Introduction:
My name is Blair Hamilton, I am 57 years old and I play the saxophone and work as a carpenter in Port Hardy, British Columbia. This booklet is an attempt to share some of the thoughts and ideas that have occurred to me over the last dozen years. It seems to me to be a reasonable way to speak out on major subjects without getting caught up in argument and endless debate. While I don't consider myself to be an “inspirational speaker”, I leave it to the reader to decide whether the things that I have to say are “inspired” or not.
The following subjects are the topics of this book:
- The human journey: birth to paradise. What does “growing up” really mean?
- Money, industry, economy and the “national debt”.
- Crime and punishment, justice and mercy.
- A five step plan to settle the conflict in the middle east.
Before I begin, I would like to offer the following observation about words. They can be helpful to communicate clearly, or they can cause harm and confusion if the meanings are twisted and vague, turning simple messages into far-fetched intellectual brainstorming, and manipulating people's thoughts and emotions with fear and pride. This is really the foundation of religious hierarchy, political parties, and many branches of science.
Throughout these pages, I will try to include common definitions to commonly used words to confront the issues plainly. For instance, I would define “government” as a recognized authority that tells us what we can do (civil rights), what we can't do (criminal laws), and what we must do (taxes, licenses, permits, etc.).
I will also offer reasonable meanings for phrases or words that don't seem to have any universally accepted definitions. For instance. “mental health” to me is a mind that accepts what is real and true and rejects what is false and misleading. It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as it's true. The problem is never with the truth, it's with what has been left out or added. There's always something left out or added!
All of this material is my own and freely given. If anyone finds agreement with my reasoning, and copies these pages to pass on to others, I would be honored, and my efforts will be justified. Thank you for reading.
The human journey, Birth to Paradise. What does “growing up” really mean?
The moment that a human sperm connects with a human egg, the resulting embryo holds the potential for another Mozart, or another Geoffrey Dalmer: either a Mother Theresa, or a Lizzy Borden. My belief is that the process of “growing up” is not complicated or confusing. We all begin as innocent babies, fascinated with the simple things around us and completely self-absorbed. Like other animals in nature, our survival instinct gives us the will to communicate every need and desire to our caregivers, and we learn how to use our bodies and minds mostly by imitating those around us. With a little bit of training, we can learn enough social skills to join a group and eventually learn to manage our own needs. Unfortunately, every child loses their innocence at some point when he or she becomes convinced that they have the capacity to judge good and evil, right and wrong, best and worst, ugly and beautiful. This is the beginning of a lengthy journey from arrogance to humility (maturity). This is the process of “growing up”, and our world is filled with individuals who are stalled along the way. The two main obstacles to this inner growth are 1.)limited perspective, and 2.) peer pressure.
- Limited Perspective: A small child does not consider the pressures that their parents endure or the sacrifices that are made on its behalf. Young children are focused on their own needs and having fun, and they probably imagine that everyone is doing the same as them! The struggles of other people must seem boring, because infants have no experiences to help them empathize. Life experiences of neglect, abuse intolerance and humiliation eventually give us the ability to identify with the suffering of others, gaining a new and more far-reaching perspective. At any time, if we simply deny our own painful experiences to avoid reliving the trauma, we are covering ourselves with a blanket of indifference and become “stalled” in our journey toward maturity. The wisdom of mature spokesmen throughout history points to qualities of patience, humility, truthfulness, kindness etc., as the rewards of an adult human being, but today's fast-paced, pressure-filled society seems to worship sound-bites, memorized information and statistics more than reasonable thought patterns or understanding, Sometimes I wonder whether the human race is evolving or regressing in terms of intelligence.
- Peer Pressure: The second obstacle in this journey from self-absorbed infant to a mature, dependable member of society, able to seek the greatest benefit for the community, is the power of peer pressure. If we are honest with ourselves, trying to gain a larger perspective is often painful, discouraging, and always lonely. As we continually realize the futility of our own judgment with other people's actions and motives (as well as our own), it is very tempting to just give up and join a group that seems to agree about what is important, who should be listened to, and what we should do with our lives. This is the success of gangs, cults, religions, political parties and even countries. The danger of joining a group is that all groups end up with the same doctrine - “we” are right, good, better and true, while “they” are wrong, bad, worse and liars. Even a police force becomes corrupt if they lose respect for the maturity of the laws that they enforce. So what is the point of continuing on the journey?
