Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Finished

 

     Amaitutako, gotov, acabat, finite, dokonceno, geeindigd, fini, klear, acabado, fertig, befejezett, lauk, finite, gatavas, lest, ferdig, terminat, deiseil, or in any other language you’d like to say it, it all means, finished!

     I never thought that back in 2017 when I started writing a blog post about business items and my deepest personal thoughts on matters that I’d now be reaching my 500th blog post!  I’ve covered many topics, some serious and many others not so serious, at least by some of my readers.

    But the time has come for me to end my blog and I thought that doing so on the 500th post would be very fitting.  I guess if you reach a goal of 500 of anything it is quiet an achievement.  So, I am rather pleased that I have been able to do that with this blog.

     If I just took a guess and said that each of my blogs were about 600 words in length (on average) then I have written some 300,000 words during the time of its posting.  I would hope that some of those words have made you happy and you have enjoyed spending a few moments of your time reading them.  I know that I have enjoyed writing them although some were a lot easier to write than others.

     By suspending the preparation of the twice per week blog postings I will have more time to commit to other activities that I have been wanting to concentrate on more fully.  I am continuing to write books and I have started venturing into the writing of Excel programs for specific business and/or personal use.

     So, in a sense, I will continue to write even though it will not be dispersed through the venue of my blog.  Many things have been said over these past few years and many more things could have been explored a little deeper.  I am content with the output and the realization that you can’t always say the words that you are wanting to put “on paper,” but I have tried to do this to some degree.

     As Shakespeare said it with the lines of Juliet to Romeo (Act-11, Scene-11, Lines 188-189) “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”  Although this sorrowful parting gives them pleasure and looks “sweet” as it gives them hope to see each other again the next morning, I am not trying to imply to you that at some time in the future you may find my words again dripping from the “pages” of my blog.  I am merely saying that in many ways it is “sweet” to know that I have perhaps touched some in a special way with my posts, it is also a “sorrow” in that it now comes to any end.

     And as has been quoted many times, “all good things come to an end,” I am also certain that there are some (or perhaps many) who will be glad to finally see the ending of this blog because they never considered it “good things” from the beginning.  To those individuals whoever they maybe I can only say that you have finally got your desire come to fruition and I hope you can find tranquility in the fact that the blog ends with this post.

     To those who have found some enjoyment in the blog I can only say that I do have regrets that this is the final blog post and that from hereafter you will not see any more postings.  To you I can say that time moves on and so do people and I hope you find some other material to read in the future.

     For 499 posts I have always ended by letting all my readers know that whatever they are thinking, whatever they are doing, whatever events may have had some type of influence over their lives, they are only human.  But with this being my last blog post I will confess to all of you who may not know the truth --- I’m only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER


THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Regardless the sweetness of the dessert,

you should enjoy every bite!"


Friday, December 3, 2021

Reduce Tensions

 

    Tension can be defined as “the state of being stretched tight” or relating to a “mental or emotional strain.”  However you want to define it tension seems to be an every day part of our human existence.  Whatever we may be facing in our lives tension seems to be involved to some degree or the other.

     I’m not saying I completely agree with all the following, but I found this list of things we can do to help in relieving tension.  Look it over and see what you think.  Maybe there is a point or two (or maybe more) on this list that would be of help to you.

