"Human beings are actually created for the transcendent, for the sublime, for the beautiful, for the truthful . . . and all of us are given the task of trying to make this world a little more hospitable to these beautiful things. "
Desmond Tutu

   Most of my life I have been trying to figure out why we humans seem to behave self destructively.  And, you know, I think I have connected some dots in my search.  One of my "Eureka Moments" was when I was studying a list of my "personal values".  The list included, physical health, mental health, financial security, growth, contribution, and a host of other items I considered desirable.   As I stared at the list, I realized that many of the items were more "capacities" than values.   Financial security was more a capacity than something that provided focus and direction or lived within me as a core value.   Of the items on the list "Growth" and "Contribution" stood out as the two core values that resonated with my very being.
     The seeing of that explained so much.   It explained why some of the people that "bugged me" the most were those who I felt unable, primarily through their disinterest to contribute something that I considered of value.  I felt the fact that these values of growth and contribution resonated so strongly within my very being and were so constructively positive, that they were likely universal human values.  
    This led to connecting another "dot".  Prior to agriculture, through the bulk of human existence, we evolved and survived not as "individuals" but as part of a highly interdependent group. Individually we were no match for wooly mammoth and saber tooth tigers, but as a group acting in concert, no animal on the planet was a match for us.   One of the ways evolution works is that the behaviors that are "life affirming" tend to survive and the ones that destructive to the survival of the species die out.  Things that are the most "life affirming" such as sex, have the highest pleasure reward, and things that are not, such as putting your hand in a fire, have the most pain on the physical level.   The same is true for mental pleasure and well being.  It made such perfect sense to me that, evolving as an interdependent animal, anything that I did that favored the survival of the other 30 or 40 humans in my clan should indeed carry a higher "pleasure reward" than something that benefited only myself.

