"Whoso Neglects Learning In Their Youth, Loses The Past And Is Dead In Their Future."
-Euripides (484 BC-406 BC)
"We Learn By Example and By Direct Experience Because There Are Real Limits To The Adequacy Of Verbal Instructions."
-Malcolm Gladwell
Thankfully we can become different individuals above the influence of childhood by renewing our mind and faith, but damn it could be easier than ingraining our children with terrible aspects, traits, thoughts, actions, emotional outlets, social proof and examples. Where have all the cowboys gone? I hope this video impresses upon you some patience and makes you realize the ridiculous actions we humans do on our daily routine. Show some love. Please?
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007
Perception Is Paramount
"Money Is Either A Good Or Bad Influence, According To the Character Of The Person Who Possesses It."
-Robert Kiyosaki
It’s true. Money has no character, no personality, no values. Its actions only reflect the desires of its owner. Money can build great hospitals and schools, or it can be gambled away or squandered on meaningless possessions. Money may build museums to house beautiful works of art, it may construct beautiful houses of worship-or it may be used to create instruments of war and destruction. As you build your personal wealth, make sure you build your character by setting aside a portion of your income to help others. Choose a church, a charity, or a cause that you can enthusiastically support. Then give of your money and your time in support of that cause. The primary beneficiary of such noble actions is always the one who gives, not the one who receives.
"We Make A Life By What We Get, We Make A living By What We Give."
-Sir Winson Churchill
-Robert Kiyosaki
It’s true. Money has no character, no personality, no values. Its actions only reflect the desires of its owner. Money can build great hospitals and schools, or it can be gambled away or squandered on meaningless possessions. Money may build museums to house beautiful works of art, it may construct beautiful houses of worship-or it may be used to create instruments of war and destruction. As you build your personal wealth, make sure you build your character by setting aside a portion of your income to help others. Choose a church, a charity, or a cause that you can enthusiastically support. Then give of your money and your time in support of that cause. The primary beneficiary of such noble actions is always the one who gives, not the one who receives.
"We Make A Life By What We Get, We Make A living By What We Give."
-Sir Winson Churchill
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Man vs. Mind
"If You Must Be Deceitful, Be Sure You Never Try To Deceive Your Best Friend-Yourself."
-Robert G. Allen
A better understanding of what you are about-your goals, your dreams, and your aspirations leads you to a better understanding of those around you. It is critical, therefore, that you be honest with yourself at all times. The moment you begin to deceive yourself is the beginning of the decline in your character; it is the beginning of a process of rationalization that permits you to justify unacceptable behavior. Make sure you are a person whom you like, a person of sound judgment and character. If you don’t like yourself, how can you expect others to like you? Step back and examine your behavior as logically as possible. Ask yourself, "Am I the kind of person I would like to be with?" Developing good character traits is like achieving any other objective. Determine where you wish to be and then develop a plan for getting there.
-Robert G. Allen
A better understanding of what you are about-your goals, your dreams, and your aspirations leads you to a better understanding of those around you. It is critical, therefore, that you be honest with yourself at all times. The moment you begin to deceive yourself is the beginning of the decline in your character; it is the beginning of a process of rationalization that permits you to justify unacceptable behavior. Make sure you are a person whom you like, a person of sound judgment and character. If you don’t like yourself, how can you expect others to like you? Step back and examine your behavior as logically as possible. Ask yourself, "Am I the kind of person I would like to be with?" Developing good character traits is like achieving any other objective. Determine where you wish to be and then develop a plan for getting there.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Why Don't You Act 'Black'?
"When it comes to choosing my friends, I am still colorblind."
-Kamaal Majeed
From: This I Believe,
Read other essays at : http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4538138
Since my middle school years, I've been asked this question more than any other. It seems to me that too many people have let society program into their brains what should be expected of me, a black person, before ever interacting with me. But I believe in being who I am, not who others want me to be.
On my first day of high school, going into math class, two of my classmates pointed and laughed at me. I initially thought my fly was open, or that something was stuck in my teeth. But as I took my seat, I heard one of the students whisper, "Why is a black person taking honors?" So my fly wasn't open. An honors-level class had simply been joined by a student whose skin was an unsettling shade of brown.
Many people think my clothes should be big enough for me to live in, or expect me to listen exclusively to "black music." In seventh grade, a group of my peers fixed their cold stares on my outfit: cargo shorts and a plain, fitting T-shirt. They called out to me, "Go get some 'gangsta' clothes, white boy."
In one of my Spanish classes, as part of a review exercise, the teacher asked me, "Te gusta mas, la musica de rap o rock?" Do you like rap music or rock music more? I replied, "La musica de rock." The look of shock on my classmates' faces made me feel profoundly alienated.
I am now in my junior year of high school. I still take all honors courses. My wardrobe still consists solely of clothes that are appropriate to my proportions. My music library spans from rock to pop to techno, and almost everything in between. When it comes to choosing my friends, I am still colorblind. I continue to do my best work in school in order to reach my goals; and yet, when I look in the mirror, I still see skin of that same shade of brown.
My skin color has done nothing to change my personality, and my personality has done nothing to change my skin color.
