Something to Consider

 

    ”It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”  So wrote Charles Dickens in his novel, A Tale of Two Cities.  It seems that perhaps he was also writing about our current situation.

     How can these be the “worst of times”?  Have you been living under a rock for the past several months?  The news is filled with report after report about the current CoronaVirus pandemic.  A day does not go by when it is not reported that things continue to get worse.  Even in areas of the world where they are beginning to say that things are starting to improve, they are still highly concerned that a re-occurrence is likely to happen.

     The sadness that you see in the faces and hear in the voices of those in the medical profession when they turn out to be the individual who has to sit at the bedside of a patient with the disease as that patient is breathing their last breaths.  And there are no family members who can be there with them.  Then this dedicated medical person has to inform the family of what has happened.  It almost rips your heart apart just hearing about such circumstances.  I can only imagine the heart break that is within that poor staff member who has had to endure that situation knowing that perhaps only hours or moments later they are going to be called upon to do the same thing over again!

     Currently facing the situations we are during these critical times how can I possibly say it is “the best of times?”  Initially using the same situation that I mentioned above, when have you seen such compassion shown for those we have unfortunately been victims of this terrible pandemic?

     The outpouring of expressions of concern and a desire to help is, at times, almost overwhelming.  People in all walks of life have “stepped up” as it were to do what they can to help others have some type of “normalcy” within their lives during these times.  This shows me that there is a place in the hearts of most people to show love to their fellowman.  To have within themselves a desire to make others feel better during their time of suffering.  This shows me there is a God because we are made in his image.  And if we are capable of displaying such emotions, imagine how he must feel by what is happening.  No, I don’t believe that God has caused this plague, but I do believe that we should learn to display these emotions to the benefit of others even when times are not as critical as they are now.  I also believe that God has never intended for humankind to live with these diseases and other conditions that we currently see.  And I believe that he has a purpose to correct all things within his own time frame.  We need to look forward to those times and live our lives as if we were already part of God’s new world of peace and harmony.

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Share your cup with others
and your cup will overflow."

TOLD!

     Have you ever noticed that if you’re told not to do something that becomes the very thing you HAVE to do!

     As an example:  You’re sitting in a restaurant with your wife or girlfriend and all of a sudden she says: “Don’t look.  But that guy behind you is eating like a pig!”  What is the FIRST thing you HAVE to do?  Look!  Right!

     It just seems to be our human nature that when we are TOLD something we immediately have the urge to do that very thing.  It seems to be true about so many things. 

     If you are trying to stay on a diet and you are TOLD you can’t eat any of that chocolate cake your wife made last night!  What is the first thing that begins to consume your every thought?  I’ve GOT TO have some of that cake!

     You see it displayed in those old “B” horror movies.  When the young ones are TOLD: “Don’t go out after dark.”  Or perhaps: “Don’t go into that old house.”  You know what is going to happen as the movie continues on!  At some point they are going to do what they have been TOLD not to do!

     Look at today:  There are many of us who have said for a long time:  “I’d really like to have some time off from my job.  It is driving me crazy (or whatever).”  Now that the local, state, or federal authorities are TELLING people:  “Stay home.  Don’t go to work.”  What is the first thing that goes through our minds?  I need to be at work.  What is going to happen now that I can’t work?  My financial future is going to be ruined!

     It seems to work on our minds, this reverse psychology!  But why is it so effective?  And how can it cause so many problems?

     Just look at your local stores.  We are being TOLD don’t panic shop.  Just get the immediate supplies you need.  Give the stores the time they need to restock.  But what is happening?  The store shelves are becoming empty.  Now people start thinking:  “The stores are running out of supplies and I have to make sure that I get my share!  So I’ll go do some of my own shopping!”

     Trying to understand people is a life-long (probably longer) assignment that I’m sure I am not interested in getting into.  The fact remains that we don’t like someone telling us WHAT we can and can’t do!  We don’t like being TOLD!   It helps me appreciate the problem really comes down to the fact that WE’RE ONLY HUMAN!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"When you do what should be done,

does it matter that someone told you to do it?"

Somewhere

    With all the many things going on in the lives of people all around the world you may wonder at times is there SOMEWHERE to visit or at least a place to be and to think about a time there can be no problems.  Where there are no diseases or financial problems?  A place where you can truly have peace of mind and not wonder if your children are going to have to suffer the effects of the anger of another person?  SOMEWHERE that you can lay your head on the pillow at night and know that you will awaken in the morning and things will have not gotten worse, but better?

     You may think it’s a dream.  Perhaps a dream from which you never want to wake.  But just having the hope of such a place within your mind and heart can help you get through the present difficulties that so many have to face.

