Diamond Mike Watson's Blog, page 12

Should the President be Fired?

If an employer knew a worker re-tweeted anti-Muslim propaganda or videos, should he or she terminate the worker?

What does the President have to do to be fired?

Since he holds the highest title of the land, should he be untouchable, never being held accountable for his behavior?

Would playing hate-inspired videos for your kids make our world a better place?

Is President Donald Trump the real reflection of who we are? Or do we understand, on a deeper level, that the most effective solutions to our problems arise from compassionately caring about our world and each other?

Filed under: Life Adventures, Society

Time

I’m impatient.

I don’t enjoy being stopped by a red light.

I don’t like to be put on hold.

I abhor waiting in checkout lines.

I seek instant gratification.

I love a one-minute thrill.

I savor a delicious meal.

I delight in a good sneeze.

I chase pleasure and avoid pain.

I live for the moment.

Did I describe you also?

Is this the human condition? Do most of us care what happens one year from now? No? Then surely we don’t mind what happens one hundred years from now. After all, we probably won’t even be here.

Why should I spend a year writing a book that you will probably never read. Why should I torture myself searching for the perfect melody of a song that you may never listen to? Why should I slave for hours on a piece of art that you may not take even a moment to admire.

Because someone will read.

Someone will listen.

Someone will admire.

Because I will bring joy and fulfillment to someone.

One of these days maybe we will understand that every ounce of time lives in this very moment. Whether we are here for one hundred more minutes or one hundred more years, we must live our lives to the fullest. We must enjoy the interaction of those we love. Our entire lives are contained in the few seconds that one is reading this.

As I write this in my golden age, I realize that tomorrow we may not be here. In one hundred years another generation will take our place. I hope my stay here gave you good memories that will last forever. I suppose we never really die. If you like, you can wait until tomorrow to read my books or hear my music.

“Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven’t time, and to see takes time – like to have a friend takes time.” Georgia O’Keeffe.

[image error]

Filed under: Amazing Today, Life Adventures, Philosophy

Crime Against Humanity

I smoked cigarettes as a teenager. I didn’t think I was stupid. After all, many of my friends smoked, including my own father.

That was during a time when there was no proof that smoking was bad for ones health. I remember the lush magazine advertisements touting not only the pleasures of smoking tobacco, but also how the industry provided jobs for thousands of workers.

Yes, I was ignorant. But I was not stupid.

During that time, we also learned how we were destroying the ozone by releasing fluorocarbons into the atmosphere. We learned to at least pause before purchasing a can of hair spray. On a larger scale, we learned that all carbon-based molecules from cars and factories could be changing our climate.

Yes, we were ignorant. But we never had solid evidence. We were not stupid.

Today, it is easy to understand how our human activity is trapping our suns heat and warming our earth. But what is only four degrees, you may say? The answer would mean the end of us.

The tobacco industry made immense profits. It is understandable why there was never an urgent study on its harm. Today the world revolves from the burning of fossil fuels. Similarity, why would the CEO’s of these institutions rush to research any possible harm?

I do not want to be on the wrong side of science. If our government and leaders of companies that sell and burn fossil fuels do not take responsibility for the devastation that is peeking just under our horizon, they will be considered guilty of the crime against humanity.

We can no longer claim ignorance, but if we continue along our path without change, we must claim stupidity.

For starters, we must redirect our government to not only have firm roots in the Paris Climate Accord, but to also embrace the ingenuity of our nation to be leaders in this urgent global cause.

By the way, there is no such thing as “clean” coal.

And no, cigarettes are not simply annoying to ones health. They will kill you.

Filed under: Life Adventures, Society

The Miracle of Walking on the Earth.

Please do not call me a Christian.

Although the teachings of Jesus have shaped me into the person I am today, that opening statement might seem shocking for many of my friends.

From the writings of the New Testament to learning the noble qualities of my mentors, including my dear mother, I have learned how to love and how to forgive. I have also been moved from the wisdom of Jesus, who had such a close relation with God that he called him his father.

I believe in Jesus as a historical person. He may have been one of the most influential men in history. I believe in God, but my God may not be the same as yours.

I mention God often, but it does not relate to an entity who cares about me personally, forgives me of my sins, or who is preparing an eternal place of paradise that will be reserved after my death. My God is the exalting mystery and beauty of the universe itself, which arduously reveals itself to us one morsel at a time.

So it would be hypocritical of me to say I am a Christian. That word has far too many implications that you might get the wrong impression of myself. If I said I was Christian, you might assume I believe Jesus is the only son of God, that he was born from a virgin, that he rose from the dead, and he will return to judge us.

I do believe in miracles. The fact that I can see these letters as I type them is a miracle. That I can embrace a warm cup of coffee in my hand as I behold the sun rising in the morning is a miracle. That we can peer at a star on a deep night and realize that we are looking back in time is a miracle. One never has to struggle to see miracles.

That does not mean I believe Jesus walked on the sea, turned water into wine, or raised Lazarus from the dead. And, even if he did these things, would that prove he was a man whose divine mission was to come to earth as God incarnate, and suffer and die for our sins so that we may have the chance to live in paradise forever?

I don’t think God works that way.

In fact, for those who are anxiously awaiting a greater paradise than has been bestowed upon us, I ask you to savor the wonder of this very real moment of hugging someone you love or being kind to another. This moment will never come again.

We sometimes assume that when someone proclaims themselves as Christian, it means that they must be good persons. I find it more honorable to be judged for not what we believe, but for how we conduct our lives and how we interact with others.

