependent on Government and corporate strongholds. During the last 100 years, we have been subtly maneuvered into this position. Things are so bad that they want us to be oblivious to our surroundings, thus, the cell phone and music with earphones and computer Face Book and You Tube entertaining you while you should be focused on what you are doing at the time and you should be using that time to be productive.

    Crafts and hand made goods is how any society sustained itself. There were Masters, Craftsman and Apprentices; they learned a trade and made items by hand. The industrial, technology and factory era has taken away our basic hand skills needed to produce what we need to maintain life. The children of the last 20 years in public school have been denied many life skills. You may laugh, but home tech, music, ceramics, auto mechanics - all of those lessons in school were prerequisites you needed credit in to pass onto your next grade level in school. Reading, well, if you could not read or write you would fail and not pass onto the next grade.

 I started to read at a very early age.

    Children are being taught how to use the computer in Kindergarten and elementary school - wow. They should be learning how to read a book, hand write letters and the alphabet, learn cursive writing, drawing and art and to play some kind of musical instrument. All of these things we were taught when I was going to school, and it is because of these talents I now possess that I can squeeze by in this world. ⁵ When I see  kids standing on a street corner wearing earphones, downloading songs for a dollar a whack, and their attention is not focused on the world around them at that very moment in time, that is scary. I sometimes wonder if all of this new technology is a way to numb the human mind to not see and feel and grasp the changes that are occurring. Why is it most people have not been able to see what has been going on the past few decades? Life and civilization as we know it has not gotten better, it has gotten worse. The children are in gangs, the schools lack quality teachers because the teachers who went to school lacked a quality education, and I see the whole system going down the tubes (now they are laying teachers off due to lack of money to pay them - now what will happen to children and learning - education has gone to hell too due to money misappropriations). But I am older now, maybe that is what the Elders do; complain about the youth and younger generations. Well, what I am trying to express to all is now is the time to get it together and get back to the simple basics in life. If you are not able to read and educate yourself, learn how to read. If you cannot grow a plant in your apartment or home, read a book on "How to Grow a Plant" or figure it out. Ingenuity is humankind’s greatest gift. It must be put into effect though for it to work. Humanity has come far, too far in many instances, and it is the damaging factors of some of the technology that rips the attention away from the human brain of the reality that is all around. People are unable to 'see' because they are some place else in their mind at times when their brain is most needed to be thoughtful, creative and productive. ⁶

    Many children see violence everyday, even in cartoons, sitcoms and game shows. Violent TV dramas, CSI, SBI; Forensic this and that, well, it is all negative and about murder and death and all of the new technology they are letting you know that is out there for them to catch you if you even dare do something wrong. Nevertheless, it is all twisted. These programs are teaching children and young adults that most of what they are watching is just daily normal activity. Well, it is not, and it is wrong and most of those shows need to come off the air and be replaced with programs of value and education. I could go on and on, but this is long enough. I hope you can grasp what I am trying to express.

    I value my time and how I spend it. I am old fashioned as I admitted before. I want to always help others as able and I really wish people would start opening their arms and get back to the basics and the simple things in life, those that once brought much joy. If we can do this, and do it together, we have a chance of surviving this all: the economy, the climate, the wars, and the environment.  We just need to work together, barter and trade our skills and give freely as able of what we have to offer that will benefit other human beings and ourselves in a good way. Maybe Andy Griffith and Gomer Pile can come back on the air with Aunt Opey………those were good times and values, sometimes hokey to us city folk, but good never the less. Learn the basics of survival and practice them with common sense; do for others; give up the un- needed consumer products; take control of your time and be productive; be wise about your energy consumption and I think in time we shall overcome this great time of economic depression and loss of faith in others. You need to give to receive. We can make the necessary changes within our beings to overcome most any difficulties if we support each other and just help. GODSPEED.

Think of the reality we are leaving our children - not good. Please try to do good.

PLEASE SEE PAPER NUMBER ONE!

#1 TIPS OF GOOD THINGS TO DO & THINK ABOUT TO

MAKE IT THROUGH THESE ECONOMIC TIMES

FOOTNOTES:

1     However, from my perspective, in every decade I have witnessed since I was born in the 1950s, it has been apparent to me that the elite Upper Class has had and still have their own sense of values and lifestyle that differ extremely from the majority, rarely relating to the average working person (I don't think I am too wrong about this, but I may be).  It is the Upper Class that the Middle and Lower Class supports. It is the Upper Class that directs the Corporations, it is the Upper Class that rules most of the Government, it is the Upper Class that has stripped the education and time away from families in need of union - using the people as a breed of modern slaves - manufacturing and producing services for the gain of the CEOs - top level administration and then left-overs paid out in the form of dividends for those who INVEST once more and buy stock with money they have had to earn. The Corporations are rigged in familia circular spirals sucking up money and recycling it to siblings, cousins and clan parties which then pass it back to the mother company (Doctors, Prescriptions, Insurance, Hospitals are a good example of a loop).

'They' have replaced knowledge of basic survival skills with Technology and assembly lines, thereby taking away the stronghold of human potential in real terms. The Industrial Age and the Era of Technology in many ways has been the downfall of 'Modern Civilization.'

2     Good books are of extreme value. Over the many centuries, people have been sharing their thoughts, fantasies, lessons and higher sciences through words and symbols, teaching others just how broad the human mind can be. Knowing the human mind has capabilities beyond comprehension should be a catalyst in yearning to grow and heighten one's level of education, knowledge and skills.  

3     I know the World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf (all wars global) played a big part in the beginning of breaking up the maternal/paternal roles in the family unit. However, there once was some wholesomeness and an unsaid honor and respect (but, not for black people or other people of color here in America; the Civil Rights Movement was getting heavy, and it should have, and good that it did).

4     I had a lovely little log cabin in the woods with a deck over-looking a creek in my back yard and I grew my garden. I played in a musical band and danced local contra dances while I learned Celtic music on my flute and English/Irish Dance with my feet. My little boy was the love of my life and we pioneered North Carolina together in my Ford cargo van. Life was good.  It was basic and simple. My van was designed to be a home on wheels as well, I built a bed in it and arranged it to be a cozy camper home as well as a work utility vehicle.

5     I bitch about the human language and vocabulary going to hell (due to lack of education and abbreviation for miniature phone texting). However, I violate use of words and grammar all of the time (I had a head injury which knocked the part of my brain that deciphers language and such. So yeah, my writing the past years has fallen, but I am aware of this happening, and I work on it and do exercises for myself and even read the dictionary at times).

6    Only now, because some can not drive fancy cars, go to movie theaters and pricey nightly dinner cafes are some people finally becoming aware of what is happening to their finances (though now it is common knowledge since the Government officially and publicly announced we are in a recession - but we have been in it for years, it is just escalating at a very high rate.) and starting to complain. I feel we all should have started stamping our feet when television started allowing all of the sex and violence to be generated along with TV and radios filling the airwaves with so much consumer manipulation. Couple that with too much negativity viewed by children and that is a recipe for disastrous upcoming generations. AND CREDIT THAT WAS ONLY GIVEN TO THOSE WHO WERE UNABLE TO PAY AND CREDIT CARDS EXPECTING TO MAKE MONEY FROM INTEREST AND PENALTIES. BAD - BAD - BAD.

Dr. Colette M. Dowell

 PLEASE SEE PAPER NUMBER ONE!

#1 TIPS OF GOOD THINGS TO DO & THINK ABOUT TO

MAKE IT THROUGH THESE ECONOMIC TIMES

See Sabu