Welcome to "LacysInter.net"  I'm Lacy!  I have a multitude of interests and passions including flying, photography, hydroponics, singing (recording artist), astronomy, philosophy, anthropology, health, invention, writing, creative healthy cooking,  aquaculture, house design and I am sure I am leaving something out! I am an inventor and entrepreneur and I live on a private 52 acre estate  17 miles east of the center of Atlanta, GA.   This Internet site is where I get to share my passions with the world because "Everyone's Entitled to My Opinion"!  
   I am a HUGE Fan of the Human Spirit!  I think it is nothing less than "Divine".  My hope for Mankind's future rests solely my Unshakable Belief that you and I have within our Human Genome an innate predisposition to Grow and Contribute.   I believe our nature aspires to be Constructive and Good and reject the belief that our natures are Destructive or Bad.  
   Above all else, I would hope that some of my writing or work inspires you to develop a strong relationship with your "Self".  Don't listen to what I or anyone outside you says.... Certainly Do "Entertain" what I and others may say...   But Above All Else!.... Listen to your Own Spirit!  And Trust it!.  
    It is my belief that the way a child is socialized in our culture not only breaks a child's spirit but breaks his linkage to his spirit.  Nothing short of a "Spiritual Lobotomy".   I see my spirituality not in terms of a relationship with an external deity but a profound trust and love of life and of self.  
   I believe the true nature of the human animal is incredibly good.  I believe it is as divine as any attributes we could ascribe to an external god.  Not something that "needs improving" but something to be profoundly respected and not interfered with with as a child is raised. 
   You will undoubtedly notice my views are not borne of convention. They are borne of profound introspection and relationship with my spirit.  Neither you nor I need any external validation for something so intrinsic to the human experience.  I encourage you to look inside yourself for the most incredible resource the human genome has placed at your disposal.  It is your spirit.  It is as real as your mind and your body and your happiness and fulfillment I assert is dependent upon your trust and connection to it.
    "Audacity" is my favorite Human Quality.  I am just audacious enough to believe that you and I have every bit, indeed more potential to powerfully contribute and impact our world as any Leonardo Da Vinci or Gandhi that came before us.  We have the Internet to instantly communicate our ideas worldwide and computers, cameras, and tools to create with that no one before us has ever had!  
   What excites me is to work on projects which "Evolve" the Human Condition in constructive and positive ways.  I want my life to be about "Life" and in particular I want to work towards solutions and ideas that evolve the "Human Condition" into something more satisfying to more people and in a fashion that is Environmentally Aware.  
   There are links above to some of my projects.  I didn't set out to "find" these projects.  Rather, They Found ME!  Just in the process of living I would encounter things that didn't make sense to me.... and that stimulated the pursuit.  I trust my intuition my spirit and my abilities and I follow wherever they lead.  Seems merely an act of "Integrity" rather than someone who "set's out to change the world".   That said, I am cognizant that these projects do indeed have the potential to have a huge impact upon mankind.  I am committed to following my spirit and living with integrity to my spirit.  I would love to see these projects have an impact, but that impact is not something I am "attached" to .
       I am an individualist who recognizes my innate need for social interaction and interdependence with my fellow man. I don't put much trust in any organization be it governmental or religious over 30 to 40 people in size.  I trust my spirit and yours as an individual and think that if we are guided by a strong internal connection.... THAT will both enhance our lives as individuals and collectively improve the world.  
  I see the world with my own eyes and have throughout my life.  Seems to me not too many people do.  The "norm" it seems is to be "externally oriented" rather than "internally oriented".  I think this is a by-product of the process of socializing a child.   Seems to me from the start we are "conditioned" to ignore our feelings.  Now I am not saying that "bladder control" is necessarily a bad thing! It's just that it extends far beyond that to the point that if it "feels good" we figure it must be wrong.  We are systematically taught to override and ignore our feelings. 
  We become good "tools" for society and at the terrible cost of our sense of "Self" .  We are so externally oriented as a rule that we haven't a clue what we truly want out of life and our relationship with our "selves" is virtually nonexistent.  I am concerned particularly with the impact upon children.  It is no mystery to me that teen suicide and angst are so prevalent.  
   I am reading a book "For Your Own Good" by Alice Miller.  I read the following passage to a friend and he said "That's sounds like what you have been saying for years!" Here is the passage: 
     "Theoretically, I can imagine that someday we will regard our children not as creatures to manipulate or to change but rather as messengers from a world we once deeply knew, but have long since forgotten, who can reveal to us more about the true secrets of life, and also our own lives than our parents were ever able to do.  We do not need to be told whether to be strict or permissive with our children. What we do need is to have respect for their needs, their feelings, and their individuality, as well as for our own."

  The book is an incredible read. She studies the childhoods of some of the worst Nazi commandants and Adolph Hitler and all had one thing in common... Extremely demanding and controlling sometimes brutal parents.  She does not state her conclusions this way but my read is that these people were not "inherently evil" but were by products of the "normal" socialization process taken to extremes. When this occurs the link to the internal conscience is totally severed and you have a very dangerous human being indeed!  I have never heard anyone else state it this way, however it is an assertion I dare to make.
    When the link is only partially broken you have a person who might not be "dangerous". They might even be a "model citizen".  Most probably they would be quite "Politically Correct" and not have the courage to do anything but "conform" . I heard somewhere "The opposite of Courage is not Cowardice. The opposite of Courage is Conformity".   I cannot imagine that we can live truly happy fulfilled lives without a strong internal linkage to our "selves" and our consciences.  This is stuff true heroes are made of!  The one's who will tell you what they honestly think irregardless of the agreement they may or may not find.  Self respect demands it! 
   Six years ago, I found myself with most of the things we are taught to aspire to. Personal wealth, status, etc.  I had climbed to the pinnacle and found it wasn't anything but a hill in a valley!  The true mountains worth climbing are the ones that lead back to the "selves" we abandoned  during the "normal" process of socialization.  I have spent a good portion of the last six years recovering some of the parts of my self I lost touch with during the socialization process.  I hope some of the writings and information on this site will help you and others back to a full and rich connection with your Spirit - Your Self.  It's the most important relationship we can have and the only one that we can count upon having from cradle to grave.  It is the compass which guides us towards happiness and fulfillment and the source of Personal Integrity and Power.  It's the Only thing I have any faith in to constructively impact the world's problems.  
   Lacy

Ron Paul For President in 2008