      SOMEWHERE may seem an impossible hope only conceived in the minds of those who may be so consumed by the difficulties around them that they have to create a non-reality into which they can escape the present situation, even if only for a few minutes.

     Many have often stated that “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.”  Hoping that their SOMEWHERE is close they can almost reach out and grasp it only by making a simple change as crossing to the other side of the fence.

     However, have you ever considered this:  If you go to “the other side of fence” does not now the “other side of the fence” become the very place you just abandoned for what you thought would put you into a better position than the one you had before?

       Did not Dorothy from the “Wizard of Oz” believe that all her troubles and problems would vanish is she could go SOMEWHERE “over the rainbow”?  Was she truly prepared for the problems she found once she had gotten there?

     She did learn that with the help from others and the creation of new friends she could deal with whatever circumstances arose in her present state.  She found out that with the help of those around her she was able to successfully deal with the things that arose within her life.  She also learned that upon “returning” to her home, she could better deal with her life by appreciating what she had formerly taken for granted.

      Perhaps that is a lesson that we should all learn.  Don’t take things for granted, but use what we have to make our present situations the best they can be under the circumstances: By helping each other to get through.  We can be assured that there is a better place and better life for each of us - - - out there SOMEWHERE!     

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"At times it is better to deal with the problems where you are
than to only imagine the problems if you were somewhere else."

    

Why?

    At most times we feel as humans that we have things under control.  Even when it becomes extremely obvious that just the opposite is true we will continue to try to convenience ourselves that we are still in control.

     This seems to be the current case concerning the Coronavirus.  Like most news broadcasts I’m not trying to panic anyone.  But we primarily don’t know very much about this current disease that is basically ravishing the world scene.  We want to think that we can “wave the magic wand” and all will be well with the world.  However, it just doesn’t work that way.

     Medical personnel “on the front lines” are doing all they can with what they have available.  But the truth is in most areas the grip of the virus has taken hold long before the intervention to attempt a solution has become seen as something necessary to do.  By the time any action has been started to curb the onslaught of the contagion it has already established a foothold within the area.

     Whenever you begin to make statements such as “this virus primarily effects those
 of 60 years of age and older,” the younger generation automatically begins to surmise that they are not vulnerable to the disease and therefore are not morally or ethically required to abide by any type of restrictions that may be offered to slow-down the spread of the disease.  By the time it is realized that like most diseases there is NO distinction considered as boundaries by the disease.  Those who felt immune are already infected and become spreaders to others.

     It seems that as humans we always feel that given the time and resources we will be able to combat any infection or trial that should befall us.  And perhaps to some degree this statement is true.  However, it usually does not occur until the disease has taken the lives of thousands if not millions of humans.

     If we feel that we can join on a global scale to combat such an enemy as the Coronavirus why are we not able to eliminate world hunger, illiteracy, and bring about world peace?  It is because we fail to realize one basic fact that we often overlook within the equation:  We’re Only Human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"You must have hope to look 
for the silver lining before
you will see it!"

Panic

    Does it appear to you as it does to me that many people are getting into panic mode because of the coronavirus?  Now I’m not trying to minimize the importance of taking all precautions that you can to keep yourself and your family healthy, but doesn’t it seem that many are becoming a little bit on the side of being a bit paranoid?

     You have a family that on a “normal” two week period might use 14 rolls of toilet paper.  (I think I’m being a bit excessive, but we’ll use that for my illustration.)  Now they think they are going to need 10 packs with 12 rolls each because of the virus!!!

     As far as I’m concerned if that family is going to be using that much toilet paper within a 14 day self-quarantined time frame they must have a more serious problem than the virus.

     At the 17 stores around the region (Boston), the grocery chain Roche Bros. said demand was up nearly three times since Thursday (March 12^th) following a rush of news that pointed to an impending coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.  The spike in shopping has sparked fears that food supply chains will struggle to meet a sustained increase in demand.

     However, according to the New York Times:  “Americans have been alarmed by empty grocery shelves while food suppliers and retailers say they are struggling with surging demand, they insist the supply chain remains strong.”

     This has not been the first time that a mass hysteria has caused a shortage of toilet paper.  According to snopes.com: “In December 1973, Johnny Carson made a joke during his opening monologue on The Tonight Show about an upcoming toilet paper shortage. While Carson was not the first to comment on the situation, the talk show host’s joke was blamed for causing a nationwide toilet paper shopping spree.”