I believe in being myself. I believe that I — not any stereotype — should define who I am and what actions I take in life. In high school, popularity often depends on your willingness to follow trends. And I've been told that it doesn't get much easier going into adulthood. But the only other option is to sacrifice my individuality for the satisfaction and approval of others. Sure, this can be appealing, since choosing to keep my self-respect intact has made me unpopular and disliked at times, with no end to that in sight. But others' being content with me is not nearly as important as my being content with myself.
-Kamaal Majeed
From: This I Believe,
Read other essays at : http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4538138
Since my middle school years, I've been asked this question more than any other. It seems to me that too many people have let society program into their brains what should be expected of me, a black person, before ever interacting with me. But I believe in being who I am, not who others want me to be.
On my first day of high school, going into math class, two of my classmates pointed and laughed at me. I initially thought my fly was open, or that something was stuck in my teeth. But as I took my seat, I heard one of the students whisper, "Why is a black person taking honors?" So my fly wasn't open. An honors-level class had simply been joined by a student whose skin was an unsettling shade of brown.
Many people think my clothes should be big enough for me to live in, or expect me to listen exclusively to "black music." In seventh grade, a group of my peers fixed their cold stares on my outfit: cargo shorts and a plain, fitting T-shirt. They called out to me, "Go get some 'gangsta' clothes, white boy."
In one of my Spanish classes, as part of a review exercise, the teacher asked me, "Te gusta mas, la musica de rap o rock?" Do you like rap music or rock music more? I replied, "La musica de rock." The look of shock on my classmates' faces made me feel profoundly alienated.
I am now in my junior year of high school. I still take all honors courses. My wardrobe still consists solely of clothes that are appropriate to my proportions. My music library spans from rock to pop to techno, and almost everything in between. When it comes to choosing my friends, I am still colorblind. I continue to do my best work in school in order to reach my goals; and yet, when I look in the mirror, I still see skin of that same shade of brown.
My skin color has done nothing to change my personality, and my personality has done nothing to change my skin color.
I believe in being myself. I believe that I — not any stereotype — should define who I am and what actions I take in life. In high school, popularity often depends on your willingness to follow trends. And I've been told that it doesn't get much easier going into adulthood. But the only other option is to sacrifice my individuality for the satisfaction and approval of others. Sure, this can be appealing, since choosing to keep my self-respect intact has made me unpopular and disliked at times, with no end to that in sight. But others' being content with me is not nearly as important as my being content with myself.
Kamaal Majeed is a high school student in Waltham, Mass. In addition to his studies, he works part-time at the local public library, and enjoys studying foreign languages and writing a personal journal. Majeed hopes to pursue a career in journalism.
“My skin color has done nothing to change my personality… I believe that I -- not any stereotype -- should define who I am and what actions I take in life.”
-Kamaal Majeed
What an incredible outlook and insight on life. I just love his first quote. I am colorblind. I would like to shake his parents hands and buy them dinner. To Mr. and Mrs. Majeed, you are excellent parents! Thank you for creating such a nice gentlemen.
Be Generous
Be Generous
by W. Clement Stone
Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, give I to you.
- (Acts 3:6)
Be Generous! Give to those whom you love; give to those who love you; give to the fortunate; give to the unfortunate; yes - give especially to those to whom you don’t want to give.
Your most precious, valued possessions and your greatest powers are invisible and intangible. No one can take them. You, and you alone, can give them. You will receive abundance for your giving. The more you give - the more you will have!
GIVE a smile to everyone you meet (smile with your eyes) - and you’ll smile and receive smiles . . .
GIVE a kind word (with a kindly thought behind the word) - you will be kind and receive kind words . . .
GIVE appreciation (warmth from the heart) - you will appreciate and be appreciated . . .
GIVE honor, credit and applause (the victor’s wreath) you will be honorable and receive credit and applause . . .
GIVE time for a worthy cause (with eagerness) - you will be worthy and richly rewarded . . .
GIVE hope (the magic ingredient for success) - you will have hope and be made hopeful . . .
GIVE happiness (a most treasured state of mind) - you will be happy and be made happy . . .
GIVE encouragement (the incentive to action) - you will have courage and be encouraged . . .
GIVE cheer (the verbal sunshine) - you’ll be cheerful and cheered . . .
GIVE a pleasant response (the neutralizer of irritants) - you will be pleasant and receive pleasant responses . . .
GIVE good thoughts (nature’s character builder) - you will be good and the world will have good thoughts for you . . .
GIVE prayers (the instrument of miracles) for the godless and the godly - you will be reverent and receive blessings - more than you deserve!
Be Generous!
GIVE!
And...Napoleon Hill's thought for the day.
PROFANITY IS A SIGN OF INADEQUATE VOCABULARY OR UNSOUND JUDGMENT-OR BOTH.
Thank you for trying so hard to make me understand this. I was both for the longest time and am glad to have been shown a better way. Mark Twain once observed that "the difference between the right word and the almost-right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." It is never appropriate to use profanity, especially among people you do not know well. Instead, build your vocabulary by reading and studying so that you can express yourself simply and eloquently. When you expand the number of words you know, you also expand your mind, because understanding the words and their meanings necessitates understanding the concepts behind them. Make sure you allow time each day for study and reflection with words, but actions speak for themselves.
by W. Clement Stone
Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, give I to you.
