Random Thought #17

So my dad sent me a really interesting email today. I thought I would share it with you because part of me would love to participate in something like this some day. What makes this project most interesting is that I think the creator actually cares more about solving a problem and how to do it rather than the money he will be swimming in if this gets implemented.

http://www.consciousmedianetwork.com/video/2010/061810.htm

Random Thought #16

So this previous weekend was fairly uneventful except for a little fiasco with our neighbors. They have a male and female chocolate labs. If any of you know me that well, I hate virtually all animals/pets and this is a good example why. One of their dogs dug the same hole under the fence and got into our yard again. Not only did he dig up my yard, he proceeded to urinate on our kids' playset and defecate right next to it. I immediately went over to my neighbor's house to get them to take care of it, but they weren't home.

I tried calling Animal Control but they were already closed and I had to leave a message. I then tried calling HPD, but they wouldn't help because it wasn't an attack of bite case so "not a police matter". I had to take matters into my own hands. I went outside and yelled at the dog to get back on his side through the same hole (keeping a safe distance). The dog obviously did not heed my commands despite their growing intensity, so I did the next best thing in my mind. I unhooked the hose from the back yard spicket and I proceeded to whip the dog to get it back into the hole. (I hate animals...don't judge me). The dog couldn't fit. Once I had beaten it enough and realized that it couldn't get back through, I finally grabbed the dog by the collar and brought it out of my yard and back into its own yard.

The owners didn't get home until after we went to bed. My wife thought she heard the dogs in our yard again so she got up to check. No dogs but the owners were finally home. It was around midnight and despite my advice to the contrary, she went over and banged on their door as this is the 3rd time this has happened since we've been neighbors. She proceeded to pound on their door until they answered. She told them to come over and clean up the poop right then and there but they refused and told her that she was disturbing the peace and that they were going to call the cops on her if she didn't leave them alone and then proceeded to slam the door in her face. That got her irritated. She came back furious and with a fire any bite to boot. Not a good night.

I called Animal Control (during "regular business hours") the next day and they basically said that all they could do was come out to the address and make sure that all of the licenses and vaccinations were in order and tell them to keep their pets restrained. I asked when that might happen? She said that they prioritize emergency cases (bites and attacks) and then these "other" calls in the order they are received and that they were extremely backlogged with limited resources. I asked, does that mean it could take 1-2 months or more before you come out to "lecture" these bums? Possibly was her response, with an additional note that they have limited resources. The only thing that I can do if this happens, its not an emergency and the animal control folks are not in the office? Buy my own kennel and put the animal in it and transport the animal myself down to the shelter. And what if the shelter isn't open? Well, I just have to wait until it is, because they have "limited resources"

I wrote an email to our HOA with detailed pictures attached ( 2nd one thus far) and all I got back from them was that they would send a letter informing the couple of their violation of the deed restrictions. HELLOOOO!!! You think they don't know that already? I said that they needed to be fined to get the point across. The HOA came back with "it would be too costly for the HOA to file a civil suit against them". What do I pay HOA dues for? Writing letters? For pitty's sake...I can write a letter for less than $400/yr

My point and the subject of this random thought what happened to:

1) Responsibility and civility?
2) Agencies that do their job and actually provide public services?
3) Politeness?
4) Common Sense?

The list goes on and on. Its impossible to live a good upright honest hardworking life nowadays. It pays to be an illegal, law breaking, lazy, pathetic, filthy, rude, and otherwise self-infatuated individual nowadays. I'd love to be Christlike and turn the other cheek and do everything the Beatitudes tell you that you should do, but in this society, you really gotta wonder sometimes.


UGH!!!!

Random Thought #15

Since there are such parallels among cultures that represent the same information from a common source in very different ways, we sometimes miss them due to our unfamiliarity with them. They seem foreign to us unless we look for commonalities and patterns in them and try to understand where the root of this information is. Given that's not our nature, I wonder how many of us would be open to new revelations, especially if they seemed especially foreign to us? Would we willingly accept additional apocryphal writings that share a common theme, even if they were written by prophetic figures unbeknownst to us? Would we take the same challenge that exists in the Book of Mormon? Read the documents with a sincere desire to learn and ask for a confirmation from the Holy Ghost? We say we believe in modern-day revelation. If new scripture were revealed, would we recognize it as such? This reminds me eerily of the parable of the ten virgins. All of these women were anxiously waiting the bridegroom's arrival (2nd coming of Christ) but never knew exactly when it would be that he would come. He purposely came around midnight because he knew that only those were truly looking and were prepared would be waiting for him. None of the 10 virgins were bad people (the collective church are the 10 virgins), but some became lax and were not prepared and so missed out on the event. They got so used to the way things always were, that they were not actively preparing for the arrival of their Master. If we are not increasing our testimony, it is decreasing. Faith without works is dead. I would also say that a testimony without constant study of the Lord's word to people is good for very little. We cannot be slothful servants and simply wait for our leaders to say "OK everyone, get prepared, Chris is coming in T minus 1 year" We must be ready to meet our Creator every single day of our lives. If we don't, we may find ourselves as 1 among the 5 virgins who was not properly prepared.

Random Thought #14

So I was reading in my latest book about 3 sub-cultures that all are extremely related and yet exhibit very distinct characteristics. I'm talking about the Near East and the 3 cultures I'm referring to are the Greek, Egyptian, and Semitic (Israel, Palestine, Syria, etc.) We have extensive records and a clear identity of the Greek and Egyptian cultures, but the Semitic never really had any permanent residents and it was frequently in turmoil, and thus a distinct culture is a little more difficult to discover.Many of the great works from the Semitic culture that are similar in nature and content to the great masterpieces of the Greek and Egyptian sub-cultures is attributed to Abraham (father of the people in these lands). So where are the great records from this group of people? Some claim the Torah, others the Quran, but the most convincing piece of literature comes from Abraham himself. The Pearl of Great Price. All 3 share a very common drama that depicts the pre-earth life and council in heaven and even the creation in great detail. They even have characters that play the same role. One example of this is the Egyptian Thoth, who is the Greek Hermes, and the Semitic Enoch. Much of what exists in Greek and Egyptian theology and doctrine is also found in the semitic sub-culture as well, we just don't have those documents, or haven't drawn those parallels yet. This is how Joseph Smith's translation and interpretation of his papyri is so amazing. Without any prior knowledge, of in-depth analysis of Egyptian theology or beliefs, he is able to translate these documents in such a way as to tell the exact same story as the Greeks and Egyptians had, but from a Semitic author (Abraham). Given the similarities, its hard to believe that there isn't a common source. This got me thinking on another tangent