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From the mind of critic: “If we read the directions when all else fails, what do we do when we fail over and over, but there are no directions? Do we flail around, doing the first thing that pops into our head? Do we analyze why we failed, so we can figure out how to succeed? Have we grown so used to following directions, that we don’t know how to lead? They say there are three types of people in the world, leaders, followers and get out of the wayers. The comparison misses the point though, because we have all three traits within us by virtue of being human. We must be all 3 in certain situations. We must also not be afraid to read directions when we don’t know something, or be so reliant upon directions, that the concept of blazing our own path is a foreign language. Once we realize keeping balance in life is the biggest way to keep our sanity, we’ll see whether there is directions or not, if we aren’t afraid to get out of our comfort zone or routine, we’ll never fail. Critical thought is the secret to a fulfilling life.” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If we’ve beaten the cliche into our heads of the cops are never there when we need them, and always when we don’t, do we feel safe? If we call the cops when we do need them, and they arrive but say they can’t do anything, do we feel safe? If the cops are called on us, when we’re guilty of nothing more than being the wrong skin color in the wrong place at the wrong time, do we feel safe? Are the people parroting that we need to give up some rights for security, in such a supremacist position that they’re rights are never threatened, because they’re the ones that take rights from others? We fix our most ingrained and complex issues, by fixing ourselves. We fix ourselves by looking in the mirror, and realize the human form staring back, is the same human form as everybody else. We stop being scared of the other, when we stop being scared of ourselves.” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If guns, god, gays and abortion divide us so much, do we realize it’s a learned behavior? Do we realize the gatekeepers want the population divided, because it’s easier for them to get away with whatever they want? Do we ever question why we feel the way we feel, or do we just go along because it’s the way it has always been? I’ve probably mentioned it before but it’s worth repeating, it all goes back to one of Obama’s most mis-characterized phrases. When the media quoted him saying they cling to their guns and their religion, they completely missed the context. He said they have been lied to and pushed around for so long, they don’t believe any politican anymore. So they cling to their guns and religion, because their emotions are the only thing they have left that hasn’t been taken from them. Once we realize that politicians playing to our emotions causes destruction, and them playing to our humanity causes evolution, we’ll see the only reason we’re being divided, is because the gatekeepers know the power of our unity, and they’re scared. Collective unity and humanity will always poke through the fog of poltiical division, no matter the thickness. We must always remember, united we stand, divided we fall.” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If our fast food, strip mall, smart phone and bix box store culture continously surprises us with its fakeness, have we really asked why? If we constantly want things to be cheaper, faster and with more variety, but idolize mom and pop businesses, have we really asked why? The whole reason we get cake is to eat it, right? We all like to talk and talk, but when it comes to actions, many of us fail on the follow through. If we like quality local food, personal attention while shopping, personal interaction and a variety of businesses to choose from, but refuse to pay the extra couple bucks, giant mega corporations who can always undercut their competitor, will swoop in and fill the void. Once we realize that if we’re more authentic in our interactions, by talking the talk and walking the walk it leaves us fulfilled, we’ll see that we always get what we actually want, not what we say we want. We can have mom and pop businesses again if we demand them, and then support them. Big boxes become small boxes, when they lose our support.” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If coastal weather features countless microclimates, shouldn’t those microclimates be called microcosms? If the weather can change five miles in any direction, and keep changing in five mile increments as we drive down the road, wouldn’t thoughts, feelings, emotions, actions, reactions, beliefs and goals change in the same fashion, and at the same speed? If nothing is as it seems while change is constant, is stability an illusion? The world can be extremely overwhelming, and even more than that when we pay attention. It seems the second we have something figured out, something comes along to prove we have no idea what we’re talking about. Once we realize that change is inevitable no matter how hard we fight back, we’ll see that processing infinite microcosms is a fools errand, but processing how those infinite microcosms make up the exact same macrocosm, is the smartest thing we could ever do. When we discover microcosms and microclimates are the same, is the exact moment when we discover us humans are the same.” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If everything happens for a reason, yet there are so many unreasonable people, is it any wonder so many try forcing things to happen? Would it change anything if we untethered ourselves from outcomes? Can unreasonable poeple be reasoned with, or are they a lost cause? Is the concept of a lost cause itself unreasonable, because reasons arent being looked for, even though lost causes have a reason by definition? There are as many cures for laziness, as there are motivations to get out of bed in the morning. Much of them come from meaning what we say, by doing what we say, not by telling others to do as we say and not as we do. Once we realize not forcing life to happen, but setting up our environment and mind to allow it to happen when opportunities arise, we’ll see we’re all unreasonbale sometimes, but the quicker we realize it, the quicker we become reasonable again. If everything happens for a reason, and we stop looking for that reason because we figure it’s easier to force life to appear, it never will.” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If we have to inhale specifically so we can exhale in our physical world, must we do the same in our mental world? Must we do for ourselves, specifically so we can do for others, by inhaling beauty, and exhaling kindness and gratitude? If we we ignore others so we can do more or all for ourselves, will it provide short term gain in favor of long term survival? My mom has taught me many things over the years, none as important as remember…ing to fill my own cup. Basically, if we go around all day filling everybody elses cup, we’ll have nothing left for ourselves. Before we expend energy, we have to build energy. Once we realize that to build positive energy, all we have to is walk outside and breathe in how beautiful the world really is, we’ll see that keeping balance is a lot easier when we get out of our own way. Inhaling oxygen and exhaling co2 might help us survive, but breathing in beauty and breathing out love, humanism and accountability, is how we allow our species to consciously evolve.”

From the mind of critic: “If we ask what’s the matter with Kansas, do we also ask what’s the matter with Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee? Do we ask what’s the matter with California, New York, Washington and Vermont? Do we ever look in the mirror, and ask what’s the matter with ourselves? Whether we’re rich, poor, light skinned, dark skinned, college educated or a high school dropout, we’ve all wondered how somebody could vote against their own interests. How could people be poor and working class, yet vote for candidates and policies that benefit only the rich, believing it will will trickle down to them because the market itself spreads wealth. Once we realize trickle down economics has never worked because rich people hang onto their wealth when they gain more of it, we’ll see that if we’re poor, our problem isn’t other poor people, it’s the people who are keeping us all poor. What’s the matter with Kansas, is exactly what’s wrong with us. Once we stop seperating race and class, we’ll stop seperating ourselves.” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If we’ve continously kicked the can down the road for fear of temporary discomfort, are we surprised all the discomfort we’ve avoided has combined to cause us major harm? Do we think we developed immunity to general population issues, because out of sight, out of mind? Do we know the intelligence we think we’ve used to avoid glaring realities, is causing collective ignorance to rise so high, that very few of us saw the decades long build up to our current predicament? We can all ask how we got here till we’re blue in the face, but deep down we know. Those times when we sneered or made a comment about a fellow human not living up to our standards, it led us here. When we ignore people pleading for peace, truth and justice, because we say their claims are false when we know they’re true, but lash out because of jealousy over somebody standing up for their beliefs, when we’re to scared, it led us here. Once we realize true freedom doesn’t tear people down but builds them up, we’ll see that human rights aren’t finite, there are plenty to go around. Kicking the can might have been fun to play when we were kids, but will destroy our very existence if we play it as adults.” 🙂

From the mind of critic: “If our spiritual journey is a solo mission of understanding and consciousness, do we shy away from it because we fear being lonely for the rest of our lives? If we’re scared of being alone, but know we must to gain enlightenment, in what direction do we take our first step? If we understand the value of knowing thyself, and enjoy our alone time, but don’t wanna be alone forever, how do we balance self-reflection with loving and conscious human interaction? Balancing alone time with people time can be difficult, considering we can’t control people’s actions. Sometimes we need to be alone but can’t, and sometimes we need company, but aren’t able. Once we realize all we can control is our reactions and the love we excude, we’ll see the more love we put out, the more we get back. Being spiritual enlightened can be lonely, like nobody understands and nobody will love us the way we are. When this thinking gets ingrained, it closes the door. Will anybody walk through our door, who knows, but they’re guaranteed to find sombody elses if our door is closed.” 🙂