I believe that the destination we all intuitively seek is “heaven” or “rapture” or “enlightenment” or “nirvana”. This is not a mysterious place that we go after death – it is the experience of complete freedom and joy in this lifetime. I would describe “heaven” as the result of becoming connected and surrendered to a much larger perspective than we can ever hope to achieve. Here are some examples from my own life that fulfill the historical descriptions of “heaven.
Waking up very slowly from a deep, restful sleep.
Falling “head over heels” in love.
Being “one” with nature.
When music “dances” my body by itself.
Stimulating conversation ending in perfect agreement.
When I play music and realize that I am an instrument.
Singing in perfect harmony when four voices become one.
Watching children play, or holding them as they fall asleep.
These are a few instances of “bliss”, or “peace beyond understanding”, or “rapture”, but all it takes to bring me “down to earth” is a harsh word, a fearful thought, or anything that returns me to my state of “individual perspective”. As long as I remain connected to a perspective that is larger, more mature, more intelligent and certain than my own, I experience the true potential of my daily life.
Money, industry, economy and the “National Debt”
Money, whether it is colored beads, gold coins, paper currency, or just numbers on a computer screen, is a foundation of human society. Using money allows us to specialize in our work – we don't all have to be totally self-sufficient. Each of us can do what we are good at, and trade with one another using money. It is a great invention, but has one major flaw – as the amount and variety of goods and population increases, more and more money is required to keep the system running smoothly. If we print too much money without an increase in the production of goods, it causes inflation – the currency becomes worth less as the prices rise. If the amount of money stays the same, but more and more goods are produced, prices will have to fall, and industry will become discouraged. So what is the answer to healthy financial stability?
In my own experience, most prices have increased to about ten times what they were when I was young, but my wages have also increased about the same amount. There has been almost no change in the “value” of my work, only the numbers have increased, so what (if anything) has changed over the last fifty years?
The biggest change that I can see is the make-up of the workforce. With industrialization and modern technology, more can be produced with less human effort. Theoretically then, we should be enjoying a higher standard of living as well as a shorter and shorter work week! Not necessarily. Instead, there has been a huge shift from industry jobs that produce something tangible to other paid activities such as : Social work, insurance, banking and investment, government services, educators scientists media, sales, travel agencies, religions, entertainment and so on and so on. The list is virtuously endless. Without degrading any of these activities, it seems to me that society has progressed from a town that hires a mayor, sheriff and part-time teacher, to a town that hires one family to provide all the rest with cars, houses, food, clothing and all the necessary energy sources for their varied interests and pastimes. The justification for this present imbalance is rooted in doctoring the definitions of words that used to have significant meaning. For example:
Economy used to mean the lack of waste, whether it described economy of motion, economy of resources, economy of effort, or economy of words.
Taxpayer used to mean someone who contributes more in taxes than they receive.
Industry used to mean creating goods for trade.
Security used to mean trusting in others in times of need.
Conservation used to mean a healthy respect for economy.
The “National Debt” is the amount of money that we owe collectively as a country. To eliminate this debt, I think it would be wise to understand what “we” borrowed the money for in the first place. If you ask any politician, he will say that it was needed to encourage industry and provide a “safety net” for people who needed some kind of assistance.
If you ask a businessman, he would likely telly you that the money went to create the world's most complicated bureaucracy, capable of strangling any attempt at free enterprise, and to give handouts to lazy bums whenever they whine.
If you talked to a “welfare mom”, she would insist that the money all went to line the pockets of the politicians and businessmen. If you ask me, I think that they are all wrong – these things were all done with taxes. The money that was borrowed to create the National Debt only bought one thing – votes. Millions and millions of votes.
