On Views of Race and Inequality, Blacks and Whites Are Worlds Apart
About four-in-ten blacks are doubtful that the U.S. will ever achieve racial equality Many blacks are skeptical that the country will eventually make the changes necessary for racial equality Almost eight years after Barack Obama’s election as the nation’s first black president –an event that engendered a sense of optimism among many Americans about the future of race relations1 – a series of flashpoints around the U.S. has exposed deep racial divides and reignited a national conversation about race. A new Pew Research Center survey finds profound differences between black and white adults in their views on racial discrimination, barriers to black progress and the prospects for change. Blacks, far more than whites, say black people are treated unfairly across different realms of life, from dealing with the police to applying for a loan or mortgage. And, for many blacks, racial equality remains an elusive goal.
The movie “The Matrix” portrays a dystopian future in which reality as perceived by most people, is actually a simulated reality called the matrix. A dystopia is the opposite of Utopia. War is being waged between machines, which have taken over the world, and rebel humans.
Perhaps, a Near Death Experience (NDE) may provide some idea as to what happens although strictly speaking, it is not the death experience itself.
A colleague of mine was being treated in hospital for a heart condition more than a decade ago. He told me he experienced a sensation of travelling at an extremely high speed while still in the hospital. He said he asked the doctor afterwards: "Doc, did I die on you?" He said the doctor did not answer him. He passed away about a year afterwards,
Have you or anyone you know had a Near Death Experience? What was it like?
In an earlier comment on this blog, robplum stated:
"we most certainly do have choices in managing our thought process during aging process that you referred to (And cause you pain and anxiety) also our mind at the time leading up to and indeed as last breath goes out but doesn't come back in."
I am not sure what you mean by "mind bending stretches". Perhaps, that may be related to "yoga" or even "mind control" exercises. Someone else may advise on that.
The stretching, bending, etc., exercises to which I refer, are for the joints. I also do some heel raises (for the ankle joint), some leg (thigh) raises for the lower hip joint, and some squats (for the knee joint).
I walk a half-hour each morning for the cardio-vascular system. Then do another half-hour of stretching, bending, stretching, etc., for the joints. I do crossword puzzles, especially code beakers, and sudoku.
"We can transform any problem, even death, into happiness. The point is not to stop the experience of problems but to stop the conditions that we call ‘problems’ from disturbing our mind, and instead use them to support the spiritual path that we practice."
I do not view death as a problem since it is inevitable. In other words, we have no choice in the matter.
Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern, born 26 July 1980, is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Mount Albert since 2017.
Throughout 2020 she led New Zealand's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, for which she won praise for New Zealand being one of the few Western nations to successfully contain the virus.
At 37, Ardern became the youngest leader of the Labour Party in its history.
On 15 March 2019, 51 people were fatally shot and 49 injured in two mosques in Christchurch. In a statement broadcast on television, Ardern offered condolences and stated that the shootings had been carried out by suspects with "extremist views" that have no place in New Zealand, or anywhere else in the world. Ardern received international praise for her response to the shootings.
In response to the shootings, Ardern announced her government's intention to introduce stronger firearms regulations. She said that the attack had exposed a range of weaknesses in New Zealand's gun law. Less than one month after the attack, the New Zealand Parliament passed a law that bans most semiautomatic weapons and assault rifles, parts that convert guns into semiautomatic guns, and higher capacity magazines.
Forbes magazine has consistently ranked her among the 100 most powerful women in the world, placed 34 in 2021.
