THE PAUL JACOBS SHOW  

When I think of the men and women that fought and died for this country since the civil war only for it to turn out like this makes me sick and ashamed to call myself an American; because the majority of the Americans spend more time worshipping the gods of the liberal media and talk television, than they do the supreme god in heaven. This country is obsessed with stupidity and foolishness. Oprah Winfrey cannot give eternal life. Sally Jessy Raphael cannot send all your kids to boot camp and make them better. Jerry Springer did not die for your sins. And last, but not least, Jenny Jones does not and cannot walk on water.

America you need to take your mind out of the sewer of talk television, and open your eyes to the truth. You won’t live forever. The end of your world could come at any moment. Will you be ready? Are you ready to look at God eye to eye, face to face, and say “I lived by your word?” Don’t let the gods of this world plunge you deeper into sin and confusion. Because when you die, and you will, Oprah won’t be there to save you; and Jenny won’t be there to give you a make over. And Jerry’s bodyguards won’t be there to take up for you. But God will be there to judge you, and I hope you are ready.

I used to think as people got older that they got wiser. But then again I also believed in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Well after tuning into Politically Incorrect, on Channel 8 last night, my life will be changed forever. The host of the show, Bill Maher, in my opinion is a dim wit. His anti-government, anti-God, anti-family, anti-relationships, anti-anything that has to do with good, old, fashioned values and strong morals. And of course he spews his poison all in the name of free speech and expression. Well do Castro, Malosivich, and Saddam Hussein. I am far from naive and I didn’t just ride in on a load of cantaloupes. But this guy and people like him scare me. They seem to be thinking and speaking directly from some humanist manifesto. The problems in this country will only get worse if these people continue their mission of madness.

Can we really call this freedom of speech? Can we even call it creative expression? God forbid. I feel so ashamed to live in a country that is selling itself piece by piece to the anti-Christ all in the name of free speech. This country is damned and cursed. Stop kidding yourselves, get out from under your rock, and smell the stink and stench of reality.

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF

Do you really love your neighbor as you do yourself? Do you really love yourself? Do you trust your neighbor? Do you trust yourself? Do you reach out to your neighbor? I mean really reach out beyond your selfish desires and needs. Are you able to forgive your neighbors’ trespasses as God has forgiven yours? Does guilt, fear, shame, or any other dysfunction keep you from really connecting with your neighbor? Do you think you are better than your neighbor?

When Jesus said “love thy neighbor” he was talking about the whole world. He was talking about putting yourself last and everyone else first. He was talking about being open to peoples’ needs. He was talking about unconditional love. The highest love; a love that has no boundaries; a love that is unstoppable and so often misunderstood in our disconnected society.

Have you built your house on sinking sand? Are you drowning in stress and misery? That is not God’s will for you. You are a product of your thinking. Your actions are a manifestation of your inner self. You are what you accuse everyone else of being. When you point at them you are looking in the mirror. You are locked in a prison of self doubt, confusion, fear, and delusion.

Love does not doubt. Love does not slander. Love does not gossip. Love is not lazy or slothful. Love has not shame or deceit. True God love will conquer all things. Nothing can stand in its way.

Oh ye of little faith. Come out of your shell. Open your eyes to the wonderful opportunities that God has laid before you. Be of good cheer. Be joyful in the Lord and he will rescue you from the snare of the world. He will increase your faith. He will take you to places that are impossible to go in your human mind. He will remove the chains that are binding you.

You will know when you are in God’s will. All doubt, fear, and hopelessness will fade away. You will be consumed with peace, forgiveness, hope, harmony, and balance. You will be an example to everyone around you. Your light will shine for all the world to see. May God bless you and keep you good neighbor.

Why do some people try to disconnect themselves from being human? Why do they turn away from humanity? We are flesh and blood. We are physical beings. We must live with ourselves, and inside ourselves. We must celebrate our humanness. We must live in the moment -- in the now of our being.

