Philip A Farruggio

Paramahansa Yogananda

One of the greatest books this writer has ever read was Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. This man was part mystic, teacher, philosopher and Yogi who those that experienced him saw as a living saint. He once taught Mahatma Gandhi Kriya Yoga, and understood that this 3rd dimension we live in is nothing more than a dream or grand drama that each of us creates. The key point of his philosophy was that our essence, or soul and spirit, lives on after we pass the doorway of death… and the only thing that matters in this drama is how we think, feel and finally act. Thus, Karma is created and it is the only judge we must face. Karma is defined as ‘The total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence.’ Better yet, the more common explanation of Karma is ‘As ye sow so shall you reap‘. In Brooklyn we used to say ‘What goes around comes around‘.

I was all set to sit down and write this new column, when one of my readers, Bob G, sent me something about the German anti Nazi patriot and martyr, clergyman Dietrich Bonheoffer. One of Bonheoffer’s famous quotes was “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless.” He knew, as few of us here in Amerika understand, that if enough Germans had stood up to the Nazi party before they took over, they never would have succeeded. One realizes that once the Nazis took power in 1933, it was much more difficult to protest their machinery of repression was already working. Men like Bonheoffer did what they could to undermine and subvert the Nazi horror, as did the White Rose group that Sophie Scholl and her brother belonged to.

There are so many good folks that make up our nation’s populace. Yet, the overwhelming majority of the good folks either A) fall for the rhetoric of the ‘phony liberals ‘that encompass the Democratic Party, thinking that voting for Democrats in elections will solve things, or B) remain silent and dare not speak up and protest publically (for fear of ridicule) against this unfair Military Industrial Empire that is bankrupting us both economically and spiritually. During the Vietnam (so called) War many more Americans got off their duffs and marched and protested, sensing that the Military Industrial Empire planned to continue that conflict for many more years… at great profit. Each time a Huey (helicopter) went down in Nam, Bell Helicopter stood to charge one million dollars for its replacement. Alas, unlike this current War on terror and the illegal and immoral occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, we had this thing called a military draft during the Vietnam era. To this writer, that was the catalyst which got many more Americans out there protesting. My own father, a blue collar longshoreman who thought of himself as a conservative Republican and originally supported Nixon’s escalations and terror bombings ,stood up at our Easter dinner in 1971 and told my uncles and aunts “ Before either of my kids has to go to report for the Army, I am going to personally drive them to Canada! “ (Talk about his karma!)

My 85 year old compatriot John and I stand outside our public library each Tuesday afternoon for one hour with our signs in hand. We protest this military empire and how it is oblivious to the pain caused by our state and city budget shortfalls. We explain to those leaving the library how the place they just came from has been operating at 2/3 of its budget for over seven years. Mostly we get a few smiles or just silence… the apathy is so great. Even the friends I have who are librarians just go about their business and accept things… passively. I went to the City Council and made presentations trumpeting the 25 % Solution Movement to cut military spending 25%, sending the savings back to our states and their cities. Twice I urged the council to send a resolution to the President and our Congressional reps demanding such action. Alas, my City Council was too worried about local cost cutting or the next ‘Family Days ‘carnival or some other town event (to pacify the natives?)… While our city, state and country go belly up. When I reminded the Council members how cities like ours used to benefit from that Congressional procedure called Federal Revenue Sharing, whereupon Uncle Sam sends money back to the localities (FREE of charge) to help with budget concerns and other projects… they could care less. Their karma will be watching our town and others slide down that slippery slope of default due to lack of federal help.

Karma is real, take my word for it. We as a nation continue to regress into a feudal society, with the landlords and tenants more prevalent and the homeowners less so. As Mom and Pop small businesses fade away, being replaced by boxstores, chains and franchises, the best job many will get is working in one of those places for close to poverty level wages. Obamacare becomes the norm and the private health insurers chuckle at the stupidity of the American public while Tea Party types shout that it is a government takeover and socialism, and the Democratic Party minions think it is actual reform. Meanwhile, all us working stiffs who sign on to it will see high deductibles that will suck our savings dry should we actually get ill. Twenty years ago this writer could get a private health insurance plan for myself, my wife and daughter with (are you ready for this?) a $ 250 a person deductible, for less than $ 8,000 a year. Check out these current health exchanges and see for yourself how $ 2000, $ 3000 and $ 4000 deductibles per person are now the norm. There is this thing called group karma for all those who sat by and accepted this con job- and that includes the Tea Party fools who wish to see an even more powerful private insurance industry.

Finally, there was this 1957 movie Slaughter on 10th Ave about the mob strong arming a union for some rich guy’s benefit. Things got pretty bad, with lots of violence perpetrated by their goons. Finally, the rank and file union members, and their wives and kids and neighbors, had enough of it. The powerful finale scene was when this mass of people marched in the streets, demanding justice and better treatment. The next shot is in some penthouse apartment uptown, with this rich guy, the ‘Mr. Big ‘behind the mob, viewing it all on the television news. He tells his butler to ‘Get me so and so ‘(the crooked union boss) ‘on the phone’. Next you see him on the phone with the union lackey telling him ‘I can’t have this go on with everyone in the city seeing this. Give them what they want and get them off the streets. Do it! ‘

Ah, blessed karma!

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{Philip A Farruggio is son and grandson of Brooklyn, NYC longshoremen. He is a free lance columnist (found on TheSleuthJournal.com, Worldnewstrust.com, The Intrepid Report, Nation of Change, The Peoples Voice, Information Clearing house, Dandelion Salad, Activist Post, Dissident Voice and many other sites worldwide). Philip works as an environmental products sales rep and has been an activist leader since 2000. In 2010 he became a local spokesperson for the 25% Solution Movement to Save Our Cities by cutting military spending 25%. Philip can be reached at paf1222@bellsouth.net}