     “Carson read a real newspaper clipping about a toilet paper shortage on the air… The day after Carson read the clipping (and made a few jokes) about the “toilet paper shortage” people didn’t realize the story had been about commercial toilet paper and there was a surge of panic buying of consumer-grade toilet paper. This resulted in the stores selling out of the toilet paper they had on the shelves — which of course reinforced the rumor of a toilet paper shortage.” 

     Panic according to the dictionary is the “sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety, often causing wildly unthinking behavior.”  We only have to look around us at this time and see that this definition is being played out by a vast number of people in all communities.  We must control ourselves, be balanced in our needs, and continue to move forward with life.  Unfortunately, we’re only human.

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Don't panic so others will stay calm."

Superstitions

     If you would ask a person:  “Why are you superstitious?”  They would probably shrug their shoulders and say “I don’t know.”  Or they may try to blame it on the way they grew up or the area they are from.  However, there are basically two factors involved in all superstitions:  fear and ignorance!

     People have a variety of different superstitions that they believe in often depending upon what part of the world they live in.  Most people are familiar with some of the basic ones:  walking under a ladder, having a black cross your path, or breaking a mirror.  But some superstitions are really hard to think about and especially when you realize that there are people who actually believe these things.  Consider:

     A statue of an elephant with its trunk pointing upward and tail pointing toward the door will bring money into a home.

     Mirrors cause paralysis of the face if looked into after one has been eating.

     A glass of “holy” water placed behind the door wards off any evil spirits that may wish to enter a room.

     One should not sleep while exposed to moonlight, as it weakens eyesight and causes insanity.

     Some past superstitions concerning women and child birth are really in the realm of the unimaginable, but they have been shown by modern science to be fallacies.

     A woman who has just become a mother should refrain from washing her hair for 30 days or more after giving birth; she should refrain from taking a bath for 40 days if the baby is a girl, 41 if a boy.

     A new mother may not eat eggs, pepper, acid fruits, or even rice.

     She must avoid going out at night, as the evening dew may cause insanity.

     And here’s one that is really a dilly:  If a woman begins labor, she is told to make an infusion.  This is done by boiling in water two railway signal flags, a red one and a green one, and then drinking the water.  The red flag is believed to be good for stopping hemorrhage, and the green one supposedly shortens labor.

     Of course, on this day (Friday the 13^th) some people are very cautious.  The irrational fear of the number 13 has been given a scientific name:”triskaidekaphobia”; and on analogy to this the fear of Friday the 13^th is called “paraskevidekatriaphobia.”  Try to say those names really fast!

     Some of the things associated with this fear are unbelievable!  We have to remember that every year there is at least ONE Friday the 13^th and some years have up to three!  Long ingrained superstitions are often hard to deal with by many people but that doesn’t make them any less upsetting.  One thing for certain when it comes to how people deal with various situations in their lives:  We’re Only Human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Even with all your fears

you can be certain that after Friday the 13th

will come Saturday the 14th!"

Time Change

     Well it has happened again!  Are you readjusted from the change in the time?  That “springing” forward thing always gets in that “WHY did we have to lose an hour” mode!

     Hawaii and Arizona are the two U.S. states that DON’T observe daylight saving time and they seem to be getting by fairly well.  Although if you really want to get confused:  The Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona DOES follow daylight saving time!

     There have been many who have tried for years to get this time change thing stopped!  However, as you can obviously see it has not been successful.  Why did we get ourselves into this irritating situation to begin with?

     According to timeanddate.com you may be a bit surprised.  “While Germany and Austria were the first COUNTRIES to use DST in 1916, it is a little-known fact that a few hundred Canadians beat the German Empire by eight years.  On July 1, 1908, the residents of Port Arthur, Ontario, today’s Thunder Bay, turned their clocks forward by one hour to start the world’s first DST period.”

     According to their information you can thank New Zealand scientist George Vernon Hudson and British builder William Willett for the idea of DST in 1895.  However, their ideas differed considerably.  Hudson proposed by means of a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society suggesting a 2-hour shift forward in October and a 2-hour shift back in March.  This idea was never followed through.  Willett however really wanted to mess our minds up because he suggested setting the clocks ahead 20 minutes on each of the four Sundays in April and then switching them back by the same amount on each of the four Sundays in September.  We would be playing with our clocks EIGHT times during the year!

     Many have given credit to Benjamin Franklin as being the first to suggest seasonal time changes.  However, according to timeanddate.com concerning this idea from Franklin, they wrote:  “In a letter to the editor of the Journal of Paris, which was entitled “An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light”, Franklin simply suggested that Parisians could economize candle usage by getting people out of bed earlier in the morning.  What’s more:  Franklin meant it as a joke.” 