I see people all the time trying to deny who they really are. You cannot separate yourself from yourself no matter how hard you try. You are who you are and that is that. Most of us have been taught at an early age that being human is a terrible thing even a sin.

Sin resides in that mortal body. We are told ‘rid yourself of your nasty thoughts and deeds that will destroy you and everyone around you’. So we try our best to find this other person. This other self. The good thought. The good deed. The selfless act. That must be it. If only we could stay there. If only we could figure out how to live in that so called other self. It would be a perfect world or would it. Most people can’t grasp that we are in a perfect world. The world is not confused. We are. The world is not messed up. We are.

What is the world. It is the platform. The foundation. The starting place. The origin or our being. And before the world was God. The origin of our being is not God but the world that he made for us to come out of. We are not the essence but the fruit of the essence. We are not the root but a part of the branch. We are not the first or the last but somewhere in the middle of this fantastic creation or event.

One must learn to be. Stop trying to figure yourself out. Stop trying to find yourself. You are who you are. Be content to be. Past, present, and future are now. The past is forever gone. The future an illusion of mortal mind. The present a gift to be treasured.

You must live in it. You cannot run from it even though you try. It is here to stay. That eternal moment called the present -- the now. Face it head on. Don’t be afraid of it.

It is okay to learn from your past. It is okay to anticipate the future. But you have to understand the future is now. Stop talking about what you did and what you are going to do; and realize they are both now this very minute. The past, present, and future are now.

When we are young we tend to look toward the future. When we are old we tend to think about the past. To make sense of reality we must have a sense of past, present, and future. For this is the very nature of who we are at any one given moment in time. However in order for one to break free of destructive and unwanted behaviors. One must take control of the present and understand its complexities.

Most of us are programmed and even controlled by our so called past. Some of us refuse to live in the present because we are stuck in the past. You did not become who you are today all by yourself. You are a product of your sensory input (i.e. -- site, hearing, smell, taste, and touch). Your brain has been processing this information since you were born. So in effect you are a bi-product of multiple sensory input coming in from any and all possible sources within your environment.

Most of these sources are all very powerful and have had a massive influence on who you think you are at this very minute. So much so that you would have a hard time becoming anyone else or acting or behaving in a different way. That is because you have not been taught how to operate in this complex environment we call reality.

Would you say that you are in control of yourself and your environment? Would you say that you call the shots? Do you smoke? Do you exercise? Do you eat the proper foods? Do you overeat? Are you overweight and unhealthy? Do you have a temper? Do you overspend? Are you selfish and greedy? Are you depressed and angry? Do you talk too much? Are you lazy?

If you experience any or all of these things then you are not in control of yourself. You are under submission to the elements that you have allowed to take you over and invade your space and place. Any negative, unproductive, or destructive behavior is a sign that you are being controlled by external forces. These forces have taken you over.

You are made up of multiple variables, parts, and pieces that have culminated over time into the you you call you. The whole is made up of many parts and parts are made up of even more parts and so on and so on. You are a small part of all that has ever been and all that will ever be. Everything you say, do, and think effects every other component in the mix.

The system is made up of many variables with no one variable being the key piece in the puzzle. All pieces operate independently to effect the whole. The whole is always changing depending on the state of each individual component and variable within the whole. The whole never completes itself and will always be in a state of flux. To be able to operate within the system effectively one must be able to override fixed variables that clump together in the system and clog the flow of ideas and information relevant to positive change. The map is not the territory. Subject does not create object.

All manifestations are of unknown origin and should be identified as such. To operate within the system one does not have to understand the origin. Only the variables within the origin can be manipulated depending on the state of the source and its place in the system. All variables within the system operate at different levels and function within variable frequencies and patterns intersecting at different points. Subjective analysis versus objective reality being the key operative in the quest for balance in any one system or subsystem at any given time.

Given the massive diversity of source input with multiple pattern possibilities one can see how tangled the web of reality can become. Conflict arises and is unavoidable when multiple input variables do not coincide with each source therefore creating tension among key players in the system.

