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Radical Insanity

Radical Insanity

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Advocates of hate. My way or the highway. I’m right and you are wrong. Thoughts bouncing around diverse communities throughout. Radical insanity has no borders, no religion, no political affiliate.

She’s ugly and mean. Unpleasing aesthetics of egotistical terrorism dominate her culture. From within her circles she has devout loyalist praising her beliefs and capabilities. From outside, she’s just a bitch.

Why? Because St. Peter is at the gates of Heaven grasping his driftwood staff, confederate flag waving atop. This is our sacred space, righted to us by Almighty God. If you don’t get what we say, damn you to hell for eternal suffering.

Mother Teresa

Condemning Mohammad Ali, His Holiness – The Dalai Lama, Ghandi, and Mother Teresa. “They may be good people, but works don’t get you home. All will burn in hell.”

Faith plays the star role in radical insanity. He’s all we’ve got. Individuals, products of unique environments – our own history, education, hobbies, religious beliefs, friends, family, career and everything that shapes everyday life. It’s who we are. It’s all we know.

Simmered down from a stock to demi-glace it looks something like a theory of dirt. When we die, we either turn into organic matter, or there is more, both is hopeful.

This is not where most radical insanity begins, more somewhere in the middle web. Life after death, reincarnation, cats get 9 lives, people get 7. Whatever your faith, believe it with all you are and condemn no one. It’s not appealing.

“Can’t we just all get along?” ~Rodney King

Religion, government and hippies – the little competitions suck you into escalating cycles. Before you know it, they become oddly personal and somewhere along the way it slips into resentment.

Government elections are bad enough. Religion complicates and staggering numbers of hippies are screaming about GMO’s, and know nothing about what they are.

Relations between the opposing forces are chilling. Polar faiths, known for sure to be correct. It’s not surprising, an overwhelming number of people, most of us, are trying to “keep it in the middle.” Agitated at times, empowering the middle road towards radical insanity.

Society will gladly take you by the hand, leading you to scripted answers. Prospects of people yanked around by society will prove tempting. But for now, lack of tolerance is a form of control – the problem itself.

We’re all trying to get to the same place, following different paths of the spider web woven by each unique life. Acceptance and love – the ‘do right rule’ seems to ring true in my world.

“What we do for ourselves dies with us, what we do for others remains and is immortal.” ~Albert Pine.

The only question I ponder is, “why not?” If I’m radical, I’m a radical pluralist striving to continuously improve the man in the mirror. Starting with self, we can make a difference in the quality of our own life, and the life of others through small actions of kindness.

Show up for yourself. Find or create the life you want. Do more of what you love. Catch your dream – a career you are passionate about, people you want to be around, hobbies you enjoy and make you happy. Ask yourself, “Self, What do I Want Out of Life? Will I look back, near the end of my days, and say … “at a boy, job well done”?

wooderson

As usual, Wooderson (Dazed and Confused, 93’) has all the answers.

“You got to do what Randal Pink Floyd wants to do, man. The older you get the more rules their gonna try to get you to follow. You just got to keep livin’ man. L-I-V-I-N.

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Charles Kochel sometimes writes a controversial blog. But, he fishes, so all is well. Wishing peace and love to all those suffering from mindless acts of terror.

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Broken, but not dead

Broken, but not dead

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Struggling, resisting wiping the first tear escaping my soul for decades, I restrain. She’s so pure. Too real. Pain escaping like nuclear fission of the atom bomb. I am not bent, I’m broken.

Broken is broken. There is no one more than another. You can be bent to extraordinary measures of pain, but this does not change you. Once broken, things will never be put back together the same way. Everything is different.

Humbleness crushes individualism and ego. Silent senses of others like you are comforting. I’m more careful than I once was because I’m afraid. I don’t want to break again. I will, quite sure of this. Lifestyles of the chosen: roads less traveled, blazing paths, territory owned by risk and reward.

Whilst others have faith they know for sure their roadmap from God, we peek around dark corners to see what is real and what is not. Sometimes not seeing our feet, blinded by the chaos of life’s thickets and thorns. Nothing less than a fence protecting us from a jagged cliff. One of us is sure to slip and fall, breaking yet again and again.

