Think how much others have given to make our country, our world what it is today.
We often hear of Betsy, Ben, Thomas, George, Abraham, Harry S., Rosa, Teddy, Sacagwea Franklin and Eleanor, Martin Luther, and the others of history whom we revere. For each of them there are thousands whose names are not written on the annals of history who gave myriads of time, money and were dedicated to fostering our freedom and liberty.
There are towns, fields and places like Boston, Chickamauga, Bull Run, 7 mile forge, Richmond, Gettysburg, Atlanta, and the Alamo that ring in our history adventure. Do you know the story behind, ‘One if by land two if by sea?’ How about, ‘5440 or fight, Seward’s folly and the Louisiana Purchase?’ Possibly you’ve heard, ‘Walk softly and carry a big stick, give me liberty or give me death.’ The stories, legends and songs of the heroes do not hide the fact that there are millions of supporters about whom we don’t talk, eulogize or even remember. Perhaps your ancestors, family or friends are part of this group. The timeworn expression, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ comes to mind. What have we done for Lady Liberty, America the beautiful and our democracy? What have we done to promote good, true and lovable thinking?
Adventurers like Jim Bowie, Davey Crockett and Kit Carson got the credit for their exploits. How many unnamed unheralded and unsung heroes followed them and buoyed their reputations? The Alamo was a loss in history and yet those heroes will be remembered in our history.
Today we are going to think about you. We’re going to tell stories of those whom we may have not thought about, or talked about, or even considered as part of that rousing history of the rockets red glare and bombs bursting in air. Ah yes it’s America. We, yes we are part of it. Let us note what good we have done for our country, our brothers and sisters and the planet. We invite you to tell us a story you know. I’ll tell you a sorta sick one I know. Friends would go into a San Francisco restaurant and register as the Donner party of 7-6-5-4. I didn’t do it they just told me about it! Then of course the hostess would call out the registration. Thimk about it.
The Shoshone tribe of Native Americans have a good way of picking their chief. Anyone in the tribe who does a kindness for others or a community service for the good of the tribe gets called in to the chief’s presence. The chief gave the one who did the kindness or service an eagle feather. Today it doesn’t matter whether that tribe member is male or female. Ages can be from six to sixty. When the old chief is on his death bed he chooses the next chief. The member with the most eagle feathers becomes the next chief. This is the member of the tribe with the most feathers and who has done the most service and kindnesses. It is deemed by the dying chief that he or she is worthy of being chief.
I asked myself if I could be chief. Could you? Possibly a good thing to do in your isolation would be to count your kindnesses and register your eagle feathers. I have ____?_____ eagle feathers.
I feel blessed to be part of this grand experiment in democracy or republic as Ben Franklin said it was. Do you realize that there has not been a democracy that has sustained since Greece. The Greeks only maintained their democracy for about one hundred eighty six years. We have beaten that record and are reaching for another milestone in history. If we can survive the Coronavirus named Covid-19 we will be reaching the two hundred fortieth plus year of our democracy. Some would say it is representative democracy or indirect democracy that we have designed rather than a pure democracy. That means that the populace votes on and elects representatives who will do what is in their best interest. So if we use 1776 to 2020 we can say our form of democracy is two hundred forty four years old. Many people think that for the last four or more years it is plutocracy. My bride says we must watch the film; ‘Kill Chain,’ the cyber war on democracy.
Interesting fact about the 21 gun salute. I have heard it is for 1776. In fact one historian told me they used to shoot one gun then two rounds of seven guns and finally one round of six guns.
Covid-19 or as it has been called the Coronavirus is a deadly virus causing a world pandemic. One hundred and two years ago, 1918, the misnamed Spanish Flu spread across the world. The first wave was bad and then with the end of WWI people forgot or did not want to do social or as we Focus Up Philosophers say physical distancing. The celebrations for the ending of the war, November 1918 forced people into close contact with one another. This second round of the pandemic killed more people than did WWI. 50 million deaths plus. Added to this fact soldiers returned from the war sick and spread the disease to other Americans. Also the influenza spread when people went to parades and the like for the end of the war. It is believed the troops brought a deadlier strain to America from Europe.
One of the wins was New York City. The city took steps to limit the spread of the influenza. It staggered work hours, banned communal drinking cups at fountains, recommended masks and stopped spitting on the sidewalks. Their percentage of deaths per thousand people was around 4.7 and Boston had a 6.5, while Philadelphia had over 7.
Today’s ratio varies from 1.4 in Manhattan to over 2.7 in the Bronx. There are more cases of course because of the greater population. There either have been or are over 176,000 cases in the city. In 1918-19, I think there were 115,000
Since it was before TV, radio, and the internet posters and newspapers were printed to explain the influenza and methods of self protection. Interestingly the Boy Scouts patrolled and warned spitters with poster cards.
We have found out that people who test positive would be advised to get a pulse oximeter and make sure your oxygen ratio is above 95. If under that call your doctor and get a recommendation immediately. They’re in the $35 range.
For goodness sake be cautious. Wear mask and when needed gloves. As we’ve said before err on the side of caution.
One other concept is our focus up decision making process. Remember to focus up at least once an hour. When we focus up into the upper middle of our brain which is our happiness center or win center. It may be the ventral striatum. Some scientists have tested subjects and say that is the area that lights up from happiness and wins. I call it my cave. It is the place where we automatically go when we win the big race or have that high from completing a challenging task. It is easily reached by focusing about an inch above and between your upper ears.
We call it a cave center where we can build our own winning space. I know we all have unique imaginations and can and will create a happy place to go whenever we feel down or need an uplift. I have mine that I have gone to for more than thirty years. I wrote about it in an earlier post. You do not need to know all about my cave center to create yours.