1.     Identify the real cause of stress.

2.     Events causing stress should be noted down and analyze it once each month.

3.     Your reactions to each stressful event should be recollected and compared with one another.

4.     Should not give immediate response to stressful event ,always take little time to think.

5.     If any tension comes ask your inner man (Mind) for a solution, he is more intelligent than you.

6.     Past is past always concentrate on future events and gather courage and willpower.

7.     Need not bother about your loss, but find out the reason for it and try to solve it.

8.     Face all situations with confidence.

9.     Keep faith in God and worship him.

10.  Always hope for the best.

11.  Always keep a positive approach.

12. Before doing anything, plan a solution to face a negative situation.

13. Should not live only for money.

14.  Help the poor people .

15.  Visit the sick people and give them moral support.

16.  Whenever you are tensed take a deep breath and relax.

17.  If you are tensed countdown from 100 to 1.

18.  If any stress comes look at the beautiful picture kept on the wall.

19.  Keep some flowers in the room and have a look.

20.  Practice breathing exercises regularly.

21.  Keep little time for yoga and meditation.

22.  Aromatherapy is good to relax the mind.

23.  If you are tense make a surprise call to your old friend.

24.  When you are tensed think about others who suffer from more serious problems.

25.  Keep close contact with your family and share the problems with them.

26.  Go for pleasure trips with the family members.

27.  Avoid sedentary life, always mingle with others.

28.  Always approach others with a smile.

29.  Laughing and sharing jokes with others will make you relaxed.

30.  When you are tense visit your close friend or relative.

31.  If any stressful event comes, discuss it with your intimate friend.

32.  Spend little time with your kids and join their plays.

33.  If you get time, go for a healthy discussion on any interesting topic.

34.  Always approach the people in a polite manner.

35.  Maximum attempt should be made to reduce enemies.

36.  Keep a regular routine for your activities.

37.  Never postpone the works.

38.  Sound sleep is very essential to relax your mind and body.

39.  Always prefer room with fresh air.

40.  Get up early in the morning.

41.  After waking have a nice bath with your favorite shampoo.

42.  Use some perfumes and room fresheners you like.

43.  Have a relaxing body massage.

44.  Personal hygiene should be maintained.

45. Your health problems should be discussed with the doctor and follow his instructions.

46.  Make a habit of cleaning the home and surroundings.

47.  Keep sexual relations with only one partner.

48.  Morning and evening walk is  good to relax.

49.  Afternoon sleep is good but should not be a deep sleep with snoring.

50.  Listen to good music and go for a movie with your intimate friend.

51.  Reading interesting books can reduce tension.

52.  Gardening is a useful method to relax.

53.  Spend little time with pet animals.

54.  Engage in some games.

55.  Keep some time to engage in your hobbies.

56.  When you get time write some literal things like articles, poems and stories.

57.  Keep a regular timing for food.

58.  Take plenty of fruits and vegetables.

59.  Prepare your favorite meal and have it with your family.

60.  Having food from restaurants may give you a good mood. 

61.  Excess of drinking and smoking should be avoided.   

     Seems like quite a list of things that might help us resolve our tensions.  But we never want to overlook the major cause of all our problems and that is the fact that we’re only human!  


QUOTE TO CONSIDER


THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Maybe you're looking at the world wrong.

Remember:  STRESSED spelled backwards is

DESSERTS!"



Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Communications

 

     “What we have here is failure to communicate.”  As was stated by the prison Captain (played very effectively by actor Strother Martin) to Luke (played by Paul Newman) in the 1967 American prison drama movie “Cool Hand Luke.”  This simple, but bold statement played to various scenarios throughout the movie.  It highlights a certain aspect of the problems we can have with communications within our everyday lives.

     The word communication itself is a general word in its meaning.  It could take on many roles, depending on the use and context.  It also has many formats as its delivery mechanism.  You can listen to music or watch videos, or you can read a book.  Conversations are forms of communications as well.  And there are times when there are no verbal exchanges at all, but things are communicated between individuals just as easily as if there were many words spoken!

     Because of the general aspects of communication, it’s difficult to imagine formulating it into a skill.  But it is possible, and many colleges offer majors in communication, which elevates the field to a higher level.  It’s not necessarily something that must be studied at a four-year college to enhance ones skills of communication.  It takes basic knowledge and some practice.  Most often a LOT of practice!

