Value

     When I was a younger person I used to act as such and I thought as such.  I’m sure you probably did the same.  At a very young age you are not experienced enough or knowledgeable enough to truly understand the concept of the value of some things its hard to make good choices.

     As a young child I recall being offered the choice of having a shiny new dime or a larger nickel.  Of course I chose the nickel because it was much bigger.  I was too young to understand the “value” of money.  I thought it would be better to have the larger coin instead of the smaller one.

     There are some such circumstances today which present a similar dilemma.  Consider in many countries the enormous annual expenditures for military armaments!  In the United States alone hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars are spent as part of the military budget.  Large sums of financial aid are spent in other countries as well.  Now whether such expenditures are justifiable is not the purpose of this post, but it certainly shows that with what is normally received in return by such expenditures it is normally NOT something of equal or greater value.

     However, as consideration of expenditures made in another area, look at the education program.  Here individuals could be receiving the schooling and training needed to improve their minds and elevate their thinking ability.  Governments seem to consider the killing and destruction of human lives as a more important value on return instead of improving minds of their young citizens.  They appear to be looking at the “large coin” and not the true “value” of their perceived returns.

     Yet this has always been the thinking of those in positions of decision making within higher levels governmental.  The years I was in the Air Force demonstrated the reality of this.  Whenever a situation would develope that created a “fix or repair” decision, it was always decided to repair.  I recall one specific situation which would have cost approximately $150,000 to fix the situation or approximately $35-40,000 each year to “repair” the situation.  The government chose the “repair” option!

     Personally I have known that most governments have no real concept of value.  They almost always want to get a project approved, knowing that during the three, five, or ten years needed to complete the project the cost is going to escalate the final billing several times its original projected expense.  This is part of the reason that some projects never get started and why all things associated with government are complicated to say the least.  It's hard for them to comprehend the true "value" of their actions when they feel if someone else is voted into office later they will have to deal with the problems that have been created.

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Get the project started,

you can justify the cost later."

A Thought

     It seems that today many crimes and vicious acts are committed and the perpetrator goes, for the most part, unpunished.  Often the public has to “care for” those you are in prisons for years.  This is all at the expense of the taxpayers.

     First, let me explain I’m not talking about those who have been unjustly tried and have been spending their lives behind bars due to no fault of their own.  There are some that we are learning about today who have themselves become victims of the legal system.  I’m referring to those individuals who are known to have committed crimes and now sit within jail cells waiting to find out if they are “competent” enough to stand trial.

     There are some individuals who have been “waiting” for years and yet are no closer to being held accountable for their crimes than they were on the day they committed them!  The only persons having any real benefit from such situations are the lawyers.  The families of those who were killed are certainly not gaining any closer or peace of mind!

     I’m not purposing this as the only reason, but let’s consider the situation today for some.  With economic conditions as they are it’s hard to find work for many.  The costs of housing, food, medical care, insurance, etc. have continued to climb out of the reach of many.  Perhaps for some the easier way is to commit some type of crime and let the “state” take care of you.

     Consider this:  If you are sent to prison your housing is cared for, you have good meals every day, you get medical care provided to you, there are no worries about insurance and you can even be given some type of work to do for pay!  You can also avail yourself of educational training and in some cases individuals have gotten college degrees while they were in prison.

     It would seem that everything would be better for you by committing a crime and getting all your needs cared for by the “state”.  However, I am NOT recommending that you follow this plan.  Things may not work out for you for many other reasons.  But again we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Many are prisoners, not of bars,

but within their own minds."

Truth

     According to a New York Post article “Rudy Giuliani declared “truth isn’t truth” on Sunday while expressing his concerns over having President Trump sit down for an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller as part of the probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.”

     I don’t like politics and don’t really care how these individuals feel about each other or the various situations that they talk about.  However, “truth isn’t truth” has got to be the dumbest statement I have ever heard an “educated” individual utter!

     In believing that you can say what you want and then subject your comments to no rational reality, that doesn’t make your statement true!  If that were the case you could argue that whenever a person wanted to go against the “value of society” or “norm” he or she could make any statement they wanted and then justify it to be true.

