Monday, August 31, 2015

TalkFrank - Focusing On The Issues.

F LoBuono
From time to time, I feel it is important to restate what TalkFrank is about and what we hope to accomplish. First, and perhaps most importantly, it's MY blog. I created TalkFrank to serve as an outlet for the inner workings of my mind. It's a wonderful, freeing experience to create in your own space and time. I need NO publisher to tell me what and when to write.

Be that as it may, I also encourage participation from ALL comers, either directly or indirectly. One can contribute to the blog, as some have already done, by submitting your own work - an article, a photograph, or a video, etc. Or, you can do so indirectly by commenting on what has been posted. Your opinions matter and I do want to hear them. I not only post directly on Google, I also do so on Facebook because it is easier to comment there. I try to make TalkFrank as accessible as possible. And, as I would not be silenced, I would not silence others - even those with widely differing opinions from mine.

However, there are still a few things that need to be understood.

Passionate arguments are not only accepted, they are encouraged! Things will get heated. That's to be expected. I don't want to waste my time or anyone else's with trivial banter. So, our topics will create controversy. Still, hateful speech will not be tolerated. If it's not obscene or violent, I will let it be posted. But, at some point, as I have expressed in a previous MOZEN, if you belabor the same counterpoint - without REASON - I will simply NOT respond to it. I will make my points and move on. I suggest that you do the same.

Refrain from pejoratives, i.e. name calling! It's childish - on both sides of the argument. Adults make points. Children make trouble. So, don't do it. If you don't like something that was said, clarify your reasons why and avoid allowing the discussion to become drivel.

Stay focused and don't hijack the post! Avoid nonsequiturs. If it doesn't relate to the original post, don't go there. Remember, ultimately it's MY post. I would like to go in a certain direction. If you'd like to join me on that journey, great! If not, create you own damned blog.

Thank you for your consideration.




Today's MOZEN: Going To The Dogs

Words and photo by F LoBuono
It would not be unreasonable to call me verbose. I enjoy most forms of human communication. I can slip pretty easily between the written OR spoken word.

So, with that in mind I am SELDOM at a loss for words.

However, in some cases . . .

Hopefully, I'll just have to say this once and it will be read by the people it's intended for.

Here's to the misanthropes of the world - and, you know who you are:

If, someone like me doesn't respond to something you may have said or written, it means one simple thing - a response is not necessary. It would serve no purpose except to waste time, a most precious commodity that I am not willing to sacrifice.

And, I'll post as many posts of my dog, in my time and space, as I like. Besides, he IS better looking than me.

That it is all.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Today's MOZEN: The Bodhisattva

By F LoBuono
A few months back I wrote a post commenting on the death of American aid worker Kayla Mueller while she was being held captive by ISIS in Syria. While I lauded her good intentions to aid the people of Syria, I was also critical of her for what I perceived as her naivete. I was actual a bit angry because I felt that her overwhelming desire to help blinded her to the consequences of her action. And, she paid for it with her life.

Now, I know that I was the one who was blind!

The more I researched this young women, the more remarkable I realized she truly was. From a very young age, Kayla practiced what every great religion preaches is the road to true salvation: service above self. It is better to give than it is to receive - love is the greatest power on earth. And, she didn't just talk about making the world a better place. She didn't just write that we need to make it a better place. She often traveled to the most difficult and dangerous places to make it so. Before she was twenty-five she had been to places most of only dream of. And, these were not first-class vacations. She went to help those who were most abused, who were in the most danger, thereby putting herself under the same conditions. She traveled to the West Bank to help Palestinian refugees. She went to India when disaster struck. And, after seeing the horrible suffering in Syria, she pledged her very life to help the Syrian people.

While she was working in Turkey, she made what many might consider questionable decisions in order to enter Syria. She felt to help the Syrian people she had to be were the suffering was. So, she was smuggled incognito to a hospital deep within Syria. Eventually, she was discovered and captured by ISIS. A recent report has surfaced that she was sexually abused by the leader of ISIS before she was accidentally killed by an allied air strike.

It is clear that this brave young woman suffered terrible indignities at the hand of her captors. In fact, some would say so much so that everything she had done to that point must have been in vain. But, they would be wrong. VERY wrong. The whole PURPOSE of Kayla Mueller's life was to give back; totally, completely, freely, and without reservation or fear. There was no ambiguity as to her mission in life. She found it and she executed it fully. She held nothing back. THIS is the heart of a warrior - a spiritually warrior whose heart is as pure as arctic ice and whose soul is as fearless as a gladiators! THIS, not her suffering, is her legacy. Her compassion and commitment was unshakable and clearly defined in a letter she wrote to her family, urging them not to worry about her. She ALWAYS knew what she was doing was right and nothing could shake that. Nothing.