     Whether you are for or against this time change idea one thing is certain:  It doesn’t matter if you gain an hour or lose an hour, people are going to complain!  But again:  We’re only human.

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"If time changes everything,
why do we have to change time?"

Disease

    Today there is a lot in the news about the Coronavirus.  It seems that it is certainly spreading at an unbelievable rate.  People are being infected it seems without any known cause.  The more people try to take steps to prevent their becoming sick the more it appears that the virus is spreading.  Governments are spending multi-millions of dollars to try and get this infection under control.  But the truth appears to be that they still know very little about the disease itself.

     The COVID-19 (as it is being called) as of this writing has caused at least 14 deaths in the United States.  There are now confirmed cases of the coronavirus in 21 states, after the pathogen was found in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Colorado.  The virus has a mortality rate of 3.4% estimated by the WHO (World Health Organization) as of March 3^rd.

     However, there is a “disease” which affects all of mankind and the mortality rate is 100%.  Try as we may we cannot escape or prevent (at least currently) the sting of this inherited condition.  That uncontrolled “disease” is death.  Through human history individuals have searched for a “magic elixir” to prevent their eventual reality.  But in the end death overtook them all.  They have succumbed to the greatest enemy of mankind - - - Death!

     This eventuality of humankind has no regard for age, for gender, for status, for economic position, for nationality, or for race.  It is all inclusive and stalks after the entire population who live upon the earth.  It is not bound by the confines of national borders and gives no second thought a person’s current circumstances.  If it does not capture its prey while they are young it has the patience to wait until an individual is overtaken by “natural” causes.

     However, there is nothing “natural” about death.  Scientist and health professionals really do not understand why people grow old and die.  With all their research and medical advances they are still very much in the dark about this subject.  They have made some great advancement in the medical field and they are often able to treat a person’s symptoms and make them feel somewhat better.  They may even extend a person’s life by a few years.  In the end however, a person will be captured by this adversary death.

     There is one who can bring death to nothing.  He is also able to reverse all the effects that have been caused by death.  To take advantage of what He offers along with all the provisions it involves we must do our part and put faith in Him who will bring death to nothing!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"To have good health makes all other
things in life more enjoyable."

Stress

     In today’s world there are many times and many situations which cause us stress.  It may be to our advantage to understand this problem a little better.  What is stress?  How can we control the stress we may be under?

     Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress is your body's reaction to a challenge or demand. However not all stress is bad.  In short bursts, stress can be positive, such as when it helps you avoid danger or meet a deadline.

   Why do we face stress?  Consider this example:  Sam has recently had his wife walk out on him without any reason.  He is now left to raise their two daughters on his own.  Only a week after this occurrence Sam was let go from his job.  What was he going to do now?    Within the next two weeks he would learn that one of his daughters has a life threatening disease and the medical bills are going to be piling up!  Sam is now in a situation where he sees no way out.  The foundation of his very existence is crumbling apart right around him.  He feels consumed from the stress that he is under.

     Probably most of us would never have to face a situation such as described above.  However, there are many other situations that individuals have to face which can cause our personal stress levels to go the max.  When these things do happen how can a person lower the level of stress that he have to deal with?

     Here are five ways that might help according to the Center for Mind-Body Medicine:

1.       Eat Well!  Replacing harmful substances such as caffeine, alcohol, and refined sugars, with clean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats will help regulate your hormone levels, including stress hormones.

2.      Shaking & Dancing.  The quickest way to relieve stress is to release endorphins through exercise.  Admittedly most of us don’t get enough exercise anyway.  So get up and move!  As little as fifteen minutes of moderate exercise per day can make a huge difference in your stress levels.  However, as a precaution please seek medical advice before starting any exercise program.

3.      Get a good night’s sleep.  To relieve stress before bed, try some relaxation techniques and disconnect from technology as much as possible an hour before bedtime.  To ensure the proper amount of rest (7-8hours is recommended), set an alarm reminding you to go to bed!

4.      Guided Imagery.  The body responds in essentially the same way to made-up imagery as it does to real experiences.  Positive, relaxing images can be an effective tool for relieving stress.  Keep this in mind when you are decorating your bedroom and do not put LOUD excitable pictures or posters within the room.

5.      Breathe.  This may sound a bit ridiculous.  We all breathe.  We do it all day, every day, and yet we often forget the healing powers of deep breathing.  By slowing down your heart rate and lowering blood pressure, breathing deeply relieves stress.  Give it a try!

     Maybe some of these points will be of help to you.  Remember, however, that we are only human and we are going to (at times) create the very problems of stress that we are trying to avoid.

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"When you reach your limit,

there's nothing wrong with asking for help."