I have written many articles on communication. It is a very complex and highly misunderstood subject. We do not learn how to effectively communicate unless we take time to study the process. You have to break it down, tear it apart, and dissect it. You have to become one with it. You have to really get inside it and look at it from the inside out.

Anyone can make noise. Anyone can talk. But very few people understand the art of effective communication. Before one can learn to communicate one must first learn to listen. Very few people know how to listen. Do you know how to listen or are you one of those people who just can’t wait for the other person to shut up so you can talk. I hope not.

Good luck in your quest to learn to fully communicate.

I just want to thank all of you on gather.com for making me feel so at home. It feels really good to have someone read what I write. I used to write to just write.

I have been blessed with a very full and wonderful life. My younger days were filled with many ups and downs. I started working in the funeral business at a very young age. I even lived there in the apartment upstairs over the embalming room. Closing those casket doors at night after everybody goes home can really be creepy. Especially when you are all by yourself. On stormy nights I could hear the old garage door swinging on its rusty hinges. It sounded like someone walking up the stairs. Every now and then one of the buttons on my five line phone would light up in the apartment as if someone downstairs had picked up the phone even though I knew there was nobody down there. I used to invite my friends over at night to play cards just to have some live company.

Yes, I have lived a full life. I went from the funeral home to EMT/Paramedic school and loved it. I rode in the ambulance for fifteen years. I came out of that and went right into remodeling homes while at the same time directing and producing community television.

Well if all that don’t give you something to write about then nothing will. Thanks again to all of you. See ya’ on the radio.

-- Wayne Phillips

I know all of you in the ‘gather’ loop must get tired of hearing about my 88 year old mother Virginia, who we have cared for at home for the past eleven years. The subject of long term care is something we all need to talk about though. I’ve said before my two real passions in life now are long term care and the global environment. And I love to write about things that I am passionate about.

We are all going to get old and most probably sick. It has been an honor to take care of my mother. I have learned so much about life and living. I have learned to not take the little things for granted. We are by her side 24-7-365 for at least 15 hours a day seven days a week. Now some of you would not be able to hang on that long without jumping off a cliff or at least ramming your head through a wall. You have to really love someone to do this as long as we have.

Mom requires full time care. We feed her, bath her, dress her, and diaper her. We put her on the potty when she feels like it. We brush her teeth, administer all her medicine, and do all her nail and hair care. On top of dressing, skin care, and special nutrition needs. We watch television with her and tell her stories. We change her bed linens every day and sometimes twice a day. And that is just a beginning of the home care roller coaster. For instance mother choked on her eggs this morning and her airway was completely blocked. If we had not been in the room she would have died and that is a fact.

People listen to me home care is not for everyone. You have to be completely dedicated to the cause. Like right now mom just asked me to go call grandma. She’s been dead thirty five years or more. And I told her the truth as I have before and she cried as she always does. It is little things like this that are so special and yet so strange.

The human brain is so complex. It is such a mystery to me. Only my wife and I speak mother’s language. Only we can understand her little coughs, twists, and turns. Everything she does has meaning. It is almost like we can read her mind. She coughs a certain way when she is wet. Another way when she is dirty. I can tell where she hurts just by the look on her face. I can tell when she is there or not there. Just by the movements of her body.

There are so many things to learn when you take care of someone’s every need. It really puts you in touch with the most basic part of humanity. You become one with your patient or loved one. It is an amazing thing that only those of who do it every day can or ever will understand. Direct patient care is the most important and intensive part of any care plan. No other part of the plan compares to it. It is the foundation on which all the other parts rest and should not be brushed off or taken for granted by the care team or anyone else.

The men and women who are in these positions should give respect and most of all be respected. It is a tough job and one that not many can do well. So please when and if you ever have to make this decision. Think about it long and hard before you jump into it. However the benefits far out weigh the liabilities and the rewards are eternal.

God bless all of you --

Wayne Phillips ‘08’