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Archive for the ‘Life’ Category

Many people go through life pursuing happiness, some get involved in politics and go to great lengths in achieving change in many areas of how their country or community stands to their citizens, others choose to enjoy the most out of life by living a lifestyle of self enjoyment, sex and instant gratification,  while others turn to religion and its more extreme faces of fanatism and fundamentalism.

nevertheless the vast majority of the above examples turn out to be the best exponents of unhappiness; how then can human beings be happy? how can we enjoy life without hurting ourselves, the ones around us, those we love? there are things you can do to obtain true happiness.

Being optimistic, never thinking that the future is dark and hopeless, even though you might be walking barefoot through rough terrains there’s always better times at the turn of the road, avoid reading or watching too much negative news, do not talk too much with people that are very negative or pessimistic, everything passes in life, nothing is eternal, eventually you will get out of that hole you are in, a brighter future awaits you, keep that on your mind and truly believe it, if you do so, you will find yourself less frustrated and less depressed.

Take notice, yes, literally write down every good thing that happens to you every week, even those small details; people who realize their blessings are definitely happier, perhaps great things will not happen to you every week there’s however always positive aspects of every situation, remember things can go wrong, but they could have gone even worse and they didn’t, it doesn’t matter if you fall, what’s important is to stand up and keep walking.

Search for and be aware of what your advantages as an individual are, then use them in new ways, for example, perhaps you know you are good joker, why not start with the practice of cracking a few jokes everyday at work? your co-workers will laugh and feel a connection with you because you made their day’s work easier, and you yourself will find out the day went by sooner, you will feel great when you make others laugh, you know you are good at something, we are all good at things others are not, take it from there and shine among others, try new ways to use your own inner resources.

Be grateful to others, yes you might think everyday that someone is very nice to you, and be very appreciative of what they have done in your life, but have you ever told them? do they know you hold such a great level of appreciation for their good did? telling others how much you value their good works to you will give you a sense of inner fulfilling and will increase your internal peace. 

Have fun, take a walk in the park, see children playing, go to the beach at sunset, watch with attention how the waves break against the sand or against your feet, practice a new dance, learn a new language, play a game, buy a camera and take pictures of things you like during your boring day, as the hours progress you would have turned it into a not so boring day after all, how about reading a holy book? bring spirituality into your life.

Get involved in acts of kindness, it turns out that helping others also helps ourselves, donating time and money to charities or people in need, assist others with whatever it is you can do for them, doing this and the above examples continuously will bring improvements in your own happiness, stop waiting for happiness to arrive, like a car waiting for the road to move, go and bring it into your life, a lasting increase in happiness depends on you and how you relate to and appreciate others, that’s the secret to a happy life that’s hidden in plain site, now you know it.

Would you like to live for ever? One of the hardest things to accept for those who don’t trust God or the Bible is the idea of eternal life, they say that it is impossible for the human body to live eternally, that we are not designed like that, however often times when presented with that reasoning the ones who do believe in creation realize the fact that even our cells constantly rejuvenate in our body, what scientists cannot comprehend or explain though is why at some point in our lives that process of constant cell rejuvenation suddenly stops leading us to our irreversible and eventual death.

Recently another discovery has proven that for a small sea creature the jellyfish that possibility is a reality; The jellyfish known as the Turritopsis Nutricula has the remarkable ability of ‘growing young’ after it mates…And it is able, at least theoretically, to mate  and then revert to its juvenile state an unlimited number of times, as a matter of fact scientists are actively studying this tiny creature to determine how exactly it goes around this.

They have come to the conclusion that the Jellyfish does this through a process called “transdifferentiation” in other words, when older cells are replaced with new ones, scientists believe this creature only dies when it is eaten or killed in the tropical waters off Florida where it is native.

So there you have it, God gave the Jellyfish eternal life, maybe we did also had it at some point but lost it, just as the bible says? you decide.

This year has been remarkable in many ways, so many things have happened in the world, and so many things happened to me,  I found some good friends, and lost some friends, I found love and then lost it, for the first time I wrote some poetry which later on I disliked, my bank failed, but I didn’t loose my money, the US got a black president despite the saying that racism would never allow such a thing to happen on this nation, I started exercising and happily lost some pounds, I read some good books but didn’t get to finish another good one, I received some good news from mother land, but the news made me uncomfortable, Why is it that some good things happen sometimes at the wrong time? 

Life is like a year with its seasons, you go through changes and states of mind, this year I started to  see the world as an old man, and it scared me, I learned that I’m getting experience in life, and I learned that life is really short, I found some Bible truth and it hurt me, I was lied to but I found out, Even though this is something I always knew, I finally realized that the color of the sky can change, that its blue is just an illusion, I learned what it meant to look at the world with different lens,  I’m now making sure ignorance never bites me again, I have learnt that there’s always an angle of the truth which they not always want you to see, just like the hidden side of the moon, there is always this bit of the tell you must explore and find out yourself, and sometimes that bit can change the whole story.