     The biggest skill you can use to communicate better is to listen.  People are not natural listeners as they are focused on themselves.  It’s how we are wired.  We will always put ourselves first.  Part of that is a survival mechanism.  But, because of our self-serving nature, listening to others is secondary and requires us to put effort into being better listeners.  We are often more interested in knowing how we are going to respond to someone or what we are going to use as a “counter-argument” that we are not really listening to their comments at all.

     To increase your ability to listen to others, the next time you are speaking with someone, repeat back everything they say.  That may be a little unnerving to them, at first.  But, if they look at you with a bewildered look, explain that you are just making sure you understood what they said.  Once they get past the awkwardness, they will welcome the exchange.  This may also take YOU some time to master.  You don’t want your repeating of their words to sound as if you are mocking them or in some way belittling their comments.  This will take some practice on your part to get this technic perfected.

     The next step towards better communication is to use simple language.  When you want others to understand your meaning, you need to make sure everyone will understand the words.  People have different levels of education.  Therefore, you want to use the lowest common denominator when speaking to everyone.  You should not view this as a means of looking down at others.  Your goal is to make sure you are understood.  Speaking and writing in basic language is the best way to accomplish this.  This too will take some practice on your part.  You will want to make sure that you are talking WITH people and not AT them!

     You must consider the feelings of the people with whom you're communicating.  Even if you are a manager, barking orders at people is one of the least effective ways.  Consider everyone’s opinions and needs.  Keep people engaged in the communication platform.  This way they take ownership in the process.  That is a massive benefit for excellent communication.  You will get more out of people when this happens than merely rattling off commands as if they are robots. There are some instances, such as the military, where shouting out orders is necessary or expected.  But these are the exception, not the rule.

     From the beginning of human history mankind has been making various efforts to communicate with others.  To have their expressions and feelings understood by others.  We often do not do a very good job at this task because in the final consideration of all that we want to get accomplished with our attempts at communicating, we’re only human!


QUOTE TO CONSIDER



THOUGHTFUL GEM

"The more I want to tell you

gets confused by the words 

I use to say them."

Friday, November 26, 2021

Resolving Conflicts

 

     Its’ hard, no it’s difficult, NO, it’s impossible to find a perfect relationship anywhere on this planet because there are no perfect people on this planet.  And when you get two or more people together for any reason, you’re going to find out that they are different in so many ways.  It’s true, no matter how much you like the other person, at some point, conflict is likely to happen. While most conflicts are fairly small (like trying to decide where to go out for dinner), left untended a conflict can fester and grow. That’s why it’s so important to resolve conflicts in your relationships before they have a chance to take on a life of their own.

     The reasons for conflicts (or difficulties) in relationships are as varied as there are the number of people that are in the specific relationship arrange you might be discussing.  In personal relationships where there are only two people to consider problems can develop very easily by hurt feelings or misunderstood intentions.  Basically the same is true if you are considering a family relationship or a relationship at work.  The problem becomes escalated because the more people you have involved in the specific relationship circle, the more complicated matters can become and the easier it is for the relationship to become strained or even broken!

     Is there anything that can be done in these situations that will help the matter?  Let’s consider a few possibilities.

1. Start by listening.  The failure to listen can be one of, if not the most important, reasons for strife and contentions to develop within a relationship.  However, don’t just listen to the spoken words, but listen to the feelings behind them.  It’s the emotions that drive the conversation after all!  By listening attentively, interjecting meaningful pausing to ask questions, seek clarity, and to reiterate what you think the other person is saying, you tell the other person that what they have to say matters to you.  But more importantly, you’re letting them know that they’re being heard and you truly want to understand their feelings on the subject being discussed.

2. Look for the resolution over being right.  Giving up the notion that you have to ‘win’ is where you start seeing the solutions. Conflict is not a competition.  It is merely a difference of opinions and no ONE opinion may be the only solution to a given problem.  Let others in the relationship know that you are not trying to prove yourself right and them wrong, but you are wanting everyone to reach a peaceable, workable, and equitable solution that all can live with.