     Just because you want something to be true doesn’t make it truth.  That is easily proved.  Just go to the top of any building and make the statement: “I am going to step off the edge of this building and I WILL NOT fall but walk straight across the open parking lot to the other buildings rooftop.”  Now that you have made that statement do you really believe it to be true?  Could you step off the edge of the rooftop and NOT fall to the ground?  I don’t think so!  By making the statement it has not become truth.

     That having been said leads me to the thought that most people rationalize that truth is the opposite of a lie.  We are given this rational thinking from early in our schooling.  Many tests are only true-false questions.  Many people have trouble with having to “write out” an answer to a question where you have to consider many variables and make conclusions based on different assumptions.  Then a true-false scenario becomes cloudy.

     This relates to our thinking abilities.  We may KNOW something is true.  We may THINK something is true.  We may PERSUME something is true.  Or we may HOPE something is true.  However in the BIG picture we can only base truth on a “touch stone”.  That is we must have a good, reliable source upon which to gage other statements, events, etc. against in determining if something is true or not.

     Often we try to justify our “true” statements by making the assumption that based upon what others have said or done, our statement is the most ACCURATE!  So in an attempt to “clarify” his comments, Mr. Giuliani made the following statement as reported in the Los Angeles Times: "My statement was not meant as a pontification on moral theology but one referring to the situation where two people make precisely contradictory statements, the classic 'he said she said' puzzle," Giuliani said. "Sometimes further inquiry can reveal the truth other times it doesn't."

     It just goes to show that we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"The truth can be concealed from the uninformed,

but it will always be exposed to those who seek it."

Another "DEEP"

     It’s time to go deep into my mysterious mind again and try to do some thinking on one of those topics that most people don’t want to think about: Aliens!

     Now I’m not talking about the word as some may apply it to individuals who enter a certain country from another and are referred to by this term.  I’m talking about those beings that some say are visiting this planet from another planet, or from another dimension, or from the future, or as some suppose from within this planet itself!

     It will usually depend on who you speak to as to which possible location the origination of these visitors may be.  It will also depend upon whom you talk to as to what these visitors look like also.  And don’t begin to discuss with some people as to WHY these visitors are here.  You will get a great array of reasons as to why they are here.  Or as to why they are coming back.

     When you try to put together some type of scenario, some people will pull into the equation other mysterious creatures: Bigfoot, the monster of Loch Ness, the New Jersey devil, and other such creatures.  So the alien question becomes even more difficult to discuss or even begin to unravel.  Of course, part of the problem of having a credible discussion on this topic is that there are a number of people who just plain think you are “nuts” if you voice your belief in even the possibility that aliens even exist!

     This is one of the big barriers to having a legitimate discussion of the subject.  You can’t have an open dialog on something that you have already determined in your mind cannot be true!  It is just NOT going to happen.

     So if you are one of those individuals: The person who has determined in your mind that it is totally impossible for any “being” to have visited our planet from a location that is not of this Earth I want you to think about this.

     If we use the term “extra-terrestrial” instead of alien: That is someone who IS NOT of this Earth.  If we tell ourselves and others that we believe in the Bible, we must recognize and acknowledge that angels and even Jesus himself are not of this Earth.  They are “extra-terrestrials” who have made visits to this planet.  They have also had great influence to the humans of this world.  Some, the Devil and his demons, have had a very corruptive influence.  Jesus on the other hand has had an uplifting affect upon all those willing to live their lives in harmony with his teachings. 

     When the discussion comes up in the future as to a topic that may or may not seem possible, perhaps you should keep an open mind until you get enough facts to make your own decision.  However, some people will always want to “straddle the fence” as it is said and not make any decision.  As always this is probably the case because we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"A mystery is only the unknown

before we have all the facts."

Tears

     According to eyebeautytips.com: “The primary purpose of tears is to clean and lubricate the eyes.”  However I think we all know that tears are more important to us than that.

     We cry (or produce tears) for a various number of reasons.  Have you ever peeled an onion and NOT cried?  I’ve heard it can be done by peeling the onion under water in the kitchen sink, but I’ve never tried it.  I don’t like onions, never have, but that’s a different story than what I am writing about here.

     We also cry because we become sad over a situation or because we are extremely happy about something.  Sounds funny, but that’s the way we work.  It has to do with our emotions (one way or the other).

     Sometimes our emotions seem to overwhelm us when we experience a tragic event in our lives: perhaps the sudden loss of a loved one.  Then for some perplexing reason, many years later, we can have the event come up into our minds and once again we are suddenly stricken by the grief of this long past event and will begin to cry.