I believe that it is time to “put our house in order”. We owe it to previous generations for all their hard work creating the best country they could for us. We owe it to the next generations because they are faced with impossible problems and a massive debt that they are not responsible for creating. The first change would be a common vision, and I propose that our goals should be clear:
no more inflation
a reasonable balance in the workforce
an end to wastefulness
a respect for industry
Secondly, we need to identify problem areas in our “system” and implement some necessary changes. Here are a few suggestions to consider:
- No more deficit budgets. It is one thing to borrow money to buy equipment that increases production capabilities. After all, eventually the equipment “pays for itself”, but a budget is a plan to spend a fixed amount of income. The term “deficit budget” is a manipulative deception (spin).
- Limit the interest rate on borrowed money to the national increase in production (GDP) from year to year. Banks and financial institutions should charge competitive prices for the services they provide, but since today's currency is only theoretical numbers on computer networks, the practice of lending “money” at high interest rates is simply a continuous creation of more and more theoretical money in the country. This causes inflation on a grand scale!
- Join all the various assistance programs together and administer them locally. Any kind of assistance cheque ought to be signed by a taxpayer, not a public employee. This would put authority in the hands of the people who provide the assistance, and remove a huge amount of waste through bureaucracy and fraud.
- Use our foreign ambassadors to begin trading goods for goods in ;the “global market”. Since the volume of goods is usually very large between countries, using any kind of money is unnecessary and often very treacherous for world trade.
- Re-confederation: the original vision for Canada was a specific division of authority between different levels of government. Most issues are better dealt with provincially, but a federal voice makes our country stronger and more unified. Right now we have a chaotic, expensive and ineffectual struggle between premiers and prime ministers, opposition and tax-funded “information” ministries. To start with, I believe that income tax should be reinstated as a provincial choice. Perhaps the GST could be increased to 10% and renamed the “Good Samaritan Tax” and fund all of the assistance programs. Gas taxes could fund road repairs and construction, while industry workers could set the tax brackets for their own employers (this might create some form of harmony between labor and management.). Whatever the means, I think we need to shrink the bureaucratic monster to a tenth of its size!
Crime and punishment, Justice and mercy
In a perfect world, where everyone treats others with the same respect that they would want for themselves, we wouldn't need laws or people to enforce them. Until then, society needs laws, police and a court system. If it punishes criminals appropriately, it works, but if innocent people are punished and guilty people go free, the system is broken and needs to be fixed. I propose a major overhaul of our present system using modern technology and common sense to establish guilt or innocence, along with reasonable consequences (punishment) aimed at rehabilitation of the perpetrators of crime. The whole purpose of the courts is to “teach a lesson” so that society can live in peace.
Police investigators have made giant strides in forensic science that allows for more certainty in establishing facts, and it is time that the rest of the system was “updated”. For instance, the old saying that “it is better that 100 guilty men go free than one innocent be convicted” should be changed to “it is better that 100 guilty are convicted and all innocent go free.” Since the essential beginning to any “rehabilitation” is an outright confession, we need to change the direction of interrogation to something that protects us from entrapment, but that requires absolute honesty.
Beginning with the commission of a crime, I would stress that the perpetrator be encouraged to confess. It someone steals $100 and, on his own, decides to return the money and confess, all that he should expect is a “tongue lashing”. On the other hand, if the same person lies, or runs to avoid consequences, and has to be caught, brought to trial, convicted and finally punished, he ought to be held responsible for all the trouble he has caused, not just the original theft.
Also, the punishment needs to address the crime in order to fulfill the basic requirement of justice. If it is too severe, or too lenient, it is injustice. Our present jail system of “one punishment fits all crimes” has no success in rehabilitating criminals.
How can we ensure that confessions are true and voluntary and not the product of tricks and bullying by prosecutors and detectives? I suggest that all police interviews, witness statements, prosecution and defense arguments take place on a secure, private computer network, and not in interrogation rooms or courtrooms. Recent televised trials show quite clearly that courtroom “drama” may have entertainment value for others, but is counter-productive towards establishing guilt or innocence, credibility or deceit. One of the biggest obstacles in our present adversarial system is the inability of the judge to control the advocates. It is a very weak instruction to ordinary people in the jury to “disregard” this question, or that answer, or some comment made in their presence, not to mention the media reports on “spectacular” crimes. A closed computer network would allow the judge to refuse to a allow a question to be asked simply by sending it back before it appeared on the screen. Jurors would not need to know the age, gender or race of the defendant during the trial. Also, a complete record would be instantaneously available on disc from the initial police interviews to the answers of the defendant during the trial, which might prove invaluable to judging consistency and credibility, while providing the public with satisfaction of their “right to know” about any case in detail. Retrials and appeals could be argued quickly and effectively if any new evidence or testimony was introduced. Any complaint about the severity of the punishment could be conducted in the light of the entire record of the crime, investigation and conviction.
