JOHN BOWEN THERE YOU HAVE IT
There You Have It
John Bowen
for Kenny, Julia and Jill 2019
Zachary Taylor Park, Arlington Virginia
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Truths of Life
Chapter 2: Rules of Life
Chapter 3: Rules of Governance
Copyright@ 2025 by John R. Bowen. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America with Mountain Lake Publishing, Inc. Copyright Act of 1976, does not permit this publication to be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author and publisher.
ISBN #: 978-0-578-63347-3
Cover photo: Port Everglades, Florida
Rear Cover Photo: Halpatiokee Regional Park, Stuart, Florida
Churchill Photo: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Chain Man: Newburyport, Massachusetts
Chapter 1 TRUTHS OF LIFE
Life is a dream we all agree on
The universe is expanding at the speed of light
The most precious sound on Earth is children’s laughter
You only have control of your story while you are alive
All desire is suffering - Buddha
All cultures have a creation story, birth, courtship and funeral rites - Ruth Benedict
Three goals of democracy: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - George Mason
Three traits of any audience: loneliness, guilt, fear - Billy Graham
Three false muses: propaganda, sentimentality, pornography - Bill Moyer
Paradox of life: death inevitable, absurd - Albert Camus
Alcohol is truth serum
- Karen King
Inside of everyone is a place of no remorse
- Carlos Castaneda
Homeless need: food, shelter, a shower and a toilet
Addiction is trying to get out of pain, boredom and loneliness
Three causes of ethnic cleansing: greed, bigotry, intolerance
On panic: Deep breath Serenity Prayer Meditation Yoga Back Rollers
Zen = Quaker (meditative practice can be approached from the East or the West)
Yin = Yang (everything seeks equilibrium)
Anger = unhealed childhood drama
Rage = unhealed childhood trauma
Most people believe in God
Pain and suffering are part of the human experience
You can acquire merit and gain self-esteem with righteous acts
- Rudyard Kipling and Mike Schur
Hate is a sin
Chapter 2 RULES OF LIFE
Do your best
Make no assumptions
Take nothing personally
Be impeccable with your word - Miguel Ruiz
Always use wisdom, courage and grace - Nancy Pelosi
Listen back half the time when you are talking
Don’t be sorry, but
If you are guilty: apologize, admit everything, listen to your victim
Do one thing at a time
It’s not be in the moment, it’s pay attention
Obey the spirit of the law
On sick children: keep them warm, feed them soup
Keep a positive attitude while on the job
Avoid place keeper words: you know, like, well, so
On raising children: unconditional love high goals clear rules of behavior clear consequences follow through
Chapter 3 RULES OF GOVERNANCE
Tax the rich
Lock up the bad guys
- Ethelwyn Bowen
Correctly maintain schools, water, sewer and roads
Trust, empower and fund all local school boards
Use statistical analysis instead of standardized testing to gauge childhood achievement levels
Encrypt everything
Fight bureaucratic inefficiencies
Reform prisons to make them humane
Legalize all drugs
Support democracies
Enable all people to feel useful
Be the world leader of disarmament
Aggressively protect reporters
Use double and triple agents
Transition to open primaries
Monetize college athletics (done)
Use layman’s words and ideas for all legal documents
No advertising for alcohol, especially on screens
Value and protect old people
Single payer health care
Drive all debates with verifiable facts
Pick up every piece of trash worldwide