Should we hide and conceal error just for the sake of protecting ideals and teachings we’ve followed through the course of time? Sometimes custom can be a very powerful force, specially if breaking away from it can bring hate, lack of tolerance and ridicule from those you love and who have been with you for years, if you decide to be brave though, know this: Discovering, uncovering and releasing truth into the world has a hefty price.

Aside from that it can prove especially hard at times to advice others against eating sweet when all you’ve been known to eat till this day is candy, but we all have the right to have been mistaken and recover from error, it’s in human nature to change one’s mind, then regardless of how hard this could be, the reward and reachable value of uncovering the truth is fulfilling like nothing else, never then miss the opportunity to show others what really can make a difference, never let someone in the dark just for the sake of protecting their skin, if anything know that armed with the truth, there will be no sun capable of damaging it.

Take for example children, we all love our children, taking away their favorite toy can become quite challenging for any parent, knowing that the toy is made of harmful materials however is enough motivation to avoid and stop the danger, you will go great lengths to prevent your kid from getting sick, even if in the way of attaining it you cause him/her to cry, years later your son or daughter will thank you and appreciate what you did for them, that’s the fruit you will rip from a good did, from doing “the right thing”.

It is no easy task to break free from a pattern which has been hardwired deep within your mind, despite that fact, hard is no synonym of impossible and the greatest barriers can be overcome if there’s something behind them motivating enough to jump and reach far for that goal that will bring joy to your life, that which will make a real difference if the quality of someone’s existence.

Go then and bring whoever you can out from the ignorance in which they have been raised, free them from the lie which blinds them from the truth, illuminate their path with those pearls which really matter; the road to the real knowledge of knowing that they are free from tradition and bundle, never be afraid to teach or show the way to true thinking independence, it will be so rewarding for you, don’t dream it anymore, just do it, it will hurt, you might cry on your endeavor, some will hate you, even avoid you, but that’s life for real men, don’t fear it, at that point you will know it, you’ll sense it, you will be on your way of becoming someone’s hero.

According to a press release by the news agency Reuters, Nasa scientists on Thursday said they have found what appears
to be definitive proof that water exists on Mars once they completed extensive tests on previously found ice last
June by the Phoenix Mars Lander.

Samples of ice were also seen melting away in pictures  taken by the lander’s instruments when Phoenix touched down in June.

According to the news report lead scientist William Boyton stated that: (and I quote) “We’ve seen evidence for this
water ice before in observations by the Mars Odyssey orbiter and in disappearing chunks observed by Phoenix last month,
but this is the first time Martian water has been touched and tasted,” he said, referring to the craft’s instruments.

Besides being quite interesting, this type of news makes me wonder about how little we know about the universe we live in. Could at some point life be found beyond the boundaries of our planet? what implications will this bring to religion and Christianity as we know it? Will suddenly discovered E.T. Life deny the existence of God itself?

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The vision that you glorify in your mind, the idea that you enthrone in your heart this you will build your life by, and this you will become. That’s one of my favorite phrases of all time, James Allen was so right with that one.  Most people will tell you they are happy with their lives, in fact people go to great lengths to hide failures and physical or intellectual disabilities they might have, Yes I said intellectual disabilities, even though this article does not relate to mental disabilities, that’s a whole different sort of thing, I don’t intend to write about people who are mentally disabled or ill, instead the story here is about people with very poor human relations skills.

An Intellectual inability is that which obstructs an individual from taking or exercising good judgment or actions when behaving in public, or within the community in general due to the fact of such individual not having points of reference or in deep knowledge about specific topics or situations, therefore doing things that adversely effect their environment and those within it.

For instance; someone with little knowledge about a task at work might give a co-worker who just started in the job wrong advice regarding an assignment when unexpectedly asked about it, this person did not give the erroneous instructions with malice, he or she was not wrong intentioned, they however got out of their way and gave advice about something they had slight insight just for the sake of looking good among peers, he or she will not allow others to be under the impression that their old time co-worker knows as little much as an entry level associate themselves and will resort to unfounded baseless tutoring thus causing trouble to the company and the new co-worker himself.

The greatest and most constant feature that differentiates humans from animals is our ability to be self aware, to know we are here and that we have a purpose. Still many cannot find this purpose and strive their whole lives trying different paths to that end; more or less we are all aware of the place we have in society. We all take notice of things such as what a friend was able to accomplish and that we would so much love to attain too. We as humans are clear on what the society establishes in front our eyes as being right or wrong, we fight our whole life following a path that will look good in our eyes and at the same time allows us to have an average civil standing that will fit right among others.

