Spontaneous South Carolina Adventure

The house was silent and empty last night. The dark of evening falls upon the land at about 5:15pm. Before I could second-guess myself, I decided on a spontaneous adventure. The adventure led me south east of my current location, about 140 miles away. The ride along i20-East was quite uneventful. Interstates are the best way to travel if you're in a hurry somewhere. Me? I like the scenic route - the route that's laden with a hint of danger like.... deer dashing across the road way and wrecking my car type danger.

After about forty miles of interstate (I20), I switch up to traveling on the single lane in each direction, county highway. There are no street lamps here in South Carolina. The road is only lit up by the headlights of vehicles and the occasional home. I am not sure how true this is but in the small towns, if you want a lamp pole on your street or in front of your house you have to pay to run the electrical lines, pay for the pole itself, and maintain the electricity. Thus, no street lights. I think it's fabulous for several reasons, the main one being that one can look up in the sky and see the true brightness of the stars without the interruption of manufactured light. The second reason, it must mean less taxation on citizens even though general excise tax here is at 8% and I'm mad about it.


I love driving on the mainland. For the most part, especially what I've experienced here in South Carolina, there is rarely any traffic on the country roads. The interstates are a different story and when you're in the city, it gets a little congested but nothing like I experience in Hawai'i.

I made my way south east of Columbia, SC. The darkness of the highway, the emptiness of the roads, and the silence was very relaxing for me. About half way to my destination, the fog appeared. It one particular section of highway, it rested just a couple of feet above my vehicle for several miles. It was mesmerizing to see the car lights reflecting off the moisture in the stark white of the fog. It moved and danced just above my car and was very distracting because of its beauty. The further south I drove, the thicker the mist became and I was not afraid -- only intrigued.

I arrived at my destination just after 730p. Why I found myself so far away from home is a story for another time. That's not what this post is about. When I woke in the early a.m. it was still chilly and the fog had not lifted at all. As I made my way back north, I was able to capture some of these beautiful images along my drive. I really feel grateful to experience this. The way the fog blankets the landscape is so beautiful in the early morning; the way it hugs the fields and the trees. My mind always seems to revert back to how people experienced this beauty before cars and modern roads. I think of the slave era. My fascination with American greed/slavery has been an obsession since I was a little girl. I cannot explain why I identify with it but I do.

I was thinking that maybe this weekend, I will find another adventure to get caught up in. If Hilton Head wasn't so far away, I would make my way there. I was reading up about things to do there and there are things that I have NEVER experienced that I have always been interested in. Back in the late 90's I read a book called Mama Day by Gloria Naylor. This book is set on a fictional island off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. It mentions the Gullah people and some of their traditions. Thus, my interest in visiting Hilton Head  and Gullah culture has a lot to do with having read that book.

What might be simpler to do is to head back to Charleston. I visited there the weekend before Thanksgiving. It's less than a two hour drive and probably even shorter because the majority of the drive is on the interstate meaning I can "step on it." There were things that I wanted to do that I wasn't able to get to, places that I wanted to eat at, and pictures I wanted to take. Well, I think this weekend just might be my opportunity to go back and explore. On the other hand, it might be a chill weekend of lounging and writing and cooking and eating my favorite foods. If I were at home and it was a weekend like this, I would invite everyone to come over and eat. I'm in one of those moods. The holidays always tend to bring it on.

Happy Weekend everyone.

SIDE NOTE that I always feel compelled to talk about:
I am so fortunate to have so many people around me wanting whatever I want for myself. Everyday I wake up in extreme gratitude for the people in my life. Nobody really knows how difficult this past year has been for me. I do put on a facade very often so that others are comfortable around me. Very rarely do I let down my facade and have a good cry in front of people. My agony has been experienced privately and with my closest family and friends. Even when my mother passed away, I only cried with my now ex-husband. It would be in the dark while we were lying in bed. He wouldn't say a word to me. He would wrap his arms around me, let me cry, and wait for me to fall asleep. Ironic now that he is the source of my pain.
SIDE NOTE END.