     It seems that women are more emotional than men.  A woman can be fine one moment and without any “apparent” reason just begin to cry.  Men often (and not for the better) have a hard time understanding this.  In one study that was reported on by bustle.com concerning men and women being left alone in a room to “meditate”.  Afterwards they were setup in the same situation but were allowed to give themselves a brief “shock” to take their minds off their loneliness.  Men gave themselves shocks more than two thirds the numbers of times done by the women.  In other words, most men would apparently rather experience physical pain than be alone with their own thoughts!

     Of course, great happiness can also make us cry.  We can experience situations that simply are beyond our understanding: such as, when we are extended kindness in such a way that it is completely unexpected and it overwhelms us.

     Perhaps we should stop and consider just how wonderful our tears are and what they not only do for us, but how they help us get through many various situations.

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"I cried when you left.

I cried when you came back.

I hope you can tell the difference."

Baggage

     Have you been flying on an airplane somewhere lately?  Forget the fact that you will probably have a lot of work to do to get a decently priced ticket for the flight you are also going to pay a hefty fee for those extra bags that you want to take with you. 

     It’s true that most people try their best to pack as lightly as they can so that MAYBE they have ONE checked baggage and a carryon bag.  But that’s not always possible.  You can only do the best you can and then the airlines are going to begin adding those extra fees to the cost of your flight.

     Many of us have the same problem going through life on a day to day basis.  We have things that have happened within our past that for whatever reason we cannot or WILL not let go of.  Regardless of what the “baggage” maybe we continue to carry it throughout our lives.  This really becomes an extra burden upon us and we will PAY for carrying that baggage for a long time.

     What we need to do is learn how to “let go” of those emotional weights and lighten our load.  If things have bothered us in the past we need to face them for what they are, deal with them as may be necessary to do, and then set them down and stop paying those extra “fees” of quilt or remorse.

     No one can do those things for us.  We certainly can have support and assistance as may be necessary, but we are the ones who must make the decision to put those things in our lives “aside” and NOT to pick them up again!

     If we can master this necessary aspect of our lives we will be much happier and our required load will become lighter because we will not have all that extra baggage to carry around.

     It may take some time to get the various events of the past into a controllable “container” that we can then set aside and discontinue carrying the heavy burdens they represent, but the benefits to do so will far outweigh the efforts that will be necessary to get it accomplished.

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"If you find that your problems have dug you

into a hole, the first thing you have to do is STOP digging!"

Ignorance

     I look back on my life and think of the many times when I was in a situation to meet new people.  Sometimes I was held back because of preconceived ideas about them without really giving them a chance to show me who they really were.

     I’ve had the opportunity to have made trips outside the United States to several different countries and what I found was that most people are the same.  Well it’s true that the language might be different, their cultural beliefs or traditions may be different, but when you take the time to understand them we are basically the same.

     Most people worry about how to get through the day and provide for their families.  They want to work at a productive job and provide the basic necessities for those that they love.  They laugh and enjoy having a good time.  Their children want to have the chance to grow up with a good education and the hope of a good future.  They have many of the same fears as you and I and they look forward to a life that is free of turmoil and strife and a time when they could have better health care.

     It’s true there are many bad and crazy people in the world.  Unfortunately we have to be cautious today in our surroundings.  But that is true regardless of the country you are living in.  It seems there will always be those few who are intent on creating bad conditions for others around them.  Yet, the majority of humankind only wants to live in peace and harmony.

     These are critical times hard to deal with!  That is for certain.  However, they are NOT impossible to deal with.  If we can educate ourselves about human nature and seek to treat others the way we would like to be treated we will find that many situations that result in confrontation and hatred could be resolved in love.  The saying that ignorance is no excuse is true in many cases.  Understanding our human kin would be an excellent place to practice striving to put ourselves into the “shoes” of others.  Remember all of mankind is in this “game of life” together.  And we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"There is no smarter man than one who 

knows how truly ignorant he is."

Website?

     This is probably one of the MOST frequent questions I hear from individual wanting to start their own business.  Hopefully the following information will be of help.

     People always want to follow the latest thing, be it in fashion, sports, that kind of thing. Websites have become a necessity to almost everyone. Companies, businesses, individuals, even young adults have created personal websites with their respective purposes, be it for profit, or for entertainment.

