For a Good Time, Visit Animal Prison

Only amusement and water parks were preferable to the zoo as a child. The pure amazement and wonder of lifeforms from far off places provided hours of joy and cemented many memories of family and fun. And then I grew up. As a teenager, I visited the zoo one, last time. It horrified me. All I saw was withering beings trapped in cages. I couldn't believe these places were legal. The facilities were not all dilapidated and it was clear the staff was doing their best but the idea of incarcerating the innocent for our amusement bothered me.

Both extremes lack subtly but are equally true. The human race, as a matter of priority, must consider the longevity of this institution. Confining these individuals is wrong. Imagine some alien race doing this to us. Imagine alien parents taking their alien offspring to the human zoo. There, the great lessons of our ugly past and present are placed on full display. The child watches in wonder as it beholds an array of humans from different ages, captured, held, and made to enact some bit of history like puppets in a play, only the humans don't know they are in a Matrix-style virtual-reality. The allegory is a perfect horror story with endless possibilities of torture and evil. What we are doing is not as extreme but certainly in the same vain. We go to zoos to virtually taste these creatures' complex, authentic reality. But the truth is that despite appearances, the wall behind them is concrete, not a lush forest, dense jungle, or vast desert.

Fact: humanity disintegrates natural habitats. Science deems this the Holocene or Human Era as we are the dominate force of nature. The choices we make shape the world. As long as we believe commerce is a higher priority than sustainability, zoos serve a purpose. Finding awe, making a connection, learning respect, and understanding the necessities of life means future generations may use their memories of the zoo to mend our course in time to save these critical species we find so wonderful.

Instead of seeing a visit as solely 'fun,' we have the opportunity to ramp-up change with a focus on education. Until we find long-term balance with nature, zoos have their place. And when we finally deem them illegal, it will be because we will have far better ways to appreciate life on Earth. How? Simple, instead of bringing the Savannah to us, we will bring the world to the Savannah. How? Who knows. However we accomplish this, it must be sustainable (maybe flying-cars; in fact, weren't we also promised smart-jackets, holographic-billboards, self-tying shoes, and hover-boards by now).

Read a related article about the stewardship of dogs at JaxonCohen.blogspot.com

Negotiate Like a Bored Russian

Russians have their own, unique style. It isn't pleasant. And when it's over, they'll seem as relieved as you. Maybe you'll even become friends because that's what happens to innocent soldiers when the war is over. The fact is, it's all part of the plot and Russians know well how to tell the story of suffering and victory. When negotiating with a Russian, prepare to endure the intense, complex, and labored narrative of a thick novel.

When the peninsula was invaded, the idea of an imminent WWIII raised its multimedia profile. Putin's extreme move ran contrary to signed documents. But remember, initially he denied any involvement. What anonymous soldiers with Russian license-plates? A staged election added a veneer of legitimacy but remains factually insignificant; Russia occupies Crimea. At the time, there was no violence, no war. Their stagecraft failed to incite revolt. So they raised the stakes, massing troops at the boarder and sending operatives into nearby population centers. When entering negotiations with a Russian, brace yourself for an emotional roller-coaster that starts with the extreme.

Negotiating with a Russian means dealing with someone who isn't in charge. It means no matter what you agree upon, they'll have to take it to someone else to make the call, even if you're talking to Putin himself, in this case a bystander who claims to have no troops or agenda in a place he now refers to as “New Russia.” When negotiating with a Russian, expect he'll always have to get back to you.

Putin admits to some influence, strictly used for humanitarian purposes. Contrary to this facade, his real agenda is focused and his influence, widespread. For example, the thing to do if you're a Russian soldier with some time-off is to vacation in New Russia and play real-war. Recently, a group of captured Russian paratroopers were exchanged for Ukrainian fighters which brings us to our next point.

When your Russian counterpart doesn't like the facts on the ground, they will use a magic-wand to make it all disappear: incompetence. What happened was not as it seems; there's no invasion. Instead, it was a small error in a complex calculation. It won't happen again – until it does. And sanctions? This time the West made the mistake. Sanctions only help the Russian economy in the long-run by providing opportunity to indigenous merchants. If you think you've got a Russian cornered, be assured they will turn it around and frame you in that same corner. Moreover, if you do them a favor, it is seen as weakness. And when you make a mistake, they'll never let you forget it.

