DeeEl's Mo Chroí Scríofa

Sombody!!

I have barred the door as I feel the mob gathering to charge, armed with clubs and torches.  Words that have been slowly mulling in my mind for years spewed out into an astonishing reality in my dreams last night.  The song that resounded over and over and over in my dream was one that Frank Sinatra made famous, “You’re Nobody, Til Somebody Loves You”.  I am a fan of Ole Blue-eyes, but I must admit, this song has left me confused.  The song implies that you can’t be somebody till someone else loves you, however the end tells you to go and find someone to love.  How does finding someone for you to love cause them to love you and thereby make you a somebody?  This had been my life’s theme for a long time as I didn’t feel as if anyone loved me and therefore I was a nobody.

Not long ago I was watching a crime drama on television.  Before this girl went missing and was ultimately found dead, she reached out to an FBI agent that she remembered due to his kindness towards her.  Alas, the FBI agent, through the entire show, could not remember her.  She had been, after all, a lowly receptionist where he used to work.  In other words, a nobody.  While the agent never remembered her, he did try to change his ways at the end to be more aware and more mindful of those who were seemingly of less importance.

In my dream last night, the part I remember most, an older woman had passed away.  Another woman, who turned out to be her daughter, read off a list of the dead woman’s accomplishments.  I felt impressed by all she had done.  However, the orator stopped abruptly without finishing and blurted out, “In other words, a nobody”.  I snapped my head up and snatched the paper away and reprimanded, “No, she WAS somebody”.  Then, as I began to berate the daughter, I woke up.

What makes one person more valuable than another?

Why should one race, religion or nationality be more vital than any other?

Every person, every human being IS somebody!

Just because one cleans toilets for a living while another lives off his trust-fund, doesn’t make either less important.  Just because one owns many multimillion dollar homes and businesses while another lives on the streets and scrounges for food,  does not make either more of a person.

I once heard a story that Donald Trump was in his limousine when it got a flat tire in a rain storm.  A passer-by changed the tire and Mr. Trump wanted to repay him.  The man left his business card and only asked that Mr. Trump send his wife a dozen roses.  However, the “generous” Mr. Trump sent her dozens of roses and paid off the man’s mortgage.  Whether or not this tale is true, I don’t know.  But I wonder, does Mr. Trump even know anything about the people who clean his toilets everyday?  Or are they faceless nobodies to him?

No, this is not a bash against Mr. Sinatra nor Mr. Trump.  Due to illness I sit in my home pretty much all day, every day.  The only “human” contact I have is on the internet.  People do not drop by nor call just to chat.  To them, I suppose, I am just an unemployed nobody not worthy of the time in their busy day.  But that’s okay.  Think about all the people you encounter every day.  Office workers you hardly glance at as they rush by on their way to the lunchroom.  The receptionist who manages so much for you, you don’t know about.  The person on the street you bump into while trying to talk on your cellphone.  Nobodies to you, but somebody who is just as important as you think you are.

We ARE At War!!!

A year ago I came to learn of a song.  It isn’t a new song by any means.  The song “War Is Over” was written by John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, in 1971.  With the US in the midst of the Vietnam War, John Lennon was very vocal in his anti-war beliefs.  At a time of war it is usually construed that Anti-war is the same as Pro-peace.  Pro-peace is so much, much more than just being against war and violence.  Some say that true peace can only come from Yeshua.  Others believe good Karma and meditation are the path to real peace.  All of this is good and so many other things as well.

I came to know this Lennon song after losing my hearing.  I knew I liked the music but didn’t know what the words were saying.  I did know it was played in the course of a Christmas segment of some sort.  I had a conversation with a friend who loves music and is a wonderful DJ in Second Life™.  I told him some of the words and finally he said it sounded like I was talking about John Lennon’s Happy Xmas.  I promptly went to Google and found myself listening to the song streaming on YouTube with the lyrics showing on the screen.  I listened and read for about 3 hours.  Yes, the same song for three short hours.  I cried so hard as my heart listened to the words as I read them.

War Is Over speaks of reaching out to others; other races, cultures, ages.  As humans we pride ourselves in 20/20 vision.  Perhaps if the entire world population were blind and deaf we would stand a better chance for peace.  We learn to disapprove and even hate those who are different from us.  We are so intent on revising and editing each other to chisel out a world-wide society that is identical to us.  We are alike.  Every human-being all over the world.  We all have bones and blood beneath the skin and hair that holds us together.  We all have hearts that beat and pump the blood through our veins.  We breath air into our lungs.

Where we differ is in our appearances, our beliefs, the way we think.  Yes, some of the ideas we hold are in error (i.e.: thinking ourselves better than everyone else), but not all of them.  It should be out differences that bring us closer together and give us the opportunity to learn from each other.  Perhaps I don’t like to eat pig, does this make those who do evil for doing so?  My skin is pale and I have green eyes.  Does this mean that a person with olive complexion and dark eyes can’t be a good person or my friend?

There is a war that we are all involved in.  It doesn’t matter our age, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation.  WE ARE ALL AT WAR.  The war is for peace.  I will post later regarding fighting.  But when we say we are a peaceful people, we should live it.  Thanks to the wonderful world of Second Life™, I have made friends with people all over the world.  They are of different races, cultures, religions and even sexual orientations.  We met on a different plain and got to know each other and accept each other as human-beings without adding prejudice and bias.  On this last day of  Chanukah, I hope those who celebrate it each received a set of blinders.  I hope those who keep Xmas will also receive some and then for Kwanzaa the same.  Put on your blinders and use ear plugs to fight this war.  Use your heart to get to know other people who are not like you in the way you think and believe.  No one says you have to change your ways and believe as they do.  Education, understanding and acceptance will be our weapons.