If you're like me, you do what you can to help those less fortunate. Perhaps, you put some extra money in the church collection box. Or, you send a monthly donation to a local animal shelter to help defray their costs. I do my best to help a young man who is struggling in Ghana, West Africa. He is a victim of unfortunate circumstance and a government that has either forgotten about him or simply does not care. If I'm feeling a little flush financially, I'll send him $100 for food or medicine - for which he is eternally grateful. ALL of these things are admirable. As long as we do SOMETHING to eliminate suffering the world, we are on the right path. However, we often do these things to simply soothe our conscience that we are, indeed, doing something. Kayla Mueller was a force apart. She LIVED her commitment to help those suffering. And, she was, in my opinion, ultimately not afraid to die for it either.

Buddhists, as I understand it, believe that living among us are Bodhisattvas, or spirit guides. They are humans, or, more accurately, once WERE, who have reached the point of Enlightenment in their spiritual journey. In other words, they get it. They've made it to the point where they understand life at its most elemental level. There is nothing else left to learn. This is divine "nothingness" - no beginning and no end - only being. They are ready to become The Buddha. However, they delay their final journey to stay with us to help light the way. We have seen many in our lifetime. Some of them reach great notoriety and their names will live in eternity. And, they come in all shapes, sizes and cultures. You know them: Gandhi, MLK, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela. Many, like Gandhi and King, gave their very lives freely to the cause of righteousness.


But, not all reach such fame. Still, they are just as influential, just as important. Kayla Mueller was one of these. She did not become "famous". In fact, until her tragic and untimely death, no one but her immediate circle had even heard of her. Her death made headlines, but that was NEVER her intent. She was not about fame and I am sure, that if it would have been possible, she would helped people around the world anonymously for the rest of her life. And, she would have been happy with the that. Her loss, even her degradation, cannot diminish or extinguish the light she provided to the world. The message, her message, is clear: LOVE WILL ALWAYS CONQUER HATE - if you have the strength and courage to believe. She did. And, now, she rests in Nirvana.




Friday, August 28, 2015

Today's MOZEN: The Violence Equation

Words and photo by F LoBuono
I am no mathematician. In fact, I generally suck at math. Still, I can deal with easy equations, like this one:

ANGRY PEOPLE + MENTAL ILLNESS + OBSESSION WITH/EASY ACCESS TO GUNS = VIOLENT SOCIETY

You don't have to win the Nobel Prize in mathematics to figure it out. The combination of the factors making up our equation is enough to make us sick - literally.

Let's analyse them one at a time.

Angry People. Folks today are just plain pissed off. At least most of them seem to be. This anger has caused our society to become more mean spirited. The so-called Law of the Jungle, i.e. Survival of the Fittest, prevails. Evidence of this is everywhere. The most recent of which is the rising (and continuing) popularity of Donald Trump. Despite his bombastic and callous comments made about woman and immigrants, millions of people still enthusiastically support him in his bid for the GOP Presidential nomination. Trump is the consummate Ugly American and a bombastic, stereotypical New Yorker who, in previous times, people would have loved to hate. Now, he leads the GOP polls by a wide margin. Why? Because much like Fox News he feeds the growing fear that Americans have; fear of foreigners, of homosexuals, of races other than their own, of the government, even of too much freedom. Instead of a braggart like Trump, we need a visionary like FDR who felt our pain, related to it, and did something positive about it. Who can forget, We have nothing to fear, but fear itself! Oh, Franklin, where for art thou now?

Mental Illness. More people usually means more mental illness, and for a number of reasons. By shear volume, the ever increasing amount of people means that we are exposed to more individuals with some type of mental disorder. Plus, the very fact that there ARE so many people today increases the type and frequency of mental illness. There are just too many of us competing for the same limited resources, like good jobs. This creates tremendous stress on the human psyche. Combine these factors with a society that has become increasingly less willing to deal with mental illness and you are asking for trouble. Every day we see more and more people on the streets who simply shouldn't be. Why? Because as a society we just don't want to deal with it. We would rather spend our resources on just about anything except improving our mental health system. Again, this is tied to how we want our culture to be perceived. Right now, it's keep up or be left behind (i.e. Donald Trump). If we want a so-called kinder and gentler society where those with mental illness are treated rather than stigmatized, we have to build it. Right now, that is not even on the radar and we are suffering the consequences of it. Virtually every mass murderer, from Aurora, Colorado to Charleston, South Carolina to Roanoke, Virginia suffered from some severe form of mental illness.