A crisis in Ukraine? In Russia, it's more like an opportunity they have all the time in the world to monopolize. They're in no hurry, possibly even bored. The fact is Putin is popular. His people support him and see him as the wise-warrior who only wishes to protect his Ukrainian-Russian family from the reach of the radical Ukrainian Government. What he really wants is no secret: a land-bridge to the peninsula. The Crimean naval-base is non-negotiable. Remember South Ossetia? That was the blueprint. New Russia is the master-plan. And when Putin wins, he'll frame it as if he did us all a favor. 

Our Human Leash

I drove home from Ft. Benning in a 1976 CJ-5 Jeep. Even at the time, it was an old, beat -up ride. While crossing the country, I experienced an unparalleled sense of freedom. After I returned home to care for my father, I soon questioned the usefulness of the strap around my wrist. In the Army, punctuality was required. That watch served me well. But in my new roll, I was the one with the plan. I had a new relationship with time. So, I removed the leash.

Wealth is the definition of living without a leash. Money fundamentally renders control over space, silence, and time. When you're the one with the funds, people wait for you. Large estates primarily provide extensive personal space and the ability to maintain a level of silent serenity. Why else get rich if not to come and go as you please, surround yourself with only the people and things you choose, and be able to find the peace and quite you deserve. For the rest of us, we have to go where we are told, do what we must, endure those we don't like, and complete all this by a certain time, under questionable conditions. Just like a dog, the masses must respond to a leash.

The current incarnation is new and shinny. It's smart. And it digs deep into your psyche. It capitalizes every aspect, every corner of your life. You don't only feel naked without it, you long for it when separated for even a moment. It's so cool and it's your phone. How much of your time, your space, and your solitude is exchanged for you complete attention on that small screen? What are we becoming?

How many of us do any number of things with this thing in our hand we would never do without it? Walking down the street while talking on the phone, minus the phone, and you look like a crazy person. Driving while texting, minus the device, and you're simply a slumped-forward tragedy waiting to happen. Exchanging texts about things instead of talking, sending photos instead of sharing physical space, watching others embarrass themselves on YouTube for a cheap thrill, filming reality instead of participating in it … the list is long. We act in ways we would not if not for this noose around our soft-stuff.

When will we confront reality and decide to dissolve the leash? Using a tool is so much different than being one. If the world around us can no longer compete with the world inside our phones, how are we fundamentally different from the pods of humans in the Matrix? Do our devices serve us or do we serve them?

The primary question is: how tight is the leash? The most simple answer is in the form of this question: when and for how long did you last leave it off?

Either Do Your Job or Change Your Name

When my cable provider announce they would carry The Learning Channel, it felt like my birthday. I love PBS. Shows like Frontline, Nova, Nature, etc. have provided my favorite television moments. If you took the name of this new cable network at face value, I was getting the commercial version of PBS. I imagined all kinds of shows where I would learn things, because you know, it's in their name.

I'd experienced The History, Discovery, and Weather Channels. At that time, there was history on the History Channel, discovery on on the Discovery Channel, and weather on the Weather Channel. I reasoned The Learning Channel had to be brimming with learning, a twenty-four-seven source of insight. Get ready to take a backseat PBS, there's a new sheriff in town.

When I actually watched the thing, I was confused. Where's the learning? At first I was disappointed; then I was disgusted. If memory serves, they were pioneers. Who polluted their signal with the vacuous, salacious, hyperbolic waste of time known as Reality TV before them? My philosophical model suggests we pay a price for our participation. It's simply quantum physics. The observer changes the observed. The passive act creates real ripples in the universe viewers are accountable for.

Now The Learning Channel has changed to TLC and The Weather Channel has fallen in lockstep with a slew of yellow-television, muck for the masses. Truckers and fishermen? Somewhere out there is a cargo-ship, filling with my obscenities each time I tune in and find no weather. They should change their name too. How about Weather Related Reality TV or maybe just Weather Sometimes. And when it comes to those other channels, don't get me started. How much historical depth can be found in a pawn shop?

Want real history? Try the History Detectives on PBS. Want to discover something new and cool about the reality you inhabit? Try Nova or Nature. Want real weather? Well that's where PBS fails (it's like their not even trying). But if you want to learn about what's really important, Frontline is my favorite.