- (Acts 3:6)
Be Generous! Give to those whom you love; give to those who love you; give to the fortunate; give to the unfortunate; yes - give especially to those to whom you don’t want to give.
Your most precious, valued possessions and your greatest powers are invisible and intangible. No one can take them. You, and you alone, can give them. You will receive abundance for your giving. The more you give - the more you will have!
GIVE a smile to everyone you meet (smile with your eyes) - and you’ll smile and receive smiles . . .
GIVE a kind word (with a kindly thought behind the word) - you will be kind and receive kind words . . .
GIVE appreciation (warmth from the heart) - you will appreciate and be appreciated . . .
GIVE honor, credit and applause (the victor’s wreath) you will be honorable and receive credit and applause . . .
GIVE time for a worthy cause (with eagerness) - you will be worthy and richly rewarded . . .
GIVE hope (the magic ingredient for success) - you will have hope and be made hopeful . . .
GIVE happiness (a most treasured state of mind) - you will be happy and be made happy . . .
GIVE encouragement (the incentive to action) - you will have courage and be encouraged . . .
GIVE cheer (the verbal sunshine) - you’ll be cheerful and cheered . . .
GIVE a pleasant response (the neutralizer of irritants) - you will be pleasant and receive pleasant responses . . .
GIVE good thoughts (nature’s character builder) - you will be good and the world will have good thoughts for you . . .
GIVE prayers (the instrument of miracles) for the godless and the godly - you will be reverent and receive blessings - more than you deserve!
Be Generous!
GIVE!
And...Napoleon Hill's thought for the day.
PROFANITY IS A SIGN OF INADEQUATE VOCABULARY OR UNSOUND JUDGMENT-OR BOTH.
Thank you for trying so hard to make me understand this. I was both for the longest time and am glad to have been shown a better way. Mark Twain once observed that "the difference between the right word and the almost-right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." It is never appropriate to use profanity, especially among people you do not know well. Instead, build your vocabulary by reading and studying so that you can express yourself simply and eloquently. When you expand the number of words you know, you also expand your mind, because understanding the words and their meanings necessitates understanding the concepts behind them. Make sure you allow time each day for study and reflection with words, but actions speak for themselves.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
A Sad Parallel
"From each according to their ability, to each according to their need."
Karl Marx
From a random reading article I found entitled "A Sad Parallel"
I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue. Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table...everywhere.
Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore.
I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
Now lets see...our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be a automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families: you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor: your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English: Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory", are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.
Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.
Karl Marx
From a random reading article I found entitled "A Sad Parallel"
I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue. Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table...everywhere.
Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore.
I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
Now lets see...our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be a automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families: you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor: your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English: Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory", are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.
Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
The Practical Application of Suggestion
The Practical Application of Suggestion
by W. Clement Stone
You motivate others to action through suggestion. The quickest and most effective form of verbal suggestion is to give a command . . . start with an action word such as: stop, think, try, go.
Also, use positive statements with desirable key or trigger words if you want positive, rather than negative, results. Take for example the positive statement: "You can learn" as contrasted with "You can’t learn."
Now here are a few illustrations of everyday positive or negative suggestions. The key or trigger words that propel one to action are bold:
Mother: You’re a good child. Each day you’re trying to be better.
Mother: You’re a naughty child! You can’t keep out of trouble!
Wife: The Browns are coming for dinner, dear . . . try hard to get home by six.
Wife: The Smiths are coming for dinner . . . I suppose you’ll be late as usual.
Teacher: What a wonderful day to be inside! Now we’re going to take up a thrilling, exciting subject . . . the story of the electric light.
Teacher: What a miserable, depressing, rainy day!
Friend: You look so much better than the last time I saw you! You do feel better, don’t you?
Friend: I don’t think you look so well today. How do you feel?
These illustrations of suggestion are simple. But remember, universal truths are simple.
by W. Clement Stone
You motivate others to action through suggestion. The quickest and most effective form of verbal suggestion is to give a command . . . start with an action word such as: stop, think, try, go.
Also, use positive statements with desirable key or trigger words if you want positive, rather than negative, results. Take for example the positive statement: "You can learn" as contrasted with "You can’t learn."
Now here are a few illustrations of everyday positive or negative suggestions. The key or trigger words that propel one to action are bold:
Mother: You’re a good child. Each day you’re trying to be better.
Mother: You’re a naughty child! You can’t keep out of trouble!
Wife: The Browns are coming for dinner, dear . . . try hard to get home by six.
Wife: The Smiths are coming for dinner . . . I suppose you’ll be late as usual.
Teacher: What a wonderful day to be inside! Now we’re going to take up a thrilling, exciting subject . . . the story of the electric light.
Teacher: What a miserable, depressing, rainy day!
Friend: You look so much better than the last time I saw you! You do feel better, don’t you?
Friend: I don’t think you look so well today. How do you feel?
These illustrations of suggestion are simple. But remember, universal truths are simple.
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