The Culture that has been here all the time

Hello Friends,

I have met some people here in The Cage who have interacted with friendship, which is good. My caregiving, even with help, is still a challenge, and I still do not have an everyday social life and probably will not for the foreseeable future. I do not frequent taverns or clubs, so getting out is limited to rides and visiting a market, maybe a small museum. My connections with very few relatives and friends are essential, and I will do my best. Reinvigorating caring for my house and yard is also important: It is a touch of normalcy and a change from feeling housebound. I think about people in the world severely impacted by conflict and natural disasters and count my blessings.

In other words, caring for my wife, even with help, remains a challenge and impacts what many people consider to be everyday life. Don't take life for granted and become restless because you feel it is too ordinary. Enjoy the ordinary. It is a blessing.

Hello Friends,

Most people regard truth as necessary. Yet untruth is prevalent in this world and comes in many forms. Lies, fabrication, omission, deception, manipulation, denial, and masquerade are among the most common. My father told me there were lies and white lies, but my mother chimed in and said, "Lies are lies." 

Today, many people distrust and completely trust some social media sites. The consequences can be minor or significant, depending upon the impact of the untruth. To complicate things, some people offer examples of truth having negative impacts and use that to defend disingenuous messages.

Somehow, despite all the dangers and negative consequences, humanity seems to advance in a positive direction, though much slower and weaker than may be widely believed.

Significant segments of our civilization may be controlled or manipulated by people with power and a personal agenda that favors their success. No upheaval occurs if most people feel okay economically and have some semblance of freedom. Often, where upheaval or unrest does occur, those in power use Macovalian tactics to control their citizens.

I am grateful that I live in a stable country, and as a people, we have established this even with challenges.

Hello Friends,

I watched a television series about ancient people in Britain, including the Druids and Romans. It was as entertaining as it was a depiction of brutality and violent incidents. That was the story's thrust, but one memorable incident stuck in my mind.

A prince with little ambition and more empathy had married a woman, his complete opposite in character. She relished her position and anticipated a rise to power. In a dispute between her and the prince, he turned to her and said, "You are beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside."

As a male of the human race, I have often been fooled by a woman's outward appearance and assumed she was beautiful on the inside as she presented herself to me physically. It was only a matter of time for her to reveal her true character, and several times, she was like the princess in the story: beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside. However, I discovered more than that.

I discovered that some women I encountered who were not beauty queens, models, or movie stars with impressive photogenic qualities yet were indeed beautiful on the inside. When seeking a companion or mate, the challenge for men is to remember this and not rush to judge.

The women we meet must not be expected to be the quintessential depiction of commercial mass media and entertainment. We must take the time to learn who they are and let them know who we are because men can be handsome on the outside and ugly on the inside, too.

Hello Friends,

I remember when compressed air was free at most gas stations, water was free, candy and cigarettes were cheap, and doctors made house calls. Now, it is hard to find tobacco products at a reasonable price and good quality; water is bottled and can cost more than $2 for a plastic container, 

There are many healthcare options, from walk-in clinics, urgent care, special testing, and hospital emergency rooms, to run to when something isn't right, but at a high cost.

Energy supplies vary from place to place, and all sources seem to cost more annually. In most countries, it is difficult, illegal, or impossible to heat and cook with fuel such as the wood we used to collect for free.

Some of these changes are intended to create a healthier environment. But it seems the task is a losing battle because of greed and selfishness.

Hello Friends,

There comes a time in each of our lives when we become unhappy. If the source of our unhappiness is something we do not like about ourselves, we must seek a reason to change. Not for mom or dad, not for a sibling, not for a spouse, and not for a friend. We must be convinced we must change for our good. Of course, all the above and professional helpers can make a transition smoother. When I gave up smoking and when I gave up alcohol abuse, I became convinced both were harming my health. 

Even with strong motivation, achieving the goals took repeated tries and renewed commitments. I kept trying for myself and my betterment. Having children helped, too, but it was primarily only after I was convinced that abandoning the waste of money and risk to my health had finally given me the result I was after.

I quit smoking in 1990 and completed sobriety in 2014. I never want to go back to either. At 76, with detailed health issues emerging, has become an added motivation to stay sober and never smoke again.

Hello Friends,

Often, Science Fiction literature and films focus on violence and conquest. If ExtraTerrestrial Intelligent life forms came to study Earth and the humans that are the dominant intelligent beings here, they would find war and conflicts very common. 

