This blog is more than an account of Near Death Experiences. It ponders in detail the tough questions of life. Who are you, and why are you here in this physical world? What happens when you die, and is there a judgment? However, most anything could appear here. This is not a news blog, archived posts are just as relevant as new posts. Check the boxes at the top of the page for the Contents, Contact, Forum and other links.
On the evening news were college students carrying signs reading “free compliments.” They were shouting compliments to passersby as they walked down the street. “You look great today, your hat is beautiful, your hair is perfect.” I thought this was a good gesture for them to be doing. I remember other signs saying “perform a random act of kindness.” These positive statements in our generally negative society are like a breath of fresh air.
We need to show positive attitudes more than we do. It is important to offer encouragement to those who need it, and also to those who don’t. I remember how a school teacher killed my interest in drawing by telling me a picture I drew looked “horrible.” I never tried to draw again. She could have as easily encouraged me to do better.
People come in all levels of sensitivity. Some can take nasty remarks and keep going because they are not sensitive to them, while others are destroyed by them. This sensitivity will not be known until it is to late to retract the remarks.
Regrettably, there are negative people who add snarky remarks to almost everything that comes out of their mouth. Linda was wearing a new dress: “She probably pinched it.” John got a great job: “He probably knew someone high up in the company.” Sammy won the writing contest: “I’m sure his mother wrote the paper.” Television programs are full of these nasty afterthoughts as if they were necessary to the plot, or to show the “toughness” of the character. Just stop doing it. Pay attention to your remarks and make them positive statements instead of negative ones. You will feel better for it and so will others.
There is far to much competition in our society, and not enough cooperation. In competition someone loses and someone wins. In cooperation all win. We have taken this competition thing to the extreme. So keep it “friendly.” Don’t compare yourself with others. Measure your progress against yourself. Each day do a little better than you did the day before. Compete only with yourself. You will be able to see your growth and benefit from it. Enjoy life.
A Master teacher wished to illustrate levels of awareness on the path to wisdom. He took five students to the edge of a lush, green forest and asked: “What do you see?”
The first student replied: “I see a lush, green forest.”
The second stated: “Yes, I see the forest, and many kinds of trees. I see at least seven varieties, may I study them?”
The third remarked: “The trees are beautiful, and I observe many kinds of wildlife. I see animals and birds, may I learn from them?”
The fourth said: “I see a symphony of life, the perfect ecosystem. Each plant and animal giving, and taking; cooperating to fulfill each others needs; sustaining harmonic balance. It’s a wondrous sight, may I sit and enjoy?”
The fifth, tears in his eyes, whispered softly: “I feel the Maker.”
My early thoughts on writing were paralyzing. English classes on grammar, parts of speech, sentence construction, dangling participles, etc., had left me thoroughly confused and afraid to write anything. I managed term papers by extensively quoting other authors. Surprisingly, I got some good grades on them. My goal was to consistently dodge putting words to paper. Then I decided to go to college. No escape from writing in college.
I enrolled in a class called “Communications” and that’s where I met Lloyd. Lloyd was a student teacher. He was completing his master’s degree in teaching. I will paraphrase from memory the speech he gave to the class on the first day of school. It changed my thoughts, inspiring me to write.
Lloyd paraphrased:
Welcome to communications. In this class we will write something every day. It can be a sentence, a paragraph, or a full page, but nothing more than one page. I will take up the writings and randomly choose a few to read to the class. We will then discuss how well the author communicated. You will not be graded on grammar, sentence structure, language rules or even a misspelt word. You will be graded on how well you have communicated your thoughts.
Writing is easy, if you can talk, you can write. Writing is putting talk to paper. When you pause put a comma, when you stop put a period. Colons say “look ahead for something important.” Semi-colons allow you to group items larger than a word, but smaller than a sentence. When asking a question use a question mark. When you get excited about something use an exclamation point. Writing is as natural as talking.
When you come to class there will be a topic on the blackboard. If you want, it is OK to write on a topic of your choosing. Finally, if you don’t want to participate in this class you can earn a “D” by having perfect attendance. Good writing.
I was stunned and heartened by Lloyd’s words and began in earnest to put my talk into writing. I gained confidence as the semester continued. I even began to enjoy writing. Today I have a large web site and blog, and surprisingly I have authored three books. You meet a teacher like Lloyd rarely in life and they are so welcome. Thanks forever, Lloyd.
This is something unexpected. While some Evangelicals are founding anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-liberal, and anti-immigration groups, there’s another assembly called Red-Letter Christians. They are called Red-Letter because they have red-letter editions of the Bible, and are obeying the commandments of Jesus. Love your enemies, judge not that ye be not judged, and forgive those who hate you, do not resist evil, and help your fellow man. Jesus said: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” –John 14:15
They don’t picket abortion clinics, they don’t exclude gays, nor call them names, they don’t involve themselves in politics, and they are devoted to feeding the hungry, healing the sick, visiting the shut-ins, and helping others. Their goal is to love as Jesus loved, and taught from the hillsides of Jerusalem. They are reviving the core of Christian teachings, turning back the clock to the beginnings of Christianity. God bless them, the Christians are back on the job of helping and loving others.
Where is your Commitment?
This is something unexpected. While some Evangelicals are founding anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-liberal, and anti-immigration groups, there’s another assembly called Red-Letter Christians. They are called Red-Letter because they have red-letter editions of the Bible, and are obeying the commandments of Jesus. Love your enemies, judge not that ye be not judged, and forgive those who hate you, do not resist evil, and help your fellow man. Jesus said: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” –John 14:15
They don’t picket abortion clinics, they don’t exclude gays, nor call them names, they don’t involve themselves in politics, and they are devoted to feeding the hungry, healing the sick, visiting the shut-ins, and helping others. Their goal is to love as Jesus loved, and taught from the hillsides of Jerusalem. They are reviving the core of Christian teachings, turning back the clock to the beginnings of Christianity. God bless them, the Christians are back on the job of helping and loving others.
Anon
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