Listen and watch John Lennon and do so with your heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvNRHrKyaX4

Health Care ~~ Health Disaster

For more than a year, since Mr. Obama began talking about health care reform on the campaign trail, I have listened intently with what he had to say. Half in hope, half in caution I drank in the speeches and listened to all the flowery, sweet-smelling words. Having dabbled in politics years ago and from just being an American citizen, I know better than to put full faith in promises made on the campaign trail. I had to reign in my hopefulness a bit, but I did hope.

Older than his run for the White House is Mr. Obama’s push for health care reform. In fact, this has been his passion from his days in the Senate. It seems that he has had a strong desire to improve a basic need of the citizens in this country. Looking back over Mr. Obama’s past speeches I found that he has mentioned America’s need for health care for at least the past three years.

As president of the United States, Mr. Obama found firmer footing to build his health care reform platform. He met with much opposition and rumors as to the actual truth about his proposal. One of the more prominent rumors was that the proposal was designed to euthanize the elderly. I am not given to follow idle rumors and chose to listen to the words of the one laying the plans.

My hopes continued to grow each time I listened to the president’s speeches addressing healthcare reform. All my adult life I have had health insurance through the jobs I have held. Mostly I would use this insurance for regular check-ups and examinations on the occasion I would become ill. In November 2004, I first presented with the chronic illness of Meneire’s Disease. For the first time I needed full use of my purchased health insurance. Instead of my insurance being a useful tool, it became a source of stress.

Working for a company with less than 20 employees each year our medical co-pay increased drastically. Only a handful subscribed to the insurance and only one of those had a chronic illness. I became downcast upon reading the memo from the insurance company that the reason for the increase was over use to the medical insurance in our company. I and the others knew who was to blame. My response was that it just doesn’t pay to get sick in this country.

October 2008, I lost my job due to the recession. I was given the papers to apply for the standard COBRA insurance that is offered to all insured employees who lose or leave their jobs for whatever reason thereby losing their medical insurance as well. This insurance is generally much more expensive than what one has been paying especially if the company has been paying part or all of the insurance coverage. On top of the added expense a person is expected to pay the fees minus the income they have been accustomed to receiving.

Unable to afford the cost of this insurance I began shopping around for insurance I could afford. My biggest obstacle is my pre-existing condition. All of the insurances are pretty much the same ~ buy the insurance for a year without them covering the pre-existing condition and at the end of the year they will let you know IF they will cover said condition. Chances are if you see a doctor or purchase medications regularly (which you do with chronic illnesses) you will NOT be covered after that year. Then you have wasted a year and all the money used to purchase the insurance.

Thanks to the wonderful world of the internet I have friends all over the world. Over the past eleven months I have chatted with them and on occasion mentioned that I had to cancel doctor appointments because I couldn’t’ afford to go. Those who live in countries with national insurance coverage couldn’t understand why I couldn’t afford to see the doctor. I would explain that our country doesn’t care enough to provide decent medical care for its citizens.

Several years ago I was classified as indigent and treated at the Health Department. We do have one clinic in town for those without insurance which charges on a sliding scale. However, they have a three month wait to see a doctor. At the Health Department the doctor refused to provide medication for my asthma, told me I had an upper respiratory infection and gave me a flu shot. No antibiotics or anything else to treat the infection. I got sicker until I passed out in congregation. A nurse and doctor in the congregation came to my aid. They were both appalled that the doctor would give me a flu shot while I was ill and not provide medications to get better. While I applied for TennCare at the time, I was denied the insurance. Since I was ill, I let the matter drop. Months later I was told by an employee at the Health Department that everyone is denied when they first apply. It is only in appealing that TennCare is granted.

Incidents like this are why I have been in favor of Mr. Obama’s health care reform. However, I changed my opinion when he addressed the Senate on September 9th. I originally planned to write this the day after, but came down with the flu and was in bed for several days. However, while I watched the speech I became doubtful and yes, even angry.

Mr. Obama and the others putting this together, in my opinion, are looking at it from the point of view of those who do not have a chronic illness and have never had to make a choice between purchasing their needed medications or groceries. The way I am reading this healthcare reform, it has way too many holes in it to be of good use to those who could truly benefit and need coverage.

It is my understanding that Mr. Obama wants to make medical insurance mandatory for all citizens the way auto insurance is mandatory for all drivers. To me, this is one more way the government is trying to control the citizens. If you can’t afford the insurance, you can get a waiver so you don’t have to have it. How does this help when many of those who can’t afford the insurance are the ones who really need it?

One big issue for me that Mr. Obama talked about was the coverage for pre-existing conditions. Again, Mr. Obama and his people don’t have a clue what they are doing or saying. Yes, he may make it illegal for an insurance company to deny coverage due to a pre-existing condition, but that doesn’t mean that have to cover the condition. I have been on this road for almost a year now and I am not buying what he is selling.

The United States is one of the richest countries in the world and yet she can’t take care of her own people. There are government employees, at all levels, making at and below poverty level. Wealthy celebrities go to other countries to adopt poor babies to give them a “good” home instead of adopting poor children in this country. I would love to see things come together to show that the United States government really does care about ALL its legal citizens. Right now, from where I stand, I only see the rich getting richer; the poor getting poorer; the healthy remaining healthy and the sick dying.