• World Affairs

    More Dangerous than Evil

    July 24, 2012

    More Dangerous than Evil is for the rest of us to be passive and go along with evil in order to preserve our own personal survival.  This is the lesson of World War II and all of the practiced genocides which have occurred since then.

    Please don’t get me wrong, I do not dismiss the heroes.  There are countless heroes.  However, the current mortgage crisis shows us that there are many more people who are willing and able to be passive and even active for their own selfish gains or because they perceive an inability to survive excepting their current situation.  Many people believe that if they do not stay quiet about their boss’s cheating – not only will they lose their current job, but they risk a life time of work as they become labeled a whistle blower.  Let’s face it, people with integrity and willingness to speak out are in the very minor minority.

    I know and understand the complete and abject panic one can feel when employed by a very bad person, there is a strong possibility that you will end up on the streets within a very small amount of time.  More and more, people are forced to swallow their integrity so that they can feed their family.

    How do you know when this passivity is ridiculously over the line?  Well in the case of head Coach Joe Paterno and his friend Jerry Sandusky, how could you NOT know that the line was crossed?  How can Joe Paterno have believed that his wealth and the institution of Pennsylvania State was more important than the health and welfare of human beings.  Can we say Nazi?

    Millions of people around the world sat idly by while the Nazis committed awful atrocities on human bodies and then committed millions of murders.  As humans, didn’t we learn anything?  What stories were people telling themselves to ignore the truth?

    What stories did the staff at Penn State tell themselves?  Courtesy of the internet and emails, we understand that Joe Paterno and his board cronies had decided that Penn State as a football icon was much more important than the children that Sandusky was raping.  So why didn’t they fire him and get rid of him, why not?  Why instead was he able to use the university as his cover to continue committing crimes?   Why?

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  • Philosophy,  Psychology of Life

    Get A Clue…

    July 10, 2012

    I was reading a blog the other day and apparently it is written by a young fashionista.  Well, anyone can blog and I certainly have nothing negative to say about that.  Free speaking is awesome.

    I don’t even want to say “walk a mile in my shoes” or “think before you speak”.  These are all examples of good and nice advice.  Yet, what I really want to say instead is “get a clue”.  Here is what prompted that: this young lady, who has never faced a challenge in her life, took it upon herself to criticize women for wearing comfortable clothing to work instead of opting for high fashion.  This young lady made a comment to the effect that having a bureaucratic job is no reason to be un-fashionable.  Her statements were derogatory, but I won’t quote.

    Here is my issue with her: It is quite alright to me that silly young women spend every spare dime on the latest frippery from the fashion houses that manufacture everything in China for 25 cents – that is absolutely fine.  What is NOT alright with me is for people to extend that silliness to criticizing others.  How egocentric is it to say, my style of living is “the only” style that is correct.  “Other people do not know how to live correctly, only I know what is correct.”  That is the message given when I speak negatively to you about how you are doing something as important as how you dress.

    Here is what this young lady needs to know: we face challenges in life and we cannot always look and act as if our life is one big fashion show, it is not.  Very few human beings get to live by conducting fashion shows.  We just don’t get that luxury.  I have no problem with this young lady pretending like she and her friends can live that life.   Just leave other women out of it. Some women are entitled to comfort with a blessing from others, they may have just given birth, or be dealing with a sick child or recently lost a loved one.  Trust me, the reasons for taking a time-out from fashion are as numerous as the stars.  Don’t criticize, don’t be derogatory.  It is okay for people to be different than you.  And especially this: young people, wait!  All will be revealed to you in time, including why women will sometimes opt for comfort rather than fashion.

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  • Personal Growth

    Who is Responsible for your Mood and Attitude?

    July 5, 2012

    I have been lucky in my life.  At very important times in my life, the right book, the right preacher, the right inspiration somehow found its way into my life.  A couple of years ago when I was cleaning up I had to give away a dozen inspirational books because I felt guilty about holding them, they had served me so well that I had to pass them on to others.

    What I see is that people kind of go along like I have, but are mostly not as lucky as I have been.  They get down and then they stay that way.  So the bad feeling that started in an evening on a Thursday in July turns into a lifelong sadness, regret or grief.  Not to say that people should not ever feel bad.  Just that feelings, particularly bad ones, can get completely out of control and drag on and on.

    As my sister says, we must be proactive with our mood and that comes from our attitude.  Instead of waiting for the right book to fall into your lap or the right person to cross your path, you must go looking.  You must go to the book store and particularly look for inspirational works.  Anything that makes you feel good when you are reading it is an inspirational work.  Anything that speaks to your better self is inspirational.  You must actively seek it.  When looking for inspiration at church, I once went to 12 different churches to find the right fit.  I felt very strongly that after the church service was over, I should feel better, not worse.  It took a long time for me to find the right church to make that happen.

    If you are feeling down, depressed, angry, sad, resentful, there are 1,382 ways for you to change that.  Go find one.

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  • Personal Growth,  Psychology of Life

    Gratitude

    July 2, 2012

    I can’t stress the importance of gratitude enough.  I have just spent lunch with one more person who tells me that gratitude is what pulls her through.

    When I am really down, I will write my gratitude list every single day.  Sometimes, I don’t need to write it, I can just think it.  Overall, it is SO important to remember gratitude.  For today, I am grateful for my health.  What are you grateful for?

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