Since I have been so immensely influenced from the life and ministry of Jesus, I would like to say I am Christian. However, because of the reasons I stated, that designation may mislead you.

If you don’t mind, perhaps I can simply say I am a follower of Jesus. To be his follower, it doesn’t matter what happened before he was born, how he was born, or what happened after he died. The real miracle of Jesus was not when he walked on the water, it was when he walked on the earth.

Filed under: Amazing Today, Life Adventures, Philosophy

Birth Certificates

Here are my (two) very different birth certificates.  The first one is the amended one given to my adoptive parents and then given to me.  The second is my original birth certificate that took me 36 years to receive (only after I could prove to the State of Indiana that my birthmother had died and furnished them a copy of her death certificate!)[image error][image error]

Filed under: Adoption, Life Adventures

Death Certificates

Here are the death certificates of my birthmother whose maiden name was Betty Stewart, and her first husband, Carl Price Jr. [image error][image error]

Filed under: Adoption, Life Adventures

Three Wedding License Applications

Here are three wedding license applications for Carl Price, Jr., in order by date of marriage:

Carl Price and Sarah Weeks

Carl Price and Betty Stewart (my birthmother)

Carl Price and Shirley Gregg

It is striking to notice the closeness of the marriage and divorce dates, the differences of ages in the groom and brides, and the fact that Carl always seemed to neglect stating all his former children on the applications.

[image error] [image error] [image error]

Filed under: Adoption, Life Adventures

Deborah Kay, We Will Never Stop Searching for You

[image error]To my sister, Deborah Kay,

62 years have passed since the day you were born. I wanted you to see the work your family, your internet friends, and myself have done to try and find you.

What happened? Were you adopted? Stolen? Or something more sinister?

It took me twenty years to find myself. Now I am dedicating the remainder of my life in finding you. Don’t worry.   If you knew me you would know I NEVER give up. We are discovering more clues. We are hot on the trail. We are getting closer in finding you- at lightning speed.

Your brother,

Michael

PLEASE SHARE.   If anyone has any information about the mysterious disappearance of my sister in 1956, please let me know.

Thank you.

Filed under: Adoption, Life Adventures

The Shooter is Dead. Should We Feel Safe?

[image error]

After the Texas mass shooting that killed 26 people, or 4% of the little towns population, I hope we will all get a good nights sleep tonight. The shooter is dead. After all, guns don’t kill people, you say. People kill people.

But is there another shooter out there somewhere?

Why do we love guns? When I was a kid my uncle carved me a large wooden “rifle.” I secured a large locking clothespin to the butt, placed a giant rubber band at the tip of the barrel and pulled the band into the vise of the clothespin. I was able to fire the rubber band across the room with such force it would nearly topple a small lamp.

I remember my sense of power and aiming talent. I also remember accidentally shooting my dad in the forehead while pointing my weapon at him while he was reading the newspaper. I also remembered my spanking.

So I suppose humans will always be fascinated with cause and effect. When I pull this trigger, this is what will happen beyond my reach. I was the same kid who was amazed at the cause and effect of mixing vinegar with baking soda. I always took superhero credit for the resulting explosive foam of bubbles.

Guns don’t kill people, you say. People kill people.

I suppose that is correct. There is nothing inherently bad with a gun. There is also nothing inherently bad with a nuclear bomb. By itself, a nuclear bomb is harmless. I’ve heard some say if we have more gun control then we must also have more car and truck and airplane control. After all, these have also been used to kill people. I would like to note that cars, trucks and planes did not arrive from the human imagination to kill others. They had other purposes. In this case, to transport us from one location to the other.

There is also nothing inherently bad with a knife. By itself, a knife is harmless. If used with a warm heart, a knife can be used to slice bread and share with others.

The origin of the gun was not invented for the sport of target practice. It’s purpose was to kill. It aided hunters in gathering food and gave protection from aggressive beasts.

It is sad how humans always find a way to use our intelligence for evil. One persons rubber band gun can turn into a pellet gun where cause and effect can now make a songbird topple from a tree. The chemicals we mix with the intentions of keeping us healthy can turn into a weapon that may kill others from simply breathing it. The invention of drones and quadcopters heightened our visual experience by fitting them with cameras. Never-before have we been able to see this new awesomeness of our world at a higher elevation. However, it wasn’t long before we realized we could fit them with a gun that could make them weapons of war. Nuclear fission was a human breakthrough in understanding and harnessing atomic power. Today, that breakthrough transformed into an unimaginable weapon of death and destruction.

Speaking of the Texas massacre, President Donald Trump said, “This isn’t a guns situation. This is a mental health problem at the highest level.” USA Today. 11-6-2017. This was a reckless statement that brushes off a real problem and eliminates the urgency of our national epidemic.

I understand people will always kill people. It is a sad, inevitable consequence of our species. There will always be those with mental disorders and those filled with hate. But can we agree to WAKE UP now to create a deterrent for people from killing others, starting with the objects that are intended for killing? If we want to help reduce the senseless murders that have ravaged our country this year alone, let’s begin with a legislative force-field to help prevent unauthorized gun access.

 

 

Filed under: Life Adventures, Society

Happiness

Real happiness does not come from material things, but from the thoughts of love we hold in our heads.

If we want to look at the past with a smile, we must create a good memory today.

[image error]

Filed under: Amazing Today, Family Life, Life Adventures, Philosophy