How I See It: Reflections on spirituality, technology, and the art of everyday life

Tax States Proportionately The Columbian Serving Clark County, Washington   July 21, 2008 Our Readers' Views Tax States Proportionately Instead of the United States taxing its citizens, I would suggest the federal government should tax the states and let each state decide how it will support the federal government. Each state would be responsible for a portion of the total federal budget, based on the number of representatives it has in Congress. Washington would owe 9/435ths of the total federal budget, Oregon 5/435ths, and California 53/435ths. The more say a state has over the budget, the more it pays. Control over taxation would move closer to the people. The federal budget would be balanced, states would not ask for so much from the federal government, and as states take less money, federal control over them would decrease. States’ rights would be strengthened. ...

Even if there is a God why do we Worship? A friend told me about a question their child asked them, and I was so moved that I wrote the following answer. Your mother told me of a question you asked her recently, and it has made me think and want to give you an answer. She said you asked, “Even if there is a God, why should we worship Him?” That is a truly great question, and I’ve been thinking about it a lot. The first thing that comes to mind is what is meant by worship. I know that church worship is normally what people think of — and for many, it is what’s important — but for others it’s too limiting and can sometimes try to trap God rather than worship Him. It’s like saying to God, “We’ll do all this for You, but You must be the way we say.” I’m not saying there’s nothing to be gained in church worship, but one has to be careful and stay connected to something deeper. To me, worship has a very simple meaning — Love . The two words are interchangeable. I worship my wife; I l...

Success? Lessons: Conclusions! Copyright ©, 2008 By Odell Sneeden Hathaway, III I would say that if today were my last day and I had to look back on my life I would see that while it was a painful slog, that I would never want to go through again on the whole I have done pretty dam good.  I feel that I would leave this world a somewhat better place then when I entered it.  While I may not have been an astronaut or lived some of my dreams I feel like I have lived up to the contents of those dreams. My biggest regret has to be not being able to answer my calling for The Girl I first loved.  But there are things that don’t work out.  I would loved to have been able to fly like super man as well. I am surprised that no place in this paper has my lack of having children come into play as I know I feel very bad about missing that part of my life (now that I am getting old enough that it is likely never to happen).  But I think that might ha...

Success? Lessons: Theme 5 & 6 — Discipline and Bravery Copyright © 2008, By Odell Sneeden Hathaway, III Theme 5 — Discipline Discipline—both internal and external. (From being a Vulcan) It’s funny this section began as a single line, because discipline runs through everything I do. Every dream on the list requires it. I wish I were better at it, and I’m working on that. How am I doing? I’m working on it. Compared to the boy who graduated high school, I’m a far more disciplined adult. But I know I can push further. I see it in the days I’ve let this paper sit untouched. I need stronger study habits, continued mental training, and—most of all—deeper meditation. Even after 30 years, my mind still barges in while I’m meditating. Theme 6 — Bravery Courage—not necessarily the kind for walking up to strangers, but the courage to build my own life. To say, “LA stinks—I'm moving to Vancouver.” (From be...

Success? Lessons: Theme 2, 3, 4 — Creativity, Control, Love Copyright © 2008, By Odell Sneeden Hathaway, III Theme 2 — Creativity Imagination. (From being a Vulcan) Logic. (From being a Vulcan) Being creative. (From being a Photo Journalist) Finding a way to let my muse have a pulpit. (From being a priest) The ability to find something inside and make contact with it. (From being a writer) Success to me has to be saying yes to the will of God—or at least trying to. (From The Girl I First Loved) Answering the call of God. (From being a priest) I don’t think it’s any surprise that I’m a creative person and that my dreams center on creating. There’s a huge part of me that wants to be even more creative than I’ve been. I want to write (and I’ve been doing more of it), take pictures, and make music. I haven’t played my flute in over 20 years. It’s damaged now—and physically, I can’t form my mouth to blow a ...

Success? Lessons: Theme 1 — Respect Copyright © 2008, By Odell Sneeden Hathaway, III I wanted to prove to the whole world that I was not “brain damaged”—that I was worthy of respect and even admiration. (From Being an Astronaut) I wanted to prove it to myself most of all. (From Being an Astronaut) Respect—and the idea that others could respect me. (From Being a Vulcan) Having respect. (From Being a Photojournalist) Sense of pride and accomplishment. (From Being a Pilot) Showing everyone else that I was better than they thought. (From Being a Pilot) Finding self-respect and the feeling of accomplishing the “impossible.” (From Being a Priest) I wanted to emulate a man I deeply respected and loved. (From Being a Priest) Wanting to be like my father. (From Being a Photojournalist) The pride of creation. (From Being a Writer) This category surprised me the most—and made me think. It shouldn’t be surprising th...

Success? Lessons: What do my Desires / Dreams teach me? Copyright © 2008, By Odell Sneeden Hathaway, III Success? Lessons: What do my Desires / Dreams teach me? As I worked on this paper, I did my best not to force an agenda or steer the outcome. Each section was written on its own. Now that I’ve looked at my desires and dreams, the real question is: what lessons do they offer about my future—and how I might define success? I reviewed the individual lessons and searched for patterns. To my surprise, six themes emerged. Theme 1: Respect Theme 2: Creativity Theme 3: Control Theme 4: Love Theme 5: Discipline Theme 6: Bravery Next: Meaning of Success #08: Lessons Theme 1 Previous: Meaning of Success #06: being a programmer / writer