Submitting to the Light

This semester, I am taking PHIL 410. This course is part of my academic plan since I am a Philosophy major. The topic of the course is God and World. The text is really good. It's by Karen Armstrong entitled A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This week is mid-terms. What I really enjoy about classes online is that there aren't any "exams". Instead of an examination - midterm or final - most online professors prefer a term paper. This is totally fine with me. I love that I get to write about topics that I actually enjoy. I don't really care for this particular professor. He comes off as a guy that wants to be right all the time rather than someone attempting to nurture the thought process. He is very condescending toward most of the students. It's irritating but totally off subject.

He dropped the term paper topic list today. I love every single topic on his list. How can I choose just one? Here are the topics:

-Jewish Groups at the time of Jesus and the Concept of the Messiah
-Jesus in Historical Context
-Gnostic Gospels
-Deism
-Contemporary Commentary on the Koran from a Feminist Perspective
-Christian Mysticism
-Concept of Sin
-Major Figures (select one from this list: http://www.theology.ie/theologs.htm)

What I love about Philosophy is how much I explore into the mindset of thinkers throughout the history of the modern WESTERN world and the advent of religion and the social structures that either support it or discard it. I have had several epiphanies over the course of my studies. I am nearly done and will graduate with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Philosophy within the year. I don't really consider this an accomplishment because I have never liked the idea of college. Taking college courses and pursuing this degree was more a matter of accessing the funds that are made available to native Hawaiians through Kamehameha Schools.

I appreciate that many of the subjects I have explored throughout my studies have been topics that were outside of my experience. However, I don't think that a college degree is an indicator of how well a person can think. I say this because I have encountered many people (I work at a private university) who have difficulty utilizing their critical thinking skills. My social interactions with my family, friends, in my community, and even online have been colored with shallow/narrow conceptions of various topics. In an abundant universe with an infinite number of possibilities, I find it increasingly difficult to remain so fixed in my position on the topic of religion and philosophy, any topic. I am but a small speck in the large universe with very little understanding of infinity. I conclude that I couldn't possibly know everything. I cannot make declarations that will be fixed for eternity because, well, in a second that declaration could be overturned by new information.

I submit to the eternal search for light, love, knowledge, and truth. I do not search for these things to gain leverage over another. Rather, I search for these qualities only to understand, to feel compassion, to express kindness for all living entities in the universe. I want to share my light. I want my light to burn brighter.

Can you dig it?

BTW: the topic I selected is Christian Mysticism.

Photo Blog: Highway 40/ Colorado

My husband and I made it to our destination. Except for the drama that binds us to my in-laws, we made it here unscathed. I am always so extremely humbled when I make it somewhere after traveling over thousands of miles in one piece. I have to say that Highway 40, through northern Colorado, has got to be one of the most beautiful drives I've ever done. I'm really glad that our GPS took us through those mountains.

We hit the highway at about 5 in the morning. We caught a gorgeous sunrise. Everything was so calm and peaceful. The wildlife, like deer and moose, were out foraging for food. Because we were way off the interstate, traffic was non-existent. There weren't any cars or trucks for miles and miles. It was very peaceful to ride in such an idyllic setting. My mind became very aware of the universe and the eternal-ness of life. So often we get caught up doing big things that have little consequence on the state of our soul and conversely do little things that have big impact on our peace of mind.

I offer these pictures as a small glimpse into the beauty of Highway 40. It was taken with my phone. I wish I could have stopped every thirty minutes to take photo's with my real camera but we really needed to make up some time. The world, the universe is so beautiful. I thank my creator for the natural wonders that are around me. Thank you for allowing me to witness the magic.