3. Stay in the moment.  Instead of focusing on what happened that brought you into this conflict, pay attention to what’s going on right now.  Now isn’t the time for blame. Rather now is the time to look for solutions.  THIS conflict IS NOT the time to vent about ALL the difficulties you may have had in the past.  This is merely another opportunity to work together on a solution that will benefit everyone involved.  This is the time you should be concentrating on reaching an equitable solution to THIS problem and then move on in agreement.

4. Decide what’s important right now.  That is called ‘picking your battles’ and is important in determining whether a thing is worth fighting over. Ask yourself if this is just an issue over a minor annoyance that will be easily forgotten, or if you have something deeper going on that maybe needs to be addressed.  However, even if the “thing” seems very trivial, but really disturbs you, express yourself calmly and explain your feelings about the matter.  It might be only one of those “squeezing the toothpaste tube from the middle” kind of situations and can be resolved easily.  It may be a matter that needs more thought and should be discussed at a more convenient time instead of at that precise moment.

5. Know how and when to disengage.  That means being able to do what it takes to walk away.  It might be forgiveness is in order.  It might be that you’re just going to need to agree to disagree.  Worst case scenario?  It might be time just to let the matter go entirely.  Whatever the case, there’s nothing to be gained by staying in the conflict.  So, after some serious thought and consideration, the solution to the problem might turn out to be a dissolution of the relationship.  You may need to know when to gracefully and tactfully exit the situation, doing so with respect and humility.

     Resolving conflicts isn’t a hard skill to learn, but it can be difficult at times.  By following these tips, you will discover how better to deal with conflict in every kind of relationship – whether business or personal.  So take heart – a misunderstanding doesn’t have to mean the end of the world.  Instead look at your conflict as a step toward better understanding that will, in turn, lead to better relationships in the long run.

     Just remember that there is never going to be a “perfect” solution to all your problems and you’re not going to get along with everyone you meeting.  The simple truth is that we’re only human!


QUOTE TO CONSIDER



THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Our greatest conflicts

come from within."


Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Waiting

      It seems like for most of our lives we are waiting.  There’s probably not an activity that we become involved in that at some point requires us to wait.  Of course, all waiting is, is the allowing of time to pass.  For nothing will get done unless there is a passing of time.  And while we are allowing that time to pass and we are not engaged in any specific activity, we are waiting!

    Some of the most antagonizing moments in our lives are probably those that make us wait.  And being the impatient people that we are, we can become very annoyed when we have to wait.  And having to wait only makes the event we are waiting for seem like it is never going to get here.

     Remember when you were a kid and your folks told you that you were going on vacation.  As soon as you got into the car you began to ask: “Are we there yet?”  As we got older, we could understand the concept of time better and knew that some passing of time was necessary to take a journey from one place to another and this amounted to our having to let time pass by waiting!

     However, merely comprehending the concept of time having to pass has never really satisfied our human desire to have things “NOW!” and not have to wait.  We constantly have to fight the urges of being impatient and wanting things right away.

     I always think of the character Veruca Salt in the movie of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” (actually from the book, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”).  This little girl is depicted as an immature, over-indulged and manipulative person.  Veruca’s affluent parents treat her like a princess and give her anything she wants, no matter how ridiculous the price.  Within the movie version of the story, she begins to stomp her feet and singing which express her feelings that the things she MUST have, she wants NOW!  She makes well-known the bratty attitude of her character.

     Although we may not demonstrate the degree of demanding impatience as did the character Veruca Salt, we have probably at times been just as determined that something we wanted, we wanted it NOW!  Hopefully our situation didn’t turn out as badly as it did for our dear Veruca?

     When I was in the military, it seemed that almost everything we did was to be done in a hurry.  However, whatever the activity, we would always have to “hurry up and wait!”  We would have to muster out of the barracks as quickly as we could just to stand in formation and wait for our next command.  We always seemed to rushing from this place to that place and then would have to stand in formation and wait!