That’s when in my opinion intellectual disabilities as I like to call them play a negative role within the society in general, people trying to fill that gap to fit the standard thinking which that same society imposes often do things that will hurt others or themselves.

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Would it be the opposite of lie?  perhaps it means just what we see, but then it  would be different from person to person, then maybe truth is what we perceive as being the truth? maybe there’s more than one truth. would truth be absolute? or is truth relative to the space and time it is on?

Depending on their believes and cultural environments people will have different points of view about specific topics, usually those believes and social-cultural backgrounds will be founded on serious ideologies and centuries old studies of  either sacred books, history or scientific evidence.

The fact of truth being relative then bring us to the conclusion that right and wrong concepts become blurry and obscure, still if that’s a fact then only inconclusive or maybe even wrong answers exist for the meaning of life. so is there any complete and real truth in this uncertain world we live in? That’s a  simple question, however an answer to it is far from simple.

To find out if a truth really exists we would need to have two concepts in mind: “Time” and “Actuality”  now what does Time mean here? to authenticate something as real you would need to see exactly “When” something happened,”How” it happened and “Who” witnessed it.

The second aspect to have into consideration when about to take something as real is “Actuality”. facts, rather than things that people believe or imagine, the state of the given event being real or really existing.

But how does perception effect truth?  in order for truth to be properly defined , it would need to be factually and logically stated. in other words, it would need to be real. There can never be two sets of truths, when one does not come into agreement with the other. Only one can be true, not both. perhaps by digging deeper into a statement or report you could conclude what is not true, truth is not error and is not contradictory. truth cannot be deceptive.

If truth really exists then we should be able to find it, and if it cannot be known then it probably doesn’t exist, but it does exist, for example you know that is true that you are reading this, you know is true that you can see, those are two undeniable truths. it is also truth that your computer display came into existence by means of a creator, the monitor could not have created itself because if something doesn’t exist then it cannot execute an action, ie: creating itself. those are logical and factual truths, they are all absolute truths.

At this point we have concluded by undeniable logic that truth exists, but can truth really exist as factual all the time? does truth change over time? If we are hoping to ever discover an eternal and absolute truth which is beyond our cultural, religious and personal preferences, we must understand that we are looking for a truth greater than ourselves, something that goes above and beyond our native environment, something above our cultural and individual inclinations.

Imagine centuries ago you and me are seating somewhere debating and talking about the universe, I say: “wow how interesting the earth is flat and is seating on these elephants!”  and you look at me and say: ” Well wait a minute, did you know there’s a different concept out there ? some believe the earth is actually round, that it is hanging on nothingness! your statement would had been really hard for me to grasp or even believed as truth, however some centuries later here we are, now we know for sure that the earth is not flat but round and that it indeed hangs in space by nothing but gravity as it circles around the sun.

However did this new understanding of truth change the fact that the earth was round and hanging onto nothing in space centuries earlier? No. truth was always there, it was real, it did not change, it was just our understanding of truth that changed.

So because on this undeniable truth based on logical facts we must conclude that truth indeed exists and that is out there, ready to be found, it is up to us how we look for this truth, what journey we take to find it, how we let our minds to be molded by our cultural, geographical, religious and or scientific studies.

Only with the limitations of the human scientific and spiritual knowledge of our space and time in mind we should be able to truly define what truth is.

Is peace on earth an impossible dream?  don’t jump to conclusions with a quick  answer to that question, think about the possibility of a world where everyone would have the same rights, a world where the laws and global system would be a fair one for everyone, a world where all human beings had the ability to live a life where their culture and traditions would be respected, a world where all races could live a good life.

Hatred sadly, is a much more powerful uniting factor than love. God and national plans, unlike hatred, can seldom unite people in an enthusiastic mass effort. This hate is evident in the many devotees of several world religions these days who go to rallies chanting slogans, and then to war against one another rushing in passionate hate rather than in gentle, caring devotion. The very core believe of most religions is supposed to fundamentally  be the preaching of peace and harmony. Fundamentalism is a most inappropriate word for the fanaticism of the ignorant and prejudiced. Every religion began with the simple spiritual messages of humble prophets or sages and was practiced without mosques, temples or churches.

What if we taught our children things that would make them live their lives with the skills and values needed to get along with others all the years of their lives on this planet? what if we would show them love instead of hate and teach them to have peace as a paramount on their lives instead of war? showing them the ways of building without destroying; what if we taught our children to have their own ideals and use them as a mean of respect to what others believe?  what if we taught them to help the other instead of just letting them go through their own personal problems all alone? perhaps then the men and women of the future would not to step on their fellow neighbors in the road of accomplishing personal goals.