Photo Blog: Dusty Highways

Our journey west has been smooth sailing, unless you count the fall I took right in front of the Super 8 motel in Georgetown, Colorado. It was a really bad fall but I think I was more embarrassed than anything else when it first happened. So what happened was I tripped on the top step and went straight for the glass door. My face slammed into the door while everything else slammed the hard concrete. Needless to say, this morning I woke up in a whole lot of pain. Thank goodness for my very dense, Polynesian bones -- nothing's broken except my ego. Actually, I take that back. My back is aching and very stiff. I knew that was coming. My fall was pretty intense and I knew the whiplash was coming. I did file an accident report so if anything major comes up, I'll pursue this further.

As I was saying, our journey west has been smooth sailing. We left Oklahoma City at like 330 in the morning. The GPS took us off the beaten path, on state highways instead of the interstate. The state highways are not lit so driving that early in the morning is a really lonely experience. There was a large, gorgeous moon sitting over the blank landscape. At any moment, I felt like aliens were going to abduct us. It was that lonely. That silent! It was very early and we hadn't slept at all so we pulled over at a lonely service station to get some shut-eye. It was a very eerie place. It reminded me of all the haunted places on Scooby-Doo. There was an owl nearby that prevented me from going to sleep. So 45 minutes later, we were back on the road.

On the island of O'ahu, the island of my birth, you can never drive through hundreds of miles of vacant, wide-open, blank land. So driving through the deserted landscapes, off the interstate, and through the littlest towns you could ever imagine, I felt really alone. It felt like it was just hubby and I all alone in the universe. Some little towns were deserted, like the people had moved on. Like the world had moved on. I instantly thought of a Stephen King series I had begun reading many years ago called The Dark Tower. Very interesting read. I'm a huge fan of Stephen King and this series of books is outstanding!

America looks different from a speeding car on dusty state highways. I'm taking it all in and enjoying the images I witness everyday. Though my longing for Hawai'i will probably never fade, I'm trying to be in this moment, in the now -- to savor every experience as it is handed to me. I am extremely grateful for my husband who has been the pilot of our uHaul ship. I think I drove a total of 2 hours so far. He kicked me out of the pilot chair when I nearly nodded off to sleep. Yesterdays journey ended at Georgetown, Colorado. We drove through the city of Denver. Seeing the Rocky Mountains coming into view was a wonderful experience. I miss seeing mountains.

Whether I was staring at blank landscapes, large windmill's, or the beautiful Rockies one thing is for sure -- God created this universe just for me. Just for you! Life is great (except for my fall yesterday). Wish me safe travels.

Movie Review Epiphany

I recently watched the movie, Children of Men. The movie details a world where humans are no longer able to procreate. It sounds so morbid. What is also evident in the movie is a world that pits the common citizen against the government. If you are not WITH the government then you are labeled a terrorist.

I happen to think we are moving toward that kind of world. A world where infertility becomes the norm. With vaccinations being pushed on us at every turn and our total inability to verify what's in the vaccinations, infertility could very well be the result along with every other disease that is spreading like wildfire. I also believe that many diseases are engineered in a laboratory then tested on humans without consent. Think of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic that proliferated in the late 70's. Odd that it only affected a portion of the world that included the poor minority (third world), the homosexual, and the drug addict. This then turned into a moral judgment, by a good portion of the general population, on those that had become infected. Where did the virus originate and could it have really been isolated within the poor, gay, drug addicted community? The topic is something I think about in the face of my own inability to conceive.

The main characters of the movie stand in opposition of the government. They are labeled "terrorist" and are all in a concerted effort to get a pregnant woman to a safe haven. In the safe haven, scientists are attempting to figure out why, for 18 years, all pregnancies resulted in miscarriages and then eventually no pregnancies, then... no children.

I find the terrorist label to be something that already exists in this era, as it appeared in previous periods of history. Just after World War II Americans were afraid of "communists" and now it's the "terrorists". I think it's safe to say that ANYONE that doesn't support the government has the possibility of ending up on the governments naughty list. If you sit back and think of some of the most admirable characters in history, you'd find that most of them have been imprisoned at some point in their life.

There are two conclusions that I draw from this. The first is that man's law (the government) is faulty. If they imprisoned good men/ women that promoted higher ideals and higher moral codes of conduct, what does that say of the institution that locked them up? A few names that come to mind:

Jesus... and his disciples.

