A selection of thoughts

[undergroundpanther]

Civilization isn't mankind's biggest whoop-de-doo. It isn't "the pinnacle of human success. " It ain't even really all that fun, especially for most of the folks who make the whole silly thing possible — the workers and small businesses that are called the backbone of the "economy".
http://web.pitas.com/page6/upits100902.html

When I used to take out the trash as a kid, I never thought about the contents of the two heavy galvanized steel cans I dragged down our gravel driveway to the curb as anything more than a pain in the ass chore. Years later in my kitchen, I unwrap some cheese, throw away the outer wrapper and a plastic sheet, and another, another ... I toss out a zip-lock bag that once held a tomato. I toss a plastic jar since all the pepper is gone, toss a wrapper that once held further wrapped rolls of toilet paper, a broken CD case, some saran wrap, a yogurt container, a straw, a string spool...
http://www.unknownnews.net/030829a-upits.html

We don't let little kids play with gasoline and torches, because they might burn the house down. So why do we let groups of insane death-dealers play with toxins and make us all sick and die?
Must we sacrifice our health, our lives in the name of national defense, while they are aware and actively seek to cover up how their experiments endanger the lives of everyone around them?
Are we that misdirected and stupid?
http://www.unknownnews.net/031218a-up.html


I saw a bumper sticker once that said "Pavement Is Forever," and I wondered... is that true? If pavement is forever, who will be maintaining the pavement in one million years, and what will they park on it? If pavement is not forever, will we be living in grass huts? Or will we be extinct? These stories about where we're going are rooted in deeper stories about where we are now, about the place or meaning of what we call civilization.
http://ranprieur.com/essays/21stories.html


How do you fight a belligerent bully in public desiring to cut your emotions and dignity to ribbons with a sharp sarcastic tongue and overpower you with his arrogant ego and speech volume? Talk show hosts like Ann Coulter are not interested in any dialog. Quit pretending that they are. They want to dominate and win.
http://www.unknownnews.net/a0111.html#u0107


A lot of sad, alienated, tired, insecure, overworked, guilty, confused, emotionally unstable, intellectually lazy, and fearful people who are emotionally unequipped for confronting an asshole boss, or an asshole kid, or an asshole spouse have given up freedoms. Especially if they are dependant upon the bully for a paycheck, a relationship, or if they are afraid of confrontation or deep down believe they can't change the situation.
http://www.unknownnews.net/a061312-1.html


If everyone waits around for someone else to act for them, than no one has any integrity.
http://web.pitas.com/page6/upits101102.html



I brought up disobeying authority today...What "authority"might you and I disobey today? Do we stand up? Or not? Or do we pick another battle?
The decision to obey any 'authority or not is ours alone and it is one we make everyday. Whether we realize it or not.
Maybe it's time to look at how our trust is abused in the name of convenience ,national security or a million other rationales.

What it comes down to is are we happy with things as they are? Do we like our lives enough to live them our own way or do we accept a level of despair because we believe we HAVE to to survive? or NOT? and how much are we willing to stop doing the same things over and over,stop doing as we are told and do something different than what experts and the know it alls say we must do?