     It is said that not all waiting is a bad thing.  Perhaps waiting until we understand things better or have more experience in a specific subject or ability could be very beneficial.  You’ve probably heard it said that “good things come to those who wait.” 

     That expression is actually a synonym for the proverbial saying “patience is a virtue.”  Which means that patience is usually rewarded, and that people who are patient will often get what they want and achieve their goals and desires, in time!

     Where do you think that saying came from?  Most often the expression is usually credited to British poet Lady Mary Montgomerie Currie, who wrote under the pseudonym Violet Fane.  She used the saying in her poem “Tout Vient a Qui Sait Attendre” (likely written in the late 1800s) with the lines that read: “All hoped-for things will come to you who have the strength to watch and wait.”

     And so today we continue to spout that saying to our children, to our friends, and family members when we are trying to help them realize that they need more patience within their lives. 

     However, regardless of how we might try to do otherwise, the passing of time will continue to flow at the speed that it has been designed to do.  We can, in actuality, do nothing to speed it up or to slow it down.  While keeping ourselves occupied we may perceive that time is passing more quickly or more slowly, but the truth of the matter is, time is passing the same regardless of our perception of it.  As another old saying puts it “a watched pot never boils.”  But we know that it will boil.  It is only our perception of the passage of time that affects how the passing of that time is conceived.

     As in our youth we think that time is moving so slowly that we must wait for everything to come to pass.  When we have gotten older, it seems that the passage of time has become much faster and we are almost unable to keep up with it passing before our very eyes.  That’s the way our perception of time works until we reach a point when we are only waiting for the passing of time to end.  This is part of our linear existence and the fact that we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER


THOUGHTFUL GEM

"If you weren't waiting,

WHAT would you be doing?"


Friday, November 19, 2021

Laughter

 

     Today it might seem a bit difficult to find a reason to laugh.  With all the many atrocities that are prevalent a person might wonder “What is there to laugh about?”  And that would be a very logical question to consider.  The things that we see and hear around us are not laughing matters.  And by no means would I try to insinuate that we should simply “laugh them off” as if they did not exist or perhaps were not of any value.  But there is good reason why we should consider trying to put some laughter in our lives and seek efforts to focus on the more positive and uplifting moments in our lives.

     There is an old adage that says: “Laughter is the best medicine.”  Believe it or not there is much truth to that statement.  According to https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm laughter draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body.  It adds: “With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.  Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use.”

     You need to review the entire article referenced above for its contents, but just consider a brief listing of how laughter is good for your health:

            Laughter relaxes the whole body.

            Laughter boosts the immune system.

            Laughter triggers the release of endorphins.

            Laughter protects the heart.

            Laughter burns calories.

            Laughter lightens anger’s heavy load.

            Laughter may even help you to live longer.

     With the high cost of medications today, why would someone not want to use this simple, affordable remedy to aid in their health and well-being?

     Although you may not fully understand the reasons behind it, you may wonder “Why do people laugh?”

     Believe it or not, according to Scientific America (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-we-laugh/ ), “humans start laughing as early as 3 months into life, even before we can speak.  This is true even for babies who are deaf or blind.” 

     It doesn’t matter what nationality, your cultural background, ethnicity, or any other factors, ALL people laugh.  It’s true, we may laugh at different things.  We may find one form of humor more enjoyable than another, but we all laugh!

     “Laughter clearly serves a social function.  It is a way for us to signal to another person that we wish to connect with them.  In fact, in a study of thousands of examples of laughter, the speakers in a conversation were found to be 46 percent more likely to laugh than the listeners.”

     So you might ask yourself: “What makes me laugh?”  That is a very open and personal question because different things are funny to different people.  And you might find things funnier if you are in a group instead of by yourself.  You might also tend to laugh differently if you are sharing the moment with a close friend or acquaintance instead of with total strangers.  Laughter itself turns out to be a “funny” thing!