Nelson Mandela.

Gandhi.

Assata Shakur.

Biblical -- Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego (my favorite bible story).

The last ruling monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, Queen Lili'uokalani.

The second conclusion I make is that I refuse to be on the "wrong" side just because it's easier. The easier path, for most people, is to comply with the powers that be. I imagine that it probably would have been easier for Jesus to succumb to the will of the Jewish majority and the Roman government. His disciples, as revealed by stories in the New Testament, had a tough time in affirming their connection to Jesus. And yet, Jesus persevered and did what he came to the earth to do.

You can select any name from my list and attempt to prove me wrong. (You probably have more that you could add to this list.) They were revolutionaries and I admire them for their courage and I desire to align myself with them.

The entire premise of this post was two-fold. First, to express my vaccination woes. Second, to point out the obvious relation between revolutionary leaders being pitted against the government. Please, never be on the wrong side.

I don't think that I am more apt to believe all the bad things in the world. I wholly believe in the good in the universe and that we, human beings, have the capacity to rise above the lust for power and greed. We have the power to use our minds, our souls, and our hearts to make correct decisions that will direct the course of our eternal lives. It is our duty to steer others from a life that is void of free will. May your path always seek to preserve free agency for all!

One of Them : Part I

When I was younger, I never thought I'd be 'ONE OF THEM'. Yet I find myself steadily more comfortable being 'ONE OF THEM'.

ONE OF THEM (in the context of this post) equals what most people call conspiracy theorists. However, I don't think of myself as a theorist because that would imply that there is no evidence to support the conspiracy. And there are many conspiracies in the world today, as there were in the politics of long ago. It would be foolish to think that all the governments of the world are squeaky clean, especially when a solid standard of ethical behavior is absent.

I have an uncle (not a biological uncle but a "calabash" uncle, as we call it in Hawai'i), who has been speaking about government intrigue for years. He is always the first person I think of when someone says "conspiracy theorist". As a teenager, the discussions my uncle would have with my parents would become almost uncomfortable. He'd talk about inflation, war, fiat currency, indoctrination, Rockefeller's, Rothschild's, etc. and all of it bucked the information I had received in the public school curriculum.

In my Hau'ula Elementary education, I learned to sing American patriotic songs and to pledge allegiance to a piece of cloth (the flag), along with the math and the reading. A good portion of my time was spent learning about U.S. history that illustrated them in a very positive light. To hear something other than that, like how my uncle vehemently opposed U.S. policy, was downright BLASPHEMY. **laughing** At least it was back then. Many years later, here I am... ONE OF THEM. ONE OF THEM like my uncle, a conspiracy theorist/"conspir-ist".

I suppose my journey began when I heard an hour long synopsis of The Creature From Jekyll Island, presented by its author G. Edward Griffin. I read the book, immediately thereafter. I was amazed then, as I still am now, at how much things began to make sense in regards to how money works in the modern era; the founding of The Federal Reserve; the Great Depression; the founding of social welfare; etc. (Hear the hour long synopsis here....)


This was the "red pill" (for Matrix fans like myself) that sent me down the rabbit hole. I became interested in the information that was withheld from my liberal, public education. Immediately upon finding out that The Federal Reserve was an illegal entity, I researched the Internal Revenue Service and found them to be a pseudo-government entity. That really rocked my world. Under the direction of fellow conspir-ists, I FOIA'd my IRS file. (FOIA=Freedom of Information Act). I wanted to attempt to withdraw from having to deal with the IRS but it's nearly impossible to operate without paying the piper. I know. I know. We were indoctrinated to be happy tax-payers. It's supposed to be our privilege and our duty as happy U.S. citizens. Right? Well, I'll save that discussion for another post because it deserves its own post. Right now, this narrative is about how I became ONE OF THEM.

The next book I read was Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins. Click HERE to read an excerpt I posted on this blog, a couple years ago.

