Independence day.

Well it's another independence day here in Israel. No.59. I now some would like to see us go up in smoke over here but we don't hate them for that. Here independence day is preceded by memorial day for the soldiers lost in the conflicts. To me this is a day when I realize more than on any other day how mankind knows very little of gods plan for us. It's really very simple, all he wants is for us to be happy. That's it, to enjoy what he has given us. All the ideologies and rules we make are all the ego of human kind, striving for happiness in the wrong direction. We all claim to know the will of god but in fact we replace his will with that of our own. Lets spread the word that all our efforts to create happiness are counter productive if we fail to realize that in order to be happy and experience god's bliss within us permanently we must create happiness without through being selfless and giving.

Re: Independence day.

Andrew, I agree with you.  I think that conflicts almost always arise out of discontentment and ego.  And in the simple act of remembering who we are and honoring the precious gift of our being….. we cease to be separate and discover the connection we all bear!

Thank you for such a poignant reminder.

Re: Independence day.

I am happy that Israel exists. I believe it is important for every person or people to be able to determine their own path.

Yesterday I watched Munich which was directed by Steven Spielberg. While it seems to be coming to the United States on occasion over the last few years, I believe we are still very isolated from the struggle for self-determination that most other countries in the world must negotiate on a frequent, sometimes even daily, basis.

I can run through my day-to-day tasks without the concern or fear that someone will blow themselves up in the establishment I am shopping in or passing by. While the crime rate is rising in my area, it is nothing even close to heavily populated areas like Mexico city.

I feel very fortunate to be able to live where I do with the freedoms I, unfortunately, quite frequently take for granted.

Re: Independence day.

I agree with you.  It is so simple to take our relative safety for granted when we do not have the opposite in our face day to day.  Last year I had a chance to talk to someone who had grown up in Ireland where each day to get to school was a run through an unknown gauntlet where children were frequently hurt in the fighting.