We are all Human

So for now I will defer the topic of government excesses and instead focus on a real solution that I have alluded to before.  Before I get into it, I know that I have talked about holding people accountable for what they have done, looking at the origins of problems, and trying to figure these things out.  The most important thing that we must remember in trying to resolve any problem is that everyone we deal with is human.  Whether it be our neighbor, the corporate executive, the despot in the Middle East (Qadaffi), or the pirates in Somalia.  Regardless of how misguided people can be, we are all human; full of emotions, shortcomings, brilliant ideas, and the capacity to love.  Now you may ask, "How can you call Qadaffi human, hundreds of people are being murdered at his command?"  Well, regardless of what he has done or is doing, he is still a human being and as much as I would like to judge him, it is not my place to do so.  If I saw him face to face, would I have trouble treating him as an equal?  Yes, I would have an extremely difficult time doing so.  But you know what, he is a human that is misguided and in my mind broken, detached from love and emotion except where it suits him in regards to his family.  Perhaps the best way to approach others as equals is to deal with them in the present moment.  If we strip away the past and future, the very causes of anxiety, anger, depression, stress, and rage; then perhaps we can see these people for who they truly are.  If we dwell on the past, we can all to easily get caught up in anger at what was done, a sense of entitlement, and an overwhelming desire to make others pay.  If we get caught up in these emotions, they all to often grab hold of our minds like a vice and will not let go, blinding us to the humanity of others and forcing us to look at them  more like objects or animals to act upon rather than humans to communicate with.  (Am I being slightly hipocritical here in regards to what I have said in earlier posts, yes, because I also get caught in the trap of dwelling in the past).  As sappy as this may sound, maybe we should take a lesson from the 60's and the "hippies" who dealt in the present and relied on love and peace to make a difference.  You know what, it worked.  Look at the recent protests in Egypt which for the most part began and ended peacefully (although there was some rock throwing and beating involved).  The end result, communication between people (highly religious and highly intellectual) who before would never have even met face to face to have a discussion.  Dealing in the past will strip us of our capacity to love and will hinder any human progress.  It seems that more and more, we as a human population are diminishing our capacity to love.  Just look at the world today.   Lets look at what happens when we look to the future.  (Again, I have fallen into this trap in my posts as well).  When we look at our economy and where it is going, what happens?  I know I get stressed and anxious as to how things will turn out, how my family and I will make it, and how this will affect our children being born today.  In the overall scheme of things, does this really matter?  Not really.  If you woke up this morning, opened your eyes and took a breath, then you are ok.  Today is all that matters.  If we dwell in the future, our minds spin a web of anxiousness and stress, spiraling ever downwards and possibly leading to depression.  What is the use. If we spin this web, we then look to medications and doctors to fix them when they will do nothing unless we draw our minds back to the present.   If we are alive today, then we should be greatful for it.  If we all lived every moment like it was our last, our lives would garner so much more meaning.  In the present we are capable of loving those around us, we can see people for who they truly are; not monsters of the past or villians of the future, but humans struggling just as we do.  So what am I trying to say.  Well, we can not change the past, what is done is done and dwelling on it will not change anything.  The future does not exist, the only reason it will come to pass is by living today.  The future is based on what happens today.  As the cliche goes, the present is exactly that, a "present" for us to live.  If we live and love today, then maybe and only maybe can we do the same tomorrow.  Start today by kissing your loved ones, don't dwell on what they did yesterday or how it will affect tomorrow.  Live for the moment and live this quote "Carpe diem", sieze the day!