I bet some of you are reading this and are conveniently labelling me a FANATIC. **laughing** I wish I could wake up even a few. A few of you could turn off CNN or FOX and form your own opinion rather than the opinion of a network that is paid to entertain you, put a spin on politics, and influence your opinion. They are not there to educate you. C-SPAN is a better option. No spin! You actually watch the proceedings, whether in the Senate or Congress, or you watch forums on topics that pertain to you.

**heavy sigh** At first, I had a difficult time trying to balance the new information with normal living. I had been fooled for so many years. I felt like I had been jolted awake. I looked around at my extended family and found that they were still asleep, as are many of you that will read this. I encourage you to watch/listen the video. If you are unconvinced, you can dismiss the information. However, I think many of you will find your interest piqued and a desire to learn more.

I am ONE OF THEM and I am so awake!

**RAISING MY GLASS**
"To Awakenings!"

The Goings On

I know folks have been wondering what's been goin' on with me. I can be an avid blogger. I enjoy writing as a means of purging myself of unnecessary baggage.... but lately, I've just been Missing in Action.

There is so much going on in my world that it's hard to put my finger on JUST ONE THING that has kept me away from my blog. As I analyze things in my mind, I find that I categorize things into what I need and what I want.

A couple of weeks ago, husband and I endeavored on actually writing down our goals. I've learned in the "seminar circuit" that writing down our goals separates them from just wishing it. This was actually a difficult exercise for me. I didn't complete it. It's like I'm afraid to dream further than what I've already dreamed up for myself. I'm afraid to write it down. Afraid to put it on paper because then I must hold myself to it. **sigh**

I have changed so much in the past year that it is hard to imagine the way I was last year. Husband and I have placed ourselves on such an exciting journey. We had a deep discussion the other night about where our lives are headed. It can be said that the path we're on is less traveled. It can be said that the path is dangerous. Yet, I hear the rumblings in my spirit to STOP BEING average.

In our discussion about this exciting new world, I told husband that I have the courage to continue on. Come what may, I will stand firm in my beliefs. So while folks claim to pledge allegiance to their hero's, I think we're all missing the point. Allegiance to our hero's means FOLLOWING them on their path... and that path is usually LESS TRAVELLED, fraught with danger yet unbelievably FULFILLING.

Very few of us ever do what we were born to do. We allow ourselves to be shaped by what our parents and teachers want for us. Or we allow the media to manipulate us. But all of us have a purpose that is greater than we can imagine for ourselves. I believe we must follow that nagging in our gut to take the road less travelled instead of allowing the government and the school system beat us into submission.

Remember that passion we had as teenagers... to CHANGE.THE.WORLD. Why aren't we changing the world? Why hasn't the world changed? Because what we fear is alienation. We fear retribution. We are afraid of going against the grain. We don't want to go to jail. All these things have LITTLE to do with our own moral compass. Yet it is that compass that should direct us... not FEAR.

The highest power that I will EVER have to answer to is the Creator. The evil regime that runs this country today does not scare me. My direction is clear and I am not afraid anymore. I am not afraid of what will be said of me. It is of NO consequence.

Change Is Coming

When you make changes in your life, your whole routine is different. Your set of friends are different. Your daily discussions are different. Your routine is different. It's just like that!

I am loving the positive changes my husband and I are making. We have raised our level of thinking and have NO TIME for the little stuff that used to get in our way. We FINALLY have more common goals than common differences. That is VERY IMPORTANT! We also agree on the road that gets us to the common goals. That's rare.

I am excited about the road ahead of us. I am excited about the endless possibilities. The only sad difference is that if our old set of friends can't change along with us, they get left behind. And it's not because we choose to leave them behind. It's more that we gravitate towards like-minded individuals as will they. If our conversations only lead to differences than it makes no sense to continue the arguing. And I'm okay with that. We will continue on our road to success and they will continue to do how they do.

Sanity defined -- ALWAYS doing the same thing and expecting a different result. I'm changing my ways. Change is coming. Change is happening as we speak.