The Taliban hates the West because they think we are decadent.  The right wing in America hates the left because they think we are immoral.  Obama is accused of hanging around with decadent celebrities and creative types.   I like to think that a little decadence is a good thing.
 

   Maybe I am wrong.  My mother raised me to be afraid of anything out of the ordinary.  I sent her some mystical books and she sent them back saying they didn't read that kind of thing.  She told me artists are crazy and that she regretted sending me to drawing class.  She hasn't got a creative bone in her body and now she is trying to encourage me to be creative in these last years.  I want to yell at her that she tried to beat it out of me when I was young because she was so afraid.  She is right to be afraid tho because sometimes creativity leads to trouble. 

   You can't have it both ways.  Either you want a perfect society where everyone is good and evil is squelched as soon as someone says so or you have a society that is compassionate and permits a few errors so that creativity can thrive.   People need freedom.  I know I do.

  I am mad at Obama for not legalizing pot and taking a more liberal stance on issues.  He seems to like the game too much and wants to get along with Republicans.  At the same time I see him as a very sensual person. I like how he wants to end war and yet still be a force in the world that can keep us relatively safe.  There is no such thing as completely safe.

  The Catholic church sure did a number on people.  The guilt and power struggles over the centuries has warped our ideas of good and evil.  It is so confusing to people raised Catholic when they are faced with the pleasures of sex, drugs and rock & roll.  It just does not feel right to them to enjoy life and I feel so sorry for people who have that weight on their souls.  The perversions of the Church are just now coming out into the open and I can almost hear the angels sighing in relief.  They can relax a little. 

  Breaking the rules and doing without material possessions is a pure way to live.  Following the rules and living with oppulence works too for awhile.  I think it is important not to hang on to anything.  The fear comes when we worry about losing something.  Living by the principles of love and compassion seems to mean you can put others before yourself.  

   The "Decadent" West is doing pretty well lately and I want us to prove that we can survive and prosper with a little change.  The old ways are fading fast and this new world looks scary and wonderful.  The young people today are brave and open.  I wish them well.