In my opinion, there are some crimes that have no just punishment. Murder, rape, child abuse and spousal battering cause permanent recurring suffering to the victims, and trying to respond by inflicting permanent distress to the criminal goes away from rehabilitation, often becoming revenge. For these types of crimes, which transgress the minimum self-control for society to exist, I recommend complete, life long separation. Let these criminals try to work their problems out together, but isolated from the rest of civilization. It used to be called “banishment”, and the individuals who demonstrated so little respect for others can live with others who share the same pathology.
With all this discussion about crime, punishment and justice, we need to remember what I consider to be the highest ideal of humanity – the quality of mercy. Mercy is not having judges who let criminals off scot-free. It is not plea bargaining. Mercy is the right of any victim to forgive and grant clemency to the person who wronged them. It is also the right of an innocent person to pay the punishment for the criminal. Mercy is probably the most powerful tool in rehabilitation.
Five steps to Peace in the Middle East
Step 1) Resolving the religious conflict.
In order to settle the conflict between the three prominent religions of the area, we need to ask three important questions. First, “Who is a Jew?” …. As recently as 2000 years ago, this question had a simple answer. They were a direct descendant of one of the twelve sons of Jacob, circumcised on the eighth day of their life. Meticulous records were kept and no one was Jew-ish- they were Jews (or not). This is why, when the Romans took a census, every Jew had to register in the Tribal Territory of their ancestors, not just where they lived.
Modern “Jew” is not so easy to identify. He/she might be a survivor of the holocaust, a devout believer in the Old Testament (without the Levitical priesthood, animal sacrifices and strict laws of course), or they might just be disciples of some “Rabbi” that wears a yamulke and abstains from eating pork. The glaring hypocrisy of present day Israel is that the “Jewish” people can't identify with the millions of Palestinians who were dispossessed of their land, herded into refugee camps and even lost children to armed Israeli soldiers. Never again?
The second question is “Who is a follower of Islam?” ...I have read that Islamic principles teach humility, caring for others, tolerance and even a doctrine of peace on earth! The real meaning of Jihad is to make a stand against the pleasures and distractions of the “world” in order to seek after the needs of your community, instead of being self-absorbed and greedy. I have also heard the angry rhetoric that fuels unspeakable terrorist acts. Apparently there has been as much twisting and corruption of Islamic “fundamentals” as in the present day Christian theology. One thing is certain, when the United Nations partitioned their country to provide a homeland for “Jews” in 1948, Palestine had no army and was in no way connected to Hitler's genocide. Palestinians became resentful and are still angry today. Their problem has nothing to do with religion, it has to do with sovereignty and the rule of international law.
The third question is “Who is a Christian?”.... In the first century A.D., people who believed what Jesus taught started dropping out of society and lived in communes called “churches” where the same miracles and happy relationships continued regularly. The people around them called them “Christians” because they each fit the profile of Jesus.
Today, the “church” is splintered into hundreds of groups called denominations, each claiming to have their own private interpretation of the same scriptures. I didn't hear any outcry from today's “church” when major television newscasters actually referred to some nations as “Christian” nations, even though Jesus gave His life to put an end to this very ignorance. Since there is so much hypocrisy and confusion spread through all the main religions, I propose that we declare at least one message about God that is acceptable to everyone's scriptures and have it painted in large letters on the face of the “Wailing Wall” in Jerusalem. This could be translated into every language:
“God would trade all the traditions, buildings and praises for the life, liberty and happiness of one single child.”
Step 2) Settling the “Political Conflict”
Where religions manipulate our beliefs, politics inflames human pride and passion. Motivating us into action is accomplished through powerful sound bites, mind-numbing innuendo, heated rhetoric, and promises, promises, promises. The actual conflict in the middle east is a direct result of the simplistic and arrogant rule of the United Nations, and therefore the solution must come from that organization if they are to restore any credeblility.
