COVID-19

 

    I sit before my computer screen this morning thinking of what I should write about for this blog posting and I start to let my mind shift through all the things that are currently happening in the world and what might be some issues that would be of interest to readers.

     What my mind keeps halting momentarily upon is the current COVID-19 pandemic.  The total tragedy that has befallen mankind these past few months.  And now, at least in the United States, it seems that the crisis has taken a turn for the worse.

     This issue has divided people in so many ways that it seems that subjects have been sorted out to basically you are “on this side” or “you are against it”!  Just consider the following as a small example of what I am talking about.

     Masks.  According to an article posted on www.ucsf.edu (June 26, 2020) “Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization now recommend cloth masks for the general public, but earlier in the pandemic, both organizations recommended just the opposite. These shifting guidelines may have sowed confusion among the public about the utility of masks.”

     That article went on to comment: “What may have finally convinced the CDC to change its guidance in favor of masks were rising disease prevalence and a clearer understanding that both pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic transmission are possible – even common. Studies have found that viral load peaks in the days before symptoms begin and that speaking is enough to expel virus-carrying droplets.”

     “I think the biggest thing with COVID now that shapes all of this guidance on masks is that we can’t tell who’s infected,” said (Dr.) Chin-Hong (UC San Francisco infectious disease specialist). “You can’t look in a crowd and say, oh, that person should wear mask. There’s a lot of asymptomatic infection, so everybody has to wear a mask.””

     A large majority of states now have made wearing masks in public places mandatory. However, how are these requirements going to be monitored?  It will be practically impossible to do so.  The simple truth is that you can not legislate morality.  Those individuals who have made a decision that they want to provide some possible protection to those around them in public will wear a mask simply because they have been asked to do so.  Those who, in fact, don’t care about themselves or others will not!

     Social Distancing.  In discussing this topic consider the following information from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/social-distancing.html: “COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) for a prolonged period. Spread happens when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, and droplets from their mouth or nose are launched into the air and land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The droplets can also be inhaled into the lungs. Recent studies indicate that people who are infected but do not have symptoms likely also play a role in the spread of COVID-19. Since people can spread the virus before they know they are sick, it is important to stay at least 6 feet away from others when possible, even if you—or they—do not have any symptoms. Social distancing is especially important for people who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.”

     This simple action of being considerate of the space of others to help prevent, or at least, reduce the risk of spreading the disease seems to put some people into a tailspin.  “You can’t tell me what to do!”  “I have rights!”  Day after day you see images from various locations where people (particularly young people) are gathering together in very large numbers.  Some have even commented that they are not worried about getting the disease.  Yet where is their compassion for others who may contract the disease from them?

    Then you have the debates going on about store openings or closings, arising now is the discussion about sending kids back to school, or allowing events of one type or another to take place.  And all the while more people are getting sick and dying! 

     I guess I should also mention that there is a third group that falls within this discussion.  That is the group who has decided that if we simple stop testing, stop doing research, and simply ignore the situation, it will go away on its own!  This group would require a completely different discussion than I am prepared to debate here.

     The plain truth is that for the most part we are a large group of selfish, self-centered, insignificant silicon-based life forms that think more of ourselves than is necessary and feel that we have to demand our rights in order to show that we are important.  The basic problem is this: we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"If you must pass along anything

to another, let it be love!"

The Wind

 

    I was sitting in my living room in my favorite chair the other day watching a storm develop outside.  The wind was really blowing the trees in various directions and the leaves where falling here and there.  In a sense it was quite captivating watching the physical objects around me respond to something that I could not see with my eyes.  But I could certainly see the effects it was creating.

     A couple of thoughts came to my mind while all this was going on.  First, why is it that some people can’t believe in things that they cannot see?  And secondly, why are human endeavors that ignore God’s purpose futile?

     In considering the first question we must realize that most people do believe in things that they can’t see!  Or, at least, they put some amount of trust or confidence within things that are not visible or tangible.  Let’s consider an example of what I am talking about.

     Think about the air that we breathe.  You can’t see it.  Yet, you take very positive steps in breathing as a given and probably give very little thought to actually do it.  However, according to any article several years ago on www.hearldtribune.com it was stated that “on average, a person at rest takes about 16 breaths per minute.  This means we breathe about 960 breaths an hour, 23,040 breaths a day, 8,409,600 a year.” 

     That’s a lot of breathing considering air is something that we cannot see and we do not know where it is coming from while we are doing it.  A very simple experiment to show how important it is to have this “wind” (air) available to us for all these millions of breaths we take each year is to place yourself in an environment where there is no air or the air is contaminated.  (I DON’T recommend you try this experiment, but you will understand the results.)

     Think of the men and women who have gone into orbit around the earth.  Or those who have made dives into the very deep trenches of the earth’s oceans?  Do not these individuals first make certain that they have a reliable source of air while engaged in these activities?  Of course, they do!

     So, why is it that so many people have reached the conclusion that God does not exist simply because they cannot see Him?  Most people have not seen their own brains, but I’d venture to conclude that they would say they have one!  Although, many seem not to use it very well.

     Now, that leads into a consideration of the second question.  Although, there have been many endeavors in which men have provided great achievements and advances for human kind, often these things are only done for personal or corporate advantages.  If a person or a company cannot see the financial benefits they often refuse or “kill” the advancement before it can provide any benefits to anyone.

     I recall reading in a popular auto magazine years ago (It seems like it was in the 1960s) about a company which had in pre-production an automobile engine that ran off freon.  As long as the engine system did not develop a leak of some kind, the engine would continue to run.  There would be no need for any other fuel, gasoline, diesel, etc.