Those who have celebrated the birth of the Christ every new year know His Gospel was straightforward: “Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called the Children of God.” Peace is the God-like spiritual value to heal a temporal world wracked with war, torture and deceit.

Yet how many of those who say Jesus is the reason for the Season act as though the Sermon on the Mount was delivered by some victorious politician of Capitol Hill (the White House or any other government office building in a different country of the world) simply mixing God and Patriotism in a toxic cauldron of war? Certainly you didn’t hear flag-cocooned governments resolving for peace last year’s eve nor will you in the New Year. Whatever happened to Peace on Earth and to us?

This is it. PBS will nationally offer KNOCKING for broadcast Tuesday May  22 at 10pm on the documentary series “Independent Lens.” IMPORTANT NOTE: Many local PBS stations have chosen to show KNOCKING very late at night, even after midnight. Some local stations are not showing it at all. You must check with your local PBS station to find out when KNOCKING will be shown.

KNOCKING opens the door on Jehovah’s Witnesses. They are moral conservatives who stay out of politics and the Culture War, but they won a record number of court cases expanding freedom for everyone. They refuse blood transfusions on religious grounds, but they embrace the science behind bloodless surgery. In Nazi Germany, they could fight for Hitler or go to the concentration camps. They chose the camps. Following two families who stand firm for their controversial and misunderstood Christian faith, KNOCKING reveals how one unlikely religion helped to shape history beyond the doorstep.

Visit WWW.KNOCKING.ORG for more information.

       Why do people lie? what do they gain from it? is there a way to tell  if  someone is lying? what are the consequences of being lied to or to have lied to someone?

Deceptive behavior has been part of human nature since the first human inhabited this planet; it is said in the bible that Adam and Eve suffered the consequences of both lying and being lied to, through history mankind has suffered greatly and humans have been led to support what otherwise would have been called unfair and unacceptable actions by those in high ranks guiding whole nations, because of deceptive behavior rooted in some of their leaders humans have been lead into wars and have slandered one another for centuries; for example: Hitler used this principle of lying to his own people to initiate an invasion. He told the people of Germany that Poland had attacked first and staged fake attacks against German targets. The Germans, convinced they were being threatened, followed Hitler into Poland and into World War 2.

Let alone the recent invasion of Iraq which many people believe it to have been initiated with lies, unconfirmed reports, fake evidence and personal interests as its main reasons.

Let’s concentrate on a more personal level though, why do people feel the need to lie sometimes even to their loved ones or to people who have always been close friends? I believe lying is a form of control, some people are just pathological liars, once they learn what they can obtain from others once they have manipulated them with lies, but most people lie because they are afraid of the consequences that the truth can bring to their lives. a truth can mean the end of a relationship with anger and wrong judgement on the other end, and it can be any type of relationship, parents with children, husband with wife, friend with friend or co-worker, lying becomes a default weapon of defense against the fear of not knowing how to handle anger and judgement from the other side, the liar has reverted to being the child they were when they were little and learned to lie to their parents to avoid being punished. 

How can you tell if someone is lying? there are several facial elements that will help you identify a deceiver; Physical expression will be limited and stiff, with few arm and hand movements. Hand, arm and leg movement are toward their own body the liar takes up less space. Timing and duration of emotional gestures and emotions are off a normal pace. The display of emotion is delayed, stays longer it would naturally, then stops suddenly. Timing is off between emotions gestures/expressions and words. Example: Someone says “I love it!” when receiving a gift, and then smile after making that statement, rather then at the same time the statement is made. Gestures/expressions don’t match the verbal statement, such as frowning when saying I love you. 

A guilty person gets defensive. An innocent person will often go on the offensive. A liar is uncomfortable facing his questioner/accuser and may turn his head or body away. Liars sometimes avoid “lying” by not making direct statements. They imply answers instead of denying something directly. The guilty person may speak more than natural, adding unnecessary details to convince you… they are not comfortable with silence or pauses in the conversation. If you believe someone is lying, then change the subject of a conversation quickly, a liar follows along willingly and becomes more relaxed. The guilty wants the subject changed; an innocent person may be confused by the sudden change in topics and will want to go back to the previous subject.

Of course the fact that a person might show some of the above signs does not automatically make them a liar, these behaviors should always be compared in my opinion to a person’s normal or base behavior before jumping into conclusions.

Lies are morally wrong for various reasons, lying corrupts the most important quality of being human: the ability to make free rational choices. Each lie told contradicts a part of the individual who is lying removing from this person a part that gives him/her moral worth. Second the person being lied to is also being robbed of their freedom to choose rationally, this person was lead to decide other than they had if they had known the truth, their human dignity and autonomy has been harmed.

To value ourselves and others as ends instead of means, we have important duties: to avoid harming others, interfering with, or misusing the ability of others to make free decisions; in other words – not lying.