See your sister curled in a fetal position, at the bottom, in the valley of rising water, and without thought jump. Because once you’ve been there, you already know, they need not be alone.

Listening carefully and speaking with care is priority over who’s right and who is not. Simplicity and free time are valued more than bigger and faster. Circles shrink. The world has clarity and is good. You can see the fog snaking through the canyon, more stars fall from the sky and the flowers and the children, wow, they are so delicate. The moon is more important, as are others.

regret

There is only one thing I know for sure, I know nothing at all. A great poet once said, “Life ain’t easy” only followed by another living more in the present, “Today was a good day.”

travel (ck backpack spain)Charles Kochel fly-fishes. Currently exploring the Ozark Mountains, he enjoys laughing, baseball, good food, and mindful people.

He writes, tries to pick mandolin and purchased a pair of running shoes today.

Sometimes he can be found wandering the streets and paths of Northwest Arkansas, sometimes he can’t be found at all. Carpe’ Diem, may be your only chance.

 

Wall Street’s Sharknado

Wall Street’s Sharknado

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The Story: If you’ve seen the movie, “The Big Short” that’s me (Brad Pitt – I wish, or maybe a hybrid of Pitt and Steve Carol.) Point is, I was at the epicenter of the collapse, feet on the ground, in Manhattan, on Wall Street – the day it all went down.

Mass chaos doesn’t do justice to describing the “Eye Wall” (pun intended) of this killer economic hurricane. It was sharknato.

sharknado

My story is rich with fear and greed, corporate corruption, big time attorneys, Wall Street, Main Street, from the highs of Heaven to the lows of Hades.

After pouring my young heart and soul into helping people, to the best of my ability, I realized the corruptness of mega-corporations. Understanding the only true purpose of a corporation, by definition is to build shareholder wealth. “At all cost” should be copied and pasted into Webster’s or Wikipedia (wait, I can do this myself.) Short term visionaries are responsible for ‘making the quarter’ and without regard to anything else, a plan is put in place to do just this. During the financial Sharknado of 2008, this left individuals, families and even the null soul of corporations devastated, it changed the people we are.

This leads me to allow anger and pain between me and the corporation. “Let it pass through.” I tell myself, it’s a mute point, null because the corporation does not care, it does not know how to feel – a corporation is an entity. It also helped me realize shrinking my circles was a good thing. The “Circle of Trust”, like Robert De Niro so eloquently described in the movie, “Meet the Parents” was immediately roped, with barbed wire, electric fences and super k-9’s named Cujo.

Some hid under their desk, whilst the storm passed and a few years later, peeked around to assess the damage. What they saw were clients crushed because half their life-saving disappeared. Retirement dreams shattered, homes up for sale, relationships severed, nervous breakdowns and even suicide was the aftermath. An economic storm that left a wake of broken people, confused, lost and knowing not, what to do next.

The Reality: Fortunately, we the people will win the war, but the toll of battles fought, between Daniel (Main Street) and Goliath (Wall Street), left our spirits broken, our minds and body tired and our bank account empty. No one ever really wins a war.

No one ever really wins a war.

The Outcome: The crucial blow, taking up to 5 years, or longer regain composure, left us alone and somewhat scared.

So, it’s time to evaluate the man in the mirror. If you don’t like what you see, make a decision to change life’s intention, from “More, Bigger, Faster” to “Leaving a legacy of positive impact, on others and the world.”

Re-organize life, a continuing process, and live simply. Create a workable plan to do more of what you love, improving quality of life, and work towards your legacy. Continue to “Fill the bucket” with dreams. Surround yourself with good people. Once this is done, there is no mountain too great to climb.

The journey starts not with having new vistas, but with having new eyes. ~Marcel Proust

 

cropped-ck-photo.jpgCharles Kochel founded Yield Wealth Management, helping people align their financial resources with what matters most to them. Yield Wealth is the first benefit corporation in Arkansas.

Charles also serves a non-profit, helping people of all ages reach their full potential. If you’d like to learn more about Yield Wealth, and how you might benefit from ‘mindful wealth management’ visit our website, http://www.yieldwealth.com.

Contact: charles@yieldwealth.com