     What one must consider, however, before creating a website, are the factors in which must be put to thought before doing so, such as the cost, maintenance, use, web hosting and so forth.

     Firstly, associating with the cost, we must always try to find an affordable host, not spending too much, or too little. A cheap host does not exactly symbolize a credible reliability rating, but we must always look for value for money deals. Also, regarding the efficiency and server/web host reliability, there are many cases of web hosts not providing the service they had assured other people, some had even shut down and were nowhere to be seen. Keep this note in mind, if you would like a long-lasting website, this would be the first thing to look for.

     Next, would hiring a professional be affordable? Is it the best option? For simple websites, we could always pick up the coding, or even use programs, as it is relatively simple. However, when it comes to more complex coding, and when you want it to do a tad more than just providing information, hiring help in doing so would be the best way. Not only in terms of design, but security is also a key factor in assuring a quality website. If the website also acts as a portal for businesses, security would definitely be the issue here.

     So, having considered the things to do before building a website, do we actually NEED one? If creating one would boost sales or promote positive implications, then by all means, go ahead and do what’s best. Yet again, planning is the key to success, in everything we do.

     Here are 5 Important Rules in Website Design that you would want to keep in mind if you are doing your own website design work.

1) Do not use splash pages

     Splash pages are the first pages you see when you arrive at a website. They normally have a very beautiful image with words like "welcome" or "click here to enter". In fact, they are just that -- pretty vases with no real purpose. Do not let your visitors have a reason to click on the "back" button! Give them the value of your site up front without the splash page.

2) Do not use excessive banner advertisements

     Even the least net savvy people have trained themselves to ignore banner advertisements so you will be wasting valuable website real estate. Instead, provide more valuable content and weave relevant affiliate links into your content, and let your visitors feel that they want to buy instead of being pushed to buy.

3) Have a simple and clear navigation

     You have to provide a simple and very straightforward navigation menu so that even a young child will know how to use it. Stay away from complicated Flash based menus or multi-tiered dropdown menus. If your visitors don't know how to navigate, they will leave your site.

4) Have a clear indication of where the user is

     When visitors are deeply engrossed in browsing your site, you will want to make sure they know which part of the site they are in at that moment. That way, they will be able to browse relevant information or navigate to any section of the site easily. Don't confuse your visitors because confusion means "abandon ship"!

5) Avoid using audio on your site

     If your visitor is going to stay a long time at your site, reading your content, you will want to make sure they're not annoyed by some audio looping over and over on your website. If you insist on adding audio, make sure they have some control over it -- volume or muting controls would work fine.

Here’s some information that may be of help:

     Design Free Websites:  Review this information to see all the FREE stuff you can get.

     Your Own FREE Website:  You only have to pay for annual hosting fees.  You design the website the way you want it!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"You may be the best at what you do,

but WHO knows that?"

Fault

     Sometimes we find fault with others that we see and the things they are doing or saying.  However, can we really say that we understand their situations?  Had we been through the same things in our lives would we have been any different? 

     It’s easy to say we would!  But we don’t know that for a fact.  As just one simple example:  I’ve seen and hear for years about the scams that are pulled on the elderly.  This people who have very little money and others take serious advantage of them.  I’ve often wondered how someone could be so gullible to have fallen for such an obvious deception.

     Then one day I found myself caught in a scam and was literally one thousand dollars lighter in the bank account!  How could this have happened?  How could I have let myself be taken by such an obvious ploy?

     We never know at times how we will react to certain situations.  So how can we judge others when we don’t know their circumstances?  Why doesn’t he get himself a job instead of living off the government?  How can they treat their families the way they do?  And there are many other comments that we have heard or perhaps made ourselves.

     We must also remember that not all people react to the same situations as would others.  We may find that what has absolutely NO interest to us may be the biggest problem that another would have to face.  And some people have chemical imbalances within their bodies that we don’t understand.  It could make them react completely different from what we may view as the “normal” response. 

    The only life that we have any semblance of control over is our own.  Do we do all that we can to make ourselves the best person we can be?  Do we endeavor to change things within ourselves so that we can cope with today’s anxieties?  These are the things we have to work on.  But we must never forget “we’re only human!”

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Looking for the faults in others is easy.

Correcting the faults within yourself is more difficult."