     There are people who make a career as their lifetime passion to make people laugh.  They are called comedians.  Some do this by their speech only, while others are comedic actors.  You may recognize some of the following names:  Jerry Seinfeld, George Carlin, Kevin Hart, Sarah Silverman, Robin Williams, Amy Schumer, Bob Newhart, Don Rickles, Rodney Dangerfield, Jim Carrey, Joan Rivers, Redd Foxx, Adam Sandler, Johnny Carson, Maria Bamford, Tina Fey, Wanda Sykes, Jerry Lewis, Tiffany Haddish, Carol Burnett, Kevin James, Red Skelton, Tim Conway, and the list could go on and on.  You may see some of your favorite comedians within this list or there may be others that you find to be “funny.”  Whatever the case, you know what makes YOU laugh.  Or there are some “jokes”, situations, or circumstances that may become as Larry the Cable Guy might say: “That’s funny I don’t care who you are!”

     With many situations around us being very tense and bringing great pressures upon us every day, you might recall the saying: “Don’t take yourself so seriously!”  But what does that really mean?  The first meaning could simply be understood as “Don’t be so hard on yourself that you wind up thinking that you are the only person who could ever do such a stupid thing.”  Believe it, others have probably done the same (or worse) on occasions. 

     There could also be the meaning: “Lighten up, and learn how to put things into their proper perspective.”  Which really tells you that as terribly agonizing or embarrassing the situation may be at the moment, you’ll live through it!  And you will probably go on to do even more embarrassing things in the future.

     Try to find situations where you can simply laugh about the matter and move on to more important things in your life.  When it comes down to the simple truth, we are very funny creatures.  At times it almost seems that we stumble through our lives and despite the predicaments we put ourselves into, we manage to continue to move forward.  Yes, at times, we are a very pitiful bunch, but then again, we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER


THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Laughter makes even a

miserable life better!"



Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Hero

   

     There are several definitions to this word, hero, such as:

1.       A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

2.      The chief male character in a book, play, or movie, who is typically identified with good qualities, and with whom the reader is expected to sympathize.

3.      (In mythology and folklore) a person of superhuman qualities and often semidivine origin, in particular one whose exploits were the subject of ancient Greek myths.

     A special report that was done at WALB News in Albany, Georgia several years ago asked people what they thought of when they heard the word hero.  Here are some of their responses.

     “When I think of a hero, I think of somebody like Batman,” said Tyshon Murray.

     “The people that we set up as heroes are people that generally go above and beyond in terms of the call of duty, they do things that are extraordinary,” said Dr. Nick Carden of the Renaissance Center.    

     “Superman, Spiderman, and Batman,” said Haley Suggs.

     Sarah Perry says, “A hero is a person who saves the day.  He’s the one who has all the courage and he has responsibility.”

     And there were many other comments made; however, almost all the comments shared a central theme:  A hero is selfless, a genuinely good person, and someone who gets the undivided attention of all of us and causes change.  Someone willing to risk their own life to save another.

     That is a powerful definition and an extremely high standard to obtain.  However, we all know ordinary individuals, perhaps who have touched our lives personally, who we would describe as a “hero!”

     We can see that today people want a hero.  They are constantly looking for that special someone who is going to swoop into their daily lives and change things for the better.  More articles, books, and movies are produced today with the theme of some type of “avenging hero” to change the course of human history and make the lives of people in general, better, more honorable!

     However, most people don’t truly appreciate that some 2,000 years ago such a “hero” was living upon this earth and prepared the way for the vast majority of humankind to transform their lives into a perfect state.  That person was the historical Jew, Jesus of Nazareth, an ancient City in Israel.  Let’s briefly examine his life in light of the above stated definitions of the word “hero” and see just how this is true.

