Mountain View
Joe Luca
God's got you on hold, what do you do next?
When times are trying, and you’re on your last nerve. When your checkbook is coughing and wheezing from exhaustion and the Ad for bunging jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge is beginning to look appealing if it gets you out of the house – why turn to God? What is that going to do?
Opinion: Living with our emotions. Having them, just not reacting to them
“Do you imagine the universe is agitated? Go into the desert at night and look at the stars. This practice should answer the question.”. Where do they come from and why do we write endlessly about them? In poems of love and stories filled with anger and retribution. The world seems to revolve around emotions; actually, fueled by them as we go spinning about in search of more of them or less of them, depending on the exact emotion being sought.
The myth of independence - we are connected to everyone, whether we want to be or not
We are sacred. We revel in our ability to be self-sufficient. To walk our own path and be the person in charge of our own destiny. To speak our minds, offer freely our opinions and bristle when confronted with opposition to how our lives will unfold.
Why there's nothing social about Social Media
You can’t have Social without people. Without human interaction. Its original root word means – companion. Do you think there is any human interaction on Social Media?. During my teenage years and beyond, issues were resolved with face to face communication. Or they weren’t resolved at all. You sucked it up, went home and never mentioned it. You bore the scars on the inside and hoped nobody noticed.
Social Media and fallacy of First Impressions
Human beings are built to size each other up quickly. These first impressions are influenced by a number of factors, such as facial shape, vocal inflection, attractiveness, and general emotional state. People tend to get attached to their initial impressions of others and find it very difficult to change their opinion, even when presented with lots of evidence to the contrary. Psychology Today.
Why the GOP, believes in Trump, the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and Trickle-Down Economics
Photo through Pixabay - by Clker-Free-Vector-Images. As Kevin McCarthy, Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz make pilgrimages down to Mar-a-Lago to meet with their Don, they apparently are required to deposit what’s left of their common sense at the door, engage in the intricate secret handshake and resume their recently interrupted journey into the Twilight Zone. Also known as, American Politics.
Your mind is stopping you from being present. How to change it.
Where is the present moment and how does one remain there long enough to figure out how we might return there unaided?. There are countless books out there promoting the need and importance of bringing oneself, willingly or unwillingly, into the present moment. Discussing the virtues of living our lives in the Now and endeavoring to return there as often as we can. Not unlike the ideal vacation spot, where peace and tranquility reside side by side with a close and direct connection to the real world.
Stickball: A meditation on a game like no other
My first stickball bat was a broom handle “borrowed” from my mother. Please don’t tell her, she still wonders what happened to it. I cut it off before the brush. Taped the top with electrical tape borrowed from my Dad’s workbench and went out to play.
Fixing How We Write - in 1500 Words or Less
Who are we? An individual who strives to achieve an understanding and balance with the world around us or a writer who insists on chronicling everything that is seen and felt?. In life we grow. We engage the world; fight it, embrace it, or cast it aside and reach for something else. We struggle with reality and question whose it is. And eventually we come to a crossroad. The intersection, where who we are and what we’ve been doing, become at odds. Fighting to see who will lead and who will follow.
Why Are We Trying to Manage Stress?
What long term effects do constant stressors like: endless traffic, insane work hours, low-paying jobs, Covid-19, sleepless nights, doing without, 24/7 childcare, living paycheck to paycheck and endless financial arguments have on the human psyche?
Oh Sleep, My Old Friend, Where Have you Gone?
A 2016 study done by the CDC, indicated that 1 of out every 3 Americans do not get enough sleep. That is, less than the recommended seven hours every night. Considering all that has happened over the past 18 months, I would venture a guess that the percentage of people flipping their pillows, gnawing on bed sheets and engaging in shadow puppet shows on the ceiling has skyrocketed.
Wearing Masks and the U.S. Constitution
To mask or not to mask, that seems to be the question. The Republican led legislature in Wisconsin, is repealing their mask mandate. Apparently Covid-19 is extremely fond of cheese and beer and is leaving that state relatively alone – say, compared to its neighbors Michigan and Minnesota.
Why Was Thinking Inside the Box Such a Bad Thing?
Perhaps Social Media is to blame. It is responsible for most of our society’s ills, isn’t it? A dark swirling primordial place where truth wanders in at its own peril and disinformation feels right at home. Where new meanings are given to old words, as we troll the unsuspecting and use anonymity to shield us from retribution.
I lost my Father, but found my Dad
53 years after he died, I finally met my Dad for the first time. Death is uncomfortable. No doubt for the person experiencing it, but also for those around watching it happen. My father dropped dead, literally, outside a restaurant in 1966. A heart, weakened years before by Rheumatic Fever, had finally stopped working and all efforts to get it started again failed. He was 49.
The Mirror Man: We are not always what we seem
He wore a gray suit, neatly tailored, with a white shirt, dark blue tie and polished black shoes. His back was straight; his blue eyes shielded by prescription glasses, were focused on the world in front of him and for all intents and purposes he appeared the typical businessman on his way home from a hectic day at the office. There was really only one thing that stood out, that made him appear less than average in a city as large as Los Angeles: That was the small gilded mirror he held in front of his face and spoke into wherever he went.
Joe Luca
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Opinion and editorial articles on the current state of affairs in politics, business, sports, and other current topics. While highlighting the lives of those that influence our world today or helped to form it in the past. To inform, entertain, enlighten, and otherwise engage in the age-old practice of storytelling. To be part of the process of keeping all of us informed on what is happening in the world around us and perhaps, if I do my job well enough, bring about change in the way we control our own lives and make the decisions that will impact our future and those of the people we care about.
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