If the “Jewish Homeland” had been established in any other country (say one of the United states, a province in Canada, the Soviet Republic, or even a country in South America) I would expect that we would have exactly the same result as the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, perhaps even bloodier! No foreign government can give people's land and cities to someone else and expect “peaceful acquiescence”. The message that Israel does NOT have the right to exist is the bottom line of the hatred in the region and must be addressed! The second step toward peace is a negotiated agreement between the United Nations and the Palestinian authority establishing a fair purchase price for the land and buildings, and giving veto power over any legislation that directly affects Palestinians. A guaranteed supply of potable water, medicine, housing and infrastructure to meet their needs is not the work of charities, it is a debt that must be paid. In short, the United Nations has as much responsibility to create a “Palestinian Homeland” as it did to create a “Jewish Homeland”.
Step 3)Identifying the real obstacle to peace.
I was in Germany when the trainload of snowboarders burned up inside a tunnel in Austria. Every television station, radio broadcast and newspaper around the entire world reported the catastrophe. Parents were flown in and we all mourned the tragic loss of innocent lives. In the same week, the newspapers reported (on page 5) that 235 youths and children had been killed in skirmishes along the Gaza Strip. They were shot by armed Israeli soldiers for throwing rocks.
When I watched the live coverage of the World Trade Center catastrophe on Sept. 11, I saw news footage of Palestinians laughing and excited about the carnage, and realized that while the media focused on the horrible pain caused by a few lunatics, and the world sprang into action to root out and punish anyone connected with this hideous crime, many Palestinians viewed it as a skirmish, not a catastrophe.
In order to solve this problem, news services around the entire world need to adopt a code of ethics in their reporting. Terms like “daisycutter” and “softening up terrorist-friendly regimes”, and “skirmishes” minimize the intense suffering of human beings and avoid the real horror of war. This kind of hypnotic, emotional sloganeering (spin) is the very tool used by Nazis to create the last World War. News ought to be facts and true information, not propaganda.
Step4) Resolving the disputed “Settlements” and establishing Basic Ground Rules.
The negotiations for purchasing the land allocated to the Jews in 1948 (read step 2) should be held completely separate from resolving the issue of outlying settlements that have been constructed on Palestinian land since then. I suggest that there are three reasonable choices for each and every homeowner in these disputed townships. First, they could offer to buy or rent the land individually or collectively from the Palestinian authority. Second, they could offer to sell or lease their buildings and infrastructure, either individually or collectively to the Palestinian authority. Third, they could offer to trade some of the buildings for the land under other buildings. I personally would like to see all even numbered addresses traded for the land under all odd numbered addresses, as it would speed up the painful but necessary process of integration , and provide immediate shelter for the impoverished and despairing victims of refugee camps.
I can see five Basic Ground Rules needed for sustained peace:
- Joint military patrols around the circumference of the entire region to prevent weapons of any kind from entering.
- A universal law prohibiting the manufacture or assembly of weapons of any kind within the borders of either country.
- Methodical disarmament and destruction of any weapons not required by Ground Rule 1).
- The removal of artificial borders between the two countries except for normal Border crossings.
- The establishment of a negotiating process between elected Palestinian officials and elected Israeli officials that agrees to submit any unresolved issue to binding arbitration by a tribunal from other (disinterested) countries.
Step 5) The Impossible Dream
In Canada, we have a structure of individual provinces under a centralized government that allows peaceful harmony as a nation under a common law and a common currency. The experience of our country is that each province can have different natural resources, a different size, different population, and even a different language and culture without going to war with one another. We even assist one another in times of natural disaster and human suffering.
What would the Middle East be like, I wonder, if Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia joined together and shared their strengths and abilities? I believe that this federation could have a strong voice in human history! This is the kind of dream that is not likely to happen in one generation, but it might supply motive to any attempt to settle the chaos and violence that my generation has witnessed throughout our whole lives. I suggest that it is something to consider seriously.
In the meantime, I must acknowledge that Canada, in spite of all our divisions, arguments, crime, waste and confusion is still a great place to live. The freedom to think my own thoughts and share them with friends without fear, speaks for the success of our country.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you have found some food for thought.
Blair Francis Hamilton