     Definition (1):  A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.  Using the qualities that are highlighted here we can see that by this definition, Jesus could absolutely be considered a hero.  Courage:  Jesus stood up to the religious leaders of his day without wavering in his integrity to God.  He was also able to resist the temptations made by the chief agent of evil, Satan the Devil.  Even the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, was amazed at the courage displayed by Jesus during his trial and execution.

     Let’s consider the second aspect of this definition: outstanding achievements.  I don’t think anyone would disagree with the fact that the teachings of Jesus have affected the lives of millions of people over several thousand years.  The changes that have been made have improved lives, families, and communities beyond any other teaching that has been available upon the earth.  We recognize that after a period of time has passed many teachings of humans have had to be changed or at least adjusted in various degrees.  But what Jesus taught has stood the test of time as not only reliable, but greatly beneficial.

     The third aspect of our first definition is: noble qualities.  Again, it cannot be denied that Jesus (other than Adam at his creation) has been the only perfect human who has ever lived upon this planet.  Jesus completely reflected the moral standards and teachings of his heavenly father who had sent him to this earth to provide a means by which humans could be released from the condemnation of death that Adam had brought into the world.  There could be no more noble cause than that!

     Yes, according to the requirements of our first definition, Jesus is definitely a hero!

     Let’s consider our second definition: (2) The chief male character in a book, play, or movie, who is typically identified with good qualities, and with whom the reader is expected to sympathize.  Jesus is certainly the “chief male character” of the Bible.  From the pronounce of the first prophecy in the Bible at Genesis 3:15, Jesus would prove to be the key character of the “seed” of God’s woman who would finally bring to nothing the acts of the great adversary, Satan, crushing him out of existence.   No other person can be “identified with good qualities” greater than those displayed by Jesus during his life here upon the earth.  Under the most grueling of circumstances to the point of a painful and unjustified death, his “good qualities” continued to be expressed.  Upon his torture stake, immediately prior to his expiring, his words of prayer were: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” [Luke 23:34, NIV]

     And as flesh and blood creatures ourselves we can certainly “sympathize” with the events of Jesus’ life when he was here upon the earth.  We can understand and appreciate the need for comforting words in our own lives and the need to display the “good qualities” that Jesus showed to others.

     Yes, according to the requirements of our second definition, Jesus is definitely a hero!

     And now, our final definition: (3) (In mythology and folklore) a person of superhuman qualities and often semidivine origin, in particular one whose exploits were the subject of ancient Greek myths.  Jesus lived at a time when many mythological and stories of folklore abounded.  However, he was not a myth and not the subject of simply folklore of the past.  He was a real person who existed during the times as mentioned in the Bible.  Even his enemies never denied his existence as a real person. 

     Jesu, by its basic definition, displayed “superhuman” abilities.  That is, “having or showing exceptional ability or powers.”   Although he never claimed to have these abilities of his own initiative, Jesus displayed the ability to recall details of events perfectly, he could walk on water, defying gravity, he could heal the sick and raise the dead.  He could even “read the hearts” of those around him, knowing the true motives for their words and actions.  And there can be no doubt that he had a “semidivine origin.”  The Apostle Peter, himself, when Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was, declared: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” [Matthew 16:16, English Standard Version]

     Yes, this definition also shows that Jesus was indeed, a hero!

     However, with so much evidence and explanation, many still do not accept Jesus for who he really is.  Since, he didn’t fly around in spandex, wearing a cape, and crushing wicked people under his mighty blows, he doesn’t fit the “picture” that many have in their minds of a hero.  And unlike many of the comic book heroes and those  portrayed upon the “silver screen”, Jesus does not appear to be the type of person that many want to emulate today.  He is not the example they want to follow.

    Even though we have more than enough evidence to prove otherwise, Jesus is not the “role model” that younger ones (or even older ones) want to copy.  Against our own best interests we often continue to make foolish mistakes and do not look in the right place for his faithful model to follow.  That is exactly why we need such a hero, because we’re only human!


QUOTE TO CONSIDER



THOUGHTFUL GEM

"There can be a hero in all of us."