Dear Dr. Matai,

These are truly inspired words. My focus was drawn to several of his beliefs in particular, these being:

The sacredness of a promise, that a man's word should be as good as his bond; that character - not wealth or power or position - is of supreme worth.

Rendering useful service is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the huma soul set free.

Truth and justice are fundamental to an enduring social order.

The law was made for man and not man for the law; that the government is the servant of the people and not their master.

It appears to me that the very reason we see our social orders breaking down today is because these principles have been violated and abandoned. We cannot have confidence in the words spoken by our so-called leaders. The rule of the day would appear to adhere to the belief that the government is the master of the people and that they are its servants.

How many examples do we see today of a man's word being as good aas his bond? It seems that words are used to control audiences and to obtain favor for the moment. They are then quickly forgotten once their objective has been obtained.

Sincerely,

Betsy

Aloha DK

I feel Americans are not unlike the battered woman where she believes her husband/those with power loves her. Today we have to be self-govening where democracy is practiced at the deepest level. America is the portal to the world inside. love patty

Aloha DK

I remember hearing Nelson Rockefeller speak in San Francisco Ca. at a NAACP gathering. At that time they accused the NAACP as being communist:) It was a surprise that he showed up at the gathering. His wife Happy, bumped into my cousin who was pushing a baby stroller at a Free Speech Movement at S.F. State. They were in S.F. for the Republic Presidental Convention.

http://www.answers.com/topic/nelson-rockefeller

Nelson Rockefeller
(b. Bel Harbour, Maine, 8 July 1908; d. 27 Jan. 1979) US; Vice-President 1974 – 7 The grandson of J. D. Rockefeller (the founder of the family fortune in oil), Nelson's grandfather and father were both prominent Republicans. He served as Assistant Secretary of State for Latin American Affairs from 1944 and for a year under President Eisenhower. He was then elected Governor of New York State in 1958, winning election to that post four times in all. The 1958 election victory was significant because the Republicans did badly nationally. On the liberal wing of the party, he favoured advanced social programmes and civil rights for blacks, and sought to appeal to voters beyond the party. In 1960 he ran against Vice-President Nixon, for the Republican presidential nomination, but lost. He was unhappy with Nixon's proposed platform and managed to reshape it. He was offered and turned down the vice-presidential slot. In 1964 he fought and lost a bitter campaign against the right-wing Barry Goldwater for the party's nomination. Republican right-wingers detested him and his campaign was handicapped by his involvement in a messy divorce. In the presidential election he refused to campaign for Goldwater, the Republican candidate. He tried and failed again for the nomination in 1968.

As Governor of New York, he was criticized as the state encountered growing financial problems and for his handling of the prison riots in Attica in 1971 in which a number of people died. In 1974 President Gerald Ford appointed him Vice-President, in spite of strong lobbying by George Bush for the post. But Ford came under growing right-wing criticism for the appointment and Ronald Reagan posed a serious threat to his renomination. Rockefeller was seen as a political liability and he eased Ford's problem by announcing that he would not be a candidate for the vice-presidency in the 1976 presidential election. His contacts and wealth enabled him to tap the expertise of a wide range of policy-makers. In his career he tried to combine private enterprise initiatives with a social conscience.

Hey D.K.

These are the family jewels.

They used to be spoken of as 'common sense' rules to live by.

God and His Will take a lot of flack nowadays...

but the train rolls on. And we be layin' the tracks!

Peace to you, bro! Keith~

Dear DK,

Inspiring. I can see how, taken to heart, those words could change the course of a person's life. What they bring to the surface for me is the strength of inner conviction, and a sense of hope, faith, and honor. They remind me what a waste of time it is to point a finger at others and the dignity of instead looking within and at what I can do to help both others and myself. It's good to read words like that because sometimes I still get caught feeling sorry for myself for no good reason. Although sooner or later I get sick of being so self absorbed. Life is so interesting!

Have a beautiful day. Sat Nam. :)

Love, Kristin

Dear fellow bloggers and Dr Matai,

The speech given by John D Rockefeller, Jr, is inspiring at that but it includes his personal insinuations that can not be left unnoticed and they, inadvertently or on purpose, hide certain other ‘’truths’ that need to be exposed. In a first throw of reactions, here are (in parentheses) my humble inputs.
. I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; (Let’s not forget equality).
. I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty; (What about the duty to share the wealth we have with those who have less).
. I believe that the law was made for man and not man for the law; that government is the servant of the people and not their master; (That is why Laws can only be secular and not divine).
. I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man (or dog) a living (not even a crippled soldier who fought for us) but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living; (if you want a living you must work for it, slave: God for every man and every man for himself).
. I believe that thrift (that is why CEO’s are paid outrages salaries) is essential to well ordered living and that economy is a prime requisite of a sound financial structure, whether in government, business or personal affairs; (That is why government spends billions of dollars on warfare whether we all agree or not).
. I believe that truth (subjective concept: truth of what or on who’s part?) and (an independent but accountable) justice are fundamental to an enduring social order;
. I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man's word should be as good as his bond (but we all demand a signature for all transactions so that we may sue who we see fit) ; that character - not wealth or power or position (which unfortunately rule at least the candidacies to positions in government) - is of supreme worth;
. I believe that the rendering of useful service (but not subvention of pure goodness for goodness sake) is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice (of others) is the dross of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free;
. I believe in an all-wise and all-loving God (irrelevant and not essential to the existence of all of the rest), named by whatever name, and that the individual's highest fulfillment, greatest happiness and widest usefulness (subjective concept) are to be found in living in harmony with His will (that none of us know or can know);
. I believe that love is the greatest thing in the world; that it alone can overcome hate; that right (subjective concept varying with time and social structure) can and will triumph over might (which is always linked to money; no poor person or country has ever had any might).
These are the principles, however formulated, for which all good men and women (only the good: subjective concept) throughout the world, irrespective of race or creed, education, social position or occupation are standing, and for which many of them are suffering and (Ends here). (They also have other principles: this is a rather audacious and pretentious statement).

Yours Truly,

Maurice