In foreign policy, Merkel has emphasised international cooperation, both in the context of the EU and NATO, and strengthening transatlantic economic relations. In 2008, Merkel served as President of the European Council and played a central role in the negotiation of the Treaty of Lisbon and the Berlin Declaration. Merkel played a crucial role in managing the global financial crisis of 2007–2008 and the European debt crisis. She negotiated the 2008 European Union stimulus plan focusing on infrastructure spending and public investment to counteract the Great Recession. In domestic policy, Merkel's Energiewende program has focused on future energy development, seeking to phase out nuclear power in Germany, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increase renewable energy sources. Reforms to the Bundeswehr which abolished conscription, health care reform, and her government's response to the 2010s European migrant crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany were major issues during her chancellorship. She served as the senior G7 leader from 2011 to 2012 and again from 2014 to 2021. In 2014, she became the longest-serving incumbent head of government in the EU. In October 2018, Merkel announced that she would stand down as Leader of the CDU at the party convention, and would not seek a fifth term as chancellor in the 2021 federal election. In 2022, Merkel condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
International status
Angela Merkel's tenure as Chancellor compared to heads of government in the EU and UK Merkel was widely described as the de facto leader of the European Union throughout her tenure as Chancellor. Merkel was twice named the world's second most powerful person, following Vladimir Putin, by Forbes magazine, the highest ranking ever achieved by a woman. On 26 March 2014, Merkel became the longest-serving incumbent head of government in the European Union. In December 2015, Merkel was named as Time magazine's Person of the Year, with the magazine's cover declaring her to be the "Chancellor of the Free World". In 2018, Merkel was named the most powerful woman in the world for a record fourteenth time by Forbes. Following the election of Donald Trump to the US presidency in 2016, Merkel was described by The New York Times as "the Liberal West's Last Defender", and by a number of commentators as the "leader of the free world". Specifically, Politico called Merkel the "leader of the free world" when reporting on her meeting with President Trump. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described Merkel in 2017 as "the most important leader in the free world". The Atlantic described her in 2019 as "the world's most successful living politician, on the basis of both achievement and longevity". She was found in a 2018 survey to be the most respected world leader internationally. She was named as Harvard University's commencement speaker in 2019; Harvard University President Larry Bacow described her as "one of the most widely admired and broadly influential statespeople of our time". When Merkel retired as Chancellor, Hillary Clinton wrote that "she led Europe through difficult times with steadiness and bravery, and for four long years, she was the leader of the free world."
May I share with you a poem I wrote and posted on CS years ago:
ALONENESS Author: socrates44
Aloneness is different from loneliness It is an occasion for personal growth It gives an insight into humanness And helps us realize our self worth
Being with others continually Denies us from ever having a chance To look at ourselves objectively To build up our own self reliance
Self reliance is the key to coping With acute periods of adversity It provides us with an inner strengthening To overcome and claim the victory
Self reliance is extremely vital To avoid the feeling of loneliness Which can happen when there is denial Of other's support and togetherness
If you feel contentment in aloneness It can help you to avoid a pitfall It provides an inner based happiness Which is the greatest happiness of all ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Posted: Nov 2014
My personal view is based on the Law of Conservation of Energy which states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It may be transformed to another form. I view that force, power or whatever, that is inherent in a living person, as a form of energy. When a person dies, that energy continues to exist, perhaps in another form, but it does not dissipate into nothingness. As to exactly what becomes of it, I cannot say.
That, of course, is just my view with which I am satisfied. It is fine with me that others may disagree with my view
Thanks for your comment. "I can only say that we return to Source/Consciousness."
Saying that we return to Source/Consciousness implies that we came from it. While we are alive, we are conscious or have consciousness Please tell us about this "Source/Consciousness".
"I've had a few "small deaths" experiences while conscious and I saw the other side."
What do you mean by a few "small deaths", recognizing the fact that you are alive at present? You said you saw the other side. What was the other side like? Please tell us about it.
"We're all energy, and are all ONE."
How are we "all One" as you mention?
"We don't need to come back here either and go through the whole rebirth process. We have a choice!"
You say we have a choice. How can we avoid the rebirth process that you mentioned?
I do not see what my statement on The Law of Conservation of Energy: "Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. A particular type of energy may be transformed to another type of energy but it cannot be destroyed." has to do with the energy crisis.
It is to be viewed in the same way as your statement: "...matter can neither be created nor destroyed."
I quoted what I read from wikipedia about Lamrim per se. It did not mention anything about what happens after death.
However, I am aware, to some extent, of Buddhism - Mahayana, Hinayana and Zen. You say you are an ex-director of Mahayana Temple. I wish to commend you on that achievement.
I am more familiar with Zen. I posted the following article which I called "My Zen Experience" in the Article section of CS:
Here is what I stated in the Poetry Section and to which I am still awaiting your answer: You wrote:
"Well no, it is the end of knowing, And many have ceased the knowing Long before the last breath they drew. For such, already gone was the world that once they thought they knew" .
The term “know” in the poem is used in the general sense There are different types of knowing: Cognitive Affective and perhaps others including “mystical”: See:
Blaise Pascal says: “The heart has reasons that reason does not know”
Can a person in a coma “know”? See salamuna's comment stated lower down after your comment.
If you are uncomfortable with the word “know” in the line that you quoted: “All persons will know the answer”, you can read it as: “All will experience the answer”
By the way, my comment about name calling refers to your response to a comment I made in another person's poem which has since been removed where you addressed me as “Silly Man”.
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We are The Xennials
OrzzzI am happy that you found the blog useful and made a copy for future reference.