The harshest blows of conflict in 2024 will likely fall on the world’s countries that are already the worst hit by violence. In 2023, 97% of all political violence occurred in 50 countries, as ranked by the ACLED² Conflict Index. ¹

Where is all the evidence that humanity is on a civilized, peaceful track? Wherever and however, humans learn lessons to strive to eliminate war and conflict, progress is slow, at best. In my 3/4 of a century of life, violence waxes, and wanes, but it is never eliminated. Will we ever truly become an entirely peaceful planet?

I don't know but I have my doubts

¹

^{2 The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) is a disaggregated data collection, analysis, and crisis mapping project. ACLED collects information on the dates, actors, locations, fatalities, and types of all reported political violence and protest events around the world. The ACLED team conducts analysis to describe, explore, and test conflict scenarios, and makes both data and analysis open for free use by the public.}

Hello Friends,

What is forbidden during eclipse?
Do NOT look at the Sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury.

Eclipse Viewing Safety - NASA Science
nasa.gov

What not to do during lunar eclipse?
They may choose to avoid cooking or eating altogether, or they may only eat pre-cooked foods. Use sharp objects: Sharp objects are seen as symbolic of negativity. Some people believe that using sharp objects during a lunar eclipse can create negativity in your life.Mar 24, 2024

Can we do sex before eclipse?
Avoid intercourse.

“In the Hindu shastras, this event is considered to be an extremely inauspicious one, and consequently, the eclipses or grahans are believed to be a sign of bad omen,” she told DNA. However, science says that if you're having an off night in bed, it had nothing to do with the Moon.Nov 7, 2022

Myths around the do's and don'ts of Lunar Eclipse, Chandra Grahan
businessinsider.in

Hello Friends,

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a real disorder that develops when a person has experienced or witnessed a scary, shocking, terrifying, or dangerous event. These stressful or traumatic events usually involve a situation where someone's life has been threatened or severe injury has occurred.¹

^{CAREGIVER STRESS not true PTSD yet it can be bad too.}

What are the psychological stress among caregivers?
Caregiving is rewarding but stressful

But the demands of caregiving also cause emotional and physical stress. It's common to feel angry, frustrated, worn out or sad. And it's common to feel alone. Caregiver stress can put caregivers at risk of changes in their own health.²

 

I now have to help care for my wife, and gradually, things are becoming more manageable, but I still have lingering stresses and aftereffects. It seems it will take time to approach a more normal feel of life. There are moments I want to sleep and other moments I feel like I should be doing more than I am doing right now. There are moments when I think I can do some things I put off and sometimes feel I should try to do it all at once. The bottom line? I need to understand and adapt to the new reality.

2

¹ 

Hello Friends,

Deception is all around us; many deceptions we immediately recognize, but many escape our ability to identify.

1. "We are the best . . ." Clearly, all products and all businesses or services can not be the best—there must assuredly be a ranking.

2. Look closely at a container of coffee and the price: Once coffee tins were 16 ozs, now they can be 10, 10.5, 11, 11.5, or 12 ounces.

3. Is that price for each for 3, for 6, or the cost per ounce?

4. One size fits all?

5. Is that contract by the month there, quarter, or annually?

6. How soon will "0" APR end, and what % will it then become?

7. There is zero interest until you miss a payment; then, the interest charges go back to the start of the payments (retroactive).

8. Who are most, many, or some people? What are the numbers?

9. "Almost" anything is not what you might expect, i.e., almost new. What version is it? Is it an outdated model?

10. Is that price it? Or do you have to renew the contract in X number of days, months, or years?

11. Is that the same amount of product in that bag, or is there less for the same price?

Hello Friends,

I have been fighting off a cold, so I have still been less active. I want to remind everyone to keep up with visits to your doctor and maintain regular tests. It seems I have an endless set of appointments because I moved from NJ to PA, and the doctors here (VA and Private) want their baseline for my health. Twenty years ago, one doctor misdiagnosed me with asthma when I had heart failure. I arrived at the ER with only moments to spare or I would not be writing now. I Followed all the instructions, became a proactive patient, and not only survived and avoided a heart transplant, but my latest Cardiologist told me my heart was functioning as well as most seventy-six-year-old men.

The experience changed me. I don't let a doctor look for troubles I don't have, but I will keep up with annual tests, reviews, and visits to discover problems early and prevent bigger problems later. Moral of the story? Most of us would rather not see a doctor, but preventive care is worth the inconvenience.