Giving Things Away

Mat 19:16  And see, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good shall I do to have everlasting life?” 17  And He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except One – Elohim. But if you wish to enter into life, guard the commands.” 18  He said to Him, “Which?” And יהושע said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19  ‘Respect your father and your mother,’ and ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ ” 20  The young man said to Him, “All these I have watched over from my youth, what do I still lack?” 21  יהושע said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven. And come, follow Me.”

I am a very organized person and I despise clutter.  Unfortunately for me, I have spent many years of  my life surrounded by people who, to put it in the kindest way possible, just aren't "neat-nicks."   But recently I made a decision, and that is to get rid of everything that belongs to me that I don't need.  Having made that decision and having separated myself from a fairly large amount of possessions already, I have to tell you, it is one of the most freeing things I have ever done.  It's not the first time in my life that I did this.  Forty-six years ago, I gave away everything I owned with exception of my guitar (which then became "community property"), the clothes I was wearing, and the few idolatrous possessions I'd been given when I made the decision to serve "God" by entering a Catholic convent.  (Thankfully, that didn't last long and I left Catholicism shortly thereafter!)  But I did feel a freedom then that made a big impression on me.

There is a lot going on in the world today and nothing is certain.  But one thing is certain and that is that possessions exert power over people and they do take away one's freedom.  Let me explain.

A number of years ago, I was driving an old car whose paint was so faded that even a good wax job wouldn't make it look good.  There was no point in getting it repainted because it probably wasn't going to last long anyway.  After it "passed away," I bought a nicer looking car with a pretty white paint job and blue vinyl roof.  Suddenly my life changed.  Before, my weekends had been my own, but now, with this new car, I found myself having to spend time every weekend washing and waxing  it to keep it looking nice.  I also had to make sure the vinyl interior and roof were well taken care of.  It was eating up my time!  I also realized that enticing possessions meant that others would be more tempted to help themselves to whatever they could get and being the victim of a burglary proved the point.  So that meant burglar insurance and security measure to protect my possessions.  One day it occurred to me that if I didn't have anything anyone else wanted (e.g., there's not much demand for used Bibles and study materials--the things I value most), I wouldn't have to be so concerned about people breaking in and stealing things, or filing frivolous lawsuits for fabricated injuries so they can get a free ride.  You cannot take what a person doesn't have, after all.

Then there is the government, and in today's world, they are worse than ever, as we all know.  A little over a year ago, the California State Board of Equalization decided to illegally help themselves to my entire savings account.  My personal savings account.  Every penny.  And it is obvious they have no intention of ever giving it back even though I have never owed them any money for any reason.  Imagine require a person to prove where the cash came from in a deposit one made seven years ago, or what a cash withdrawal was spent on.  I'm not talking about one's own personal records here; I'm talking about proof they would accept.  It's impossible, and they know it.  Of course, that's smoke an mirrors, because no money was owed to them anyway and they had no right to it.  It was MINE.  Frankly, I don't really care.  These imbeciles can have it all if they want., It does make life a little more inconvenient because I can't have a bank account anymore, but there are ways of getting around that too.   When they send their demand notices for more money, I laugh.  What are they going to do, put me on a chain gang?  They are pathetic.  Each employee rationalizes within himself, I am sure, "I'm just doing my job."  Well, if you can live with yourself and work for an employer who is in the business of stealing from your friends and family, that's your business.  But you and I are nothing alike.

But all of that is beside the point.  It is such a pleasure and delight to be able to give things to others  who would appreciate them.  I will give things away on my terms in my time as opposed to allowing the beast system to take anything from me.  I would much prefer to do this than let things sit in the corner collecting dust, cluttering up the house, and tempting thieves.  When I spoke with a government representative of Social Security on another matter and I discovered that they had cut my potential benefits in half, I told them to keep it.  I have no intention whatsoever of filing for social security benefits anyway.  It's a Ponzi scheme and their shenanigans just made it all that much easier for me to walk away from them.  I should be thankful.