The one good time to go there is when you are decision making. Let us speak of decisions in the best possible way. When we have a big decision to make we can focus up into our cave. Begin the decision making process by looking at the past. Your past decisions influence your life and the big decision you are making currently. From the focus up cave look at your wins. These have probably been from good decisions you have made. Look at the future from your focus up and winning perspective. See yourself in the future. Visualize yourself and your life any number of hours, days, weeks, months, years or decades with good decisions (A single good decision) made in the here and now.
The reason we make decisions from the cave, Happiness Center, or win area is that if we make the decision from the brain between the eyes which is the limbic brain. When we decide from the limbic brain we are making decisions that our animal instincts demand. Of course we need the limbic brain for everyday tasks and even safety. It is our flight or fight brain. It resides between and behind the eyes. In the world of effects it is necessary for us to remain here in the midst of dangers and quick and easy stay alive decisions. The cave, focus up, winning and happiness center 1.5 in. above and behind the eyes is a higher consciousness center. Therefore the decisions, that is the considered decisions made here are in the norm higher and more thoughtful. Especially if we will take the time to look into the past and future to get perspective. We recommend one to three minutes in the happiness-win center focusing on the decision. Past, present and the here and now decision to be made can change your world. Maybe even the whole world will change with one decision.
Now that I’m eighty-ish I look at some of the big decisions I’ve made and wonder. I wonder what my life would look like had I made a different choice. It’s called recapitulation. I am continually recapping my life. I think I have made some really great decisions. Most of what I am and who I am now is good. Did I make some bad decisions? I made some doozies. I made some that I must apolagize for. So I trust I am forgiven.. Thanks all.
Something I read years ago said that the saddest words were ‘If only.’ If only I had done this or that. The concept was that we are condemned more by what we didn’t do than what we did do. My advice to you would be to focus up and make the decision after you’ve looked at your past and the decisions you’ve made and the future projecting yourself into it. Look at the best of the best of each choice you have. Then decide and make the higher, happier and most beneficial life for yourself and others. Become a divine human treasure. Hang out with those whom you attract at your higher level of consciousness. Collect those eagle feathers. Do kindnesses and service to your friends, family and neighbors. Remember always we are here to love our neighbors, ourselves and even our enemies. Love people, and use things. Not, love things, use people.
Some of my contemporaries say to live with an attitude of gratitude. I have said that we must become the master. Master ourselves, the world and learning to love that is why we chose to be here in this interesting time. A time between living, learning and loving for exponential growth and Covid-19. Spend time learning, creating and doing what you can live to love. Then when you recapitulateor recap in your life you will have something good to remember. You’ll have a lot of good to remember.
Dealing with a pandemic on a day to day basis and staying safe as well as having a life is interesting, yes? In the hope of making your time as productive as you wish it to be. Let me say, I understand that Harvard is offering free classes. Weber State University is offering a class to assist us in making sense of the pandemic. A professor has asked every department to chime in and offer their expertise.
Make yourself a goals list. When you complete one and have a win that you can register in your focus up, happiness and win center in your brain then star that goal. Draw a big star on the goal number. That’s a win that you can put in your dusty ditty bag and carry with you forever. Carole and I wrote a book about our South Africa trip. That is a star on the write a book goal. Our friends George and Gabrielle did the pictures. Now we’re in print. Next we want to design a game and have school children around the world play it and pressure the poachers to stop killing rhinos and other animals in South Africa. When we can star that number on our goals list we’ll exhibit ecstasy in our focus up brains. Our happiness center will be truly happy.
Anyone wanting to contribute as part of the Focus Up Philosophers Society (FUPS) website write and let us know. Email us: focusupphilosophers@gmail.com. Thimk and refer a friend www.focusupphilosophers.com Like us. Tune in once a week for the newest info we have. This week we will start a focus up tradition which we call Weekify: You can add it to your dictionary. You can meme this knowledge and tradition to others so we can grow our good life and positive messages.
Weekify: This week we are all going to become, no we will commit to being a ‘Divine Human Treasure’ Write what that will mean to you and yours. Also remain committed to contacting neighbors, friends and family. Check in with them + think about serving them possibly even what you can do about loving them.
We are for the most part staying home and doubling the size of our garden.. If you want us to send you and yours Focus Up Philosophers good thoughts let us know. We are here for you. We will do some Zoom presentations if and when you wish. Feel free to let us know what you want to learn and/or share. I spoke to some 1,600 business execs about sales management and success last week on Zoom. Anyone wishing to hear more about the business presentations a friend does email us and we will send you his info.
If you wish we can do other Zoom presentations, A. Meditation. up-level consciousness. B. Nature of the Soul. C. Science of Mind. D. Focus Up Philosophers thoughts and good news. E. (Tell us what you want)
We watched the Virtual star party at the Ott Planetarium website. I think you can probably pull that up and watch it now or whenever you wish . Also, we learned how to use Stellarium (free app) Then we Zoom conferenced with Audrey and Sharon in CA from our home here in UT.
Saturday night we had a stay-date. We had a date night and stayed at home. Three or four hours of uninterrupted consciousness about each other. I dressed in my top drawer Hawaiian shirt. Carole brushed her hair and dressed to the nines. We watched an old movie and hugged on the couch. ‘Twas great. Maybe next week we will dance the Shag. The Shag is the east coast beach music dance. Sort of a slow bop. Not a Fred Astaire dance step, but very cool.
Sunday, of course was Mothers Day and Carole had a great one I trust . Anika baked a cake. LeeAnn brought wondrous food for us and I cooked Salmon on the grill. Lauren who is vegan had vegan burgers. We ate on the patio so physical distancing was easy. Happy belated Mothers Day to all mothers out there.
STAY SAFE