I wish there was a law that said, if you're going to call yourself a name that has a certain meaning, you have an obligation to create programing in line with the implications of your name. It's no more than truth in advertising. 

US Stokes Prejudice: Native Americans Targeted

All over the Middle East, a word spreads fear into the indigenous mind – Apache. In war, there is a concept known as a force multiplier. There are many types. From the number of soldiers and how well they are trained to the shape of the landscape, what constitutes a force multiplier is simple: how does a thing affect the nature of battle. With the right force multipliers, an impossible situation becomes simple. A big bully with a bat will beat you down. Put the bat in your hands, blind the bully, and what you have is easy pickens.

Sun Tzu speaks in depth about the definition and employment of their use. He spoke of the relationship between Heaven and Earth. Heaven will win in its attack but Earth will not lose in its defense. An offensive war requires a powerful Heaven to beat the indigenous Earth. Air superiority is a prerequisite for ground forces. When it comes to Heaven, the front-line is where planes become helicopters.

Geronimo led his small band of Apache against the Mexican and American armies. He makes clear that the warring would have continued if not for the persuasion of a familiar General and the use of a native tracker – Sun Tzu's last chapter is on the ultimate power of spies. Geronimo's ability to multiply his small force enough to stymie his enemies made him famous and is no doubt the origin of the helicopter's name.

And this is the ugly irony. Many are scarred by the power of this tool. This noble name drips from their lips with hatred. How difficult does it become for them to want to know anything about the real Apache, the people and the history? What they know is pain and loss. In an attempt to honor the warrior Geronimo, the US Army continues to harm these people, the proud owners of the name. 

Red*kins is not be the only name to change.

The Loyalty of Fear

What is more binding than fear? In the end, discomfort outranks comfort. How great is the comfort when the discomfort ends? It's limbic. It's fundamental. It's nothing to be ashamed of.

We all pretend to know what we would do in the face of fear. Our ignorance becomes prejudice. We all think we would have done things differently, better. But when our time comes, no matter the path we take, when it's over and we know the depths of fear (both within ourselves and others), we must forgive ourselves and others for this loyalty. Wisdom cannot forever keep fear at bay and healing is a feeling. When we stand among the aftermath's rubble, let us thank the universe for redemption, that we might rebuild our lives together.

It is not to forgive and forget. It is to comprehend, accept, and let go. It is not even about moving on, as if every moment in life must be filled with deeper meaning; sometimes someone is simply a predator and that's how life works. It is consciously accepting the cost. It's about severing the memory's control. When we choose to ignore it, we demolish its power and distance ourselves from its influence. Only the entitled believe life is fair. The only thing left to do is decide how long the mistake will haunt us.

As much as we move towards things, as much as we pretend to be free, when the time comes, when fear floods our heart, we will do what it takes to escape or die fighting. This is the loyalty of fear. Ultimately, the human animal will fall from time to time. The animal cannot conquer fear but the human can deal with it.

Check out my daily blog: jaxondaily.blogspot.com

Constant Prayer

As a child, I was told to pray before I went to bed. I spent a lot of time repeating the same words night after night. Sometimes, I would plead for something I wanted or beg to be spared from something I feared. Then I would iterate a laundry list of things I was thankful for and people to be blessed. It was all very mechanical.

What is prayer? Is it simply talking in my head to no one … to someone? Is it strictly religious, spiritual? Or is it more, much more. In order to quantify the effect, studies have defined the behavior: mindfulness or mental focus. So, is prayer meditation? Does it play a role in cellular renewal? One thing's for sure, prayer is real in this respect: it can change the neurochemistry (mindset) of the one doing the praying.

Whether prayer works on some mystical, quantum level or is simply a state of mind, I would like to emphasize the definition. I propose that we pray all of the time; that prayer is our state of mind. A mindful presence is key to producing desirable outcomes. And the greatest form of prayer is not a laundry list of items we appreciate but actually feeling our appreciation for those things. The rain-dance was feeling the rain before the clouds even formed.

Instead of praying you will survive the situation with a thousand words, try a single feeling: thankfulness. Feel thankful for the possibility that you will not only survive but thrive. Be mindful of your constant prayer – how you feel right now.