Obsession with/Easy Access to Guns. As a culture, Americans are OBSESSED with guns. Our very Constitution GUARANTEES (the Second Amendment) our right to posses them. Even though the Second Amendment is subject of some interpretation, anyone who is even perceived of interfering with that right is dealt with quickly and severely. The National Rifle Association (NRA) is arguably the most powerful special interest/lobbying organization in the Country. Because it is supported by so many people with so much money its influence on American government and, therefore, culture cannot be over-emphasized. No one organization could exert that much control over an entire society unless it was supported by an overwhelming amount of people. The NRA is. It is so powerful, in fact, that it can effectively squash any legislation it deems a threat to the so-called right to bear arms. Therefore, any attempt to introduce even reasonable gun control reform is met with total, and effective, opposition. Despite the continuing rise in gun related deaths, this Country has still failed to pass ANY effective national gun control legislation, including universal background checks. None. So, in too many places, guns are simply too easy to obtain, especially by people who simply should not have them!

We also, as a culture, seem to be infatuated with violence - in all its forms. Violent films, TV programs and video games are pervasive. Every conflict seems to be settled at the end of a gun. Even great, versatile actors like Denzel Washington and Liam Neeson take on ultra violent film roles. Both have starred in more than one film that calls for their characters to solve problems with extreme violence. So-called experts debate whether certain video games influence children towards violence. Really? It would seem at least reasonable and logical that they do. Children general do as they see. Be that as it may, we are certainly barraged with terrifying images on an almost constant basis. It seems clear that the more powerful we perceive ourselves, the less we have to fear.

And, our lust for power is not restricted to the individual. We want our military to be the biggest and baddest on the planet. We spend three times more on our military than our nearest competitor (China) and ten times more than our most bitter rival (Russia).  We could use some of that money to fund better schools or improve our mental health system. But, that would require a shift in our mindset - away from fear and towards understanding and compassion. However, to accomplish that we must come to terms with our fears and our obsession with guns and violence.

If we don't we are condemned to repeat the most recent crime, the heinous murder of a news crew in Roanoke, Va, over and over again. Two young lives where snuffed out by a sick, angry man with a gun. By his own admission, a "walking time bomb", the perpetrator was able to LEGALLY obtain the hand gun he used to commit the murders. He became the living embodiment of The Violence Equation - an angry man with a gun - a lethal combination, indeed. We will never be able to prevent ALL sick people from committing horrible acts. Knowing human nature, that is not possible. However, having an awareness of what may be causing the problem, we have a chance to rectify it. As I say, over and over again, we only lack to will to do it.





Monday, August 24, 2015

Photo Gallery: A Day at the Beach. Coney Island. Part II

ALL PHOTOS THE PROPERTY OF F LoBUONO
















Today's MOZEN: REAL American Heroes.

Add caption
Here's one of the truest MOZENs of ALL time. Only REAL AMERICAN heroes would wear polo shirts to receive France's highest honor for heroism. I can imagine the immaculately dressed French president wondering "where/how do I pin the medals"? I LOVE IT!!

Photo Gallery: A Day at the Beach. Coney Island - Part 1

ALL PHOTOS THE PROPERTY OF F LoBUONO


















Sunday, August 23, 2015

Today's MOZEN: Si, Cara

Words and photo by F loBuono
After working in my garden, I was heading back into my apartment when I noticed my neighbor, Matty, carrying a small air conditioner from the basement storage area. After an exchange of greetings, I asked what was up with the AC? Since summer was nearly over, I wondered why he would need this one NOW. And, I asked him so. He explained that he was not taking it out of storage to use it but, rather, to clean and then put back.

But, why? I queried. It was already IN storage!

Matty explained that his wife, Joanne (whom I like very much, too), said that it should be cleaned anyway. He added, it's a YES DEAR, kinda thing.

I replied, ah, yes, the ol' si, cara routine. I totally get it.

Matty chuckled and shrugged his shoulders in benign acquiescence.

I added, you know Matty, it's not such a bad thing. After all, they're right most of the time. Not ALL of the time, but most.

He smiled, nodded in affirmation and preceded to finish cleaning the unit.