     And then according to rumor, and you know how reliable rumors are, it was presumably spread around that the design had been bought by a major oil production company and the development was halted.  If true or not, I do not know.  But I never recall seeing or hearing about the production of automobiles with freon engines.  I only recall that the freon used in your vehicle’s air conditioning system was changed.

     However, in the grander scheme of things, people die, companies go out of business or change ownership, ideas and circumstances change, and life goes on.  The point is that at some point ALL human ideas, inventions, developments, creations, come to nothing!  The only thing for certain is what God had put into motion and continues to provide.

     Even though mankind has violated God’s original purpose and thereby produced a global system that is out of harmony with His will and purpose, He continues to allow them to go on.  However, what many individuals refuse to see is that this will not go one forever.  (Acts 17:31) “Because he has set a day on which he purposes to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and he has provided a guarantee to all men by resurrecting him from the dead.”  At that time, it will certainly show that human endeavors will be as the Congregator (Solomon) stated at Ecclesiastes 1:14 “I saw all the works that were done under the sun, And look! everything was futile, a chasing after the wind.”

     We (humans) cannot hold the wind in our hands.  We cannot stop the will of God from taking place.  Regardless of our decision to believe these things or not, it doesn’t stop the fact that God has spoken them and has put them into motion.  We should give serious consideration to these matters; however, we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Instead of fighting what we can't see,

make adjustments and use it to our advantage."

House-bound

     During the COVID-19 pandemic many people find themselves house-bound.  They may be working from home or it may be that they have decided to “error on the side of caution” and stay sheltered in place.  They perhaps don’t have any particular reason to be outside running around so they have, in effect, self-quarantined themselves for health reasons.

     This may make some feel as if they are not in prison and are not allowed to go out into the world as they had done before!  Now you’ve gotten to that point where you’re wondering WHAT am I going to do with all the time I have on my hands?

     One of my sisters-in-law made an interesting comment recently.  She said: “I’ve found out all those things I never seemed to get done because I didn’t have the time to do them.  Well, not having the time wasn’t the reason I never got them done!”

     That may be the case for many people, but I have heard comments from others who have found the extra time they have now found has been very useful.  Some have found that they are able to get many areas of their home cleaned like they had never done before.  Others have found that those little irritating repair projects have now been checked off their “to-do” list.

    Personally, I have found that I have been able to do more writing and that has been extremely enjoyable.  I now have three books in various stages and I often have some difficulty choosing which one I want to work on during the day.

     I have also been able to do more reading.  When you immerse yourself in the adventure of the writer you never know exactly where you may be going!  This is especially true if this is the first time you have read this particular book or publication.

     There is a third thing I have added to my list of things now that I have more time available.  Have you ever had one of those computer programs that you really like using but there are so many different capabilities about it that you have not yet learned?  I find that true in my case with Microsoft Excel.  I love the many things you can do with this program and now I am spending some time trying to learn how to write different formulas and it is FASCINATING!

     I will only mention one other thing that I have decided to work on during this period of being house-bound: playing the pan flute!  This instrument has interested me for some time now.  I simply love the tones and melodies that are may when I listen to professionals play the instrument.  I actually bought a specially made flue from a shop in Hawaii several years ago and have basically left it sitting in its storage box.  I am now going to spend some devoted time each day and teach myself how to play it.

     There are an unlimited number of possibilities that we could do to better use the time we may now have available.  Often it is merely our mindset to get things put into motion.  However, that nagging procrastination always pulls us in the opposite direction because we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Rich, Poor, Educated or not,

Regardless of your skin color,

Wherever you may live,

We all have the same amount of time each day."

Inside

     I recall on more than one occasion when I was growing up, Mom had put a large basket of Winesap apples on the kitchen table.  Those luscious looking deep red apples always caught my eye when I would go by.  I knew each time I saw them I would be tempted more than I could bear to take one and go out into the back yard and enjoy its delicious sweet flavor.

     This one particular time was no different than many others except this time I could resist no longer.  So, I took the apple and headed out to the backyard.  Along the way I made a swift turn in the kitchen so I could pick up the salt shaker.  That juice inside with a little salt sprinkled on it was going to be delicious.

     I sat in the swing in the backyard and got myself all prepared for that first anticipated bite.  Crunch!  I heard the skin of the apple go as my teeth sank deep inside.  Then when I pulled my lips back, I was horrified and deeply disappointed - - - a worm!

     The piece of apple fell from my lips and I began to spit out the juice as quickly as I could.  What a total surprise!  I never thought this was going to happen by the beautiful appearance presented by the outside of the apple in that basket.  But it just goes to show that you can’t always go by the outward appearance.  It’s what’s inside that truly counts!

     Sadly, many people are the same.  They may spend a small fortune to make themselves look good on the outside, but inside they are devious, deceitful, liars, and sometimes just plain wicked!  It’s very difficult to see beyond the outward veneer and determine what the REAL person is like.  Some are very professional about hiding what they are on the inside. 

     They may appear like Jesus said of the religious leaders of his day at Matthew 23:27: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you resemble whitewashed graves, which outwardly indeed appear beautiful but inside are full of dead men’s bones and of every sort of uncleanness.”

         This is because of one inescapable fact that is also highlighted for us in the scriptures: “Out of the heart come wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, sexual immorality, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies.” [Matt 15:19] You can understand how these things would make even a physically beautiful person into a truly horrible individual.

         For some reason many people have the thinking that “beautiful” people do not do wrong things.  It’s only those who are “low-down” and “despicable” in appearance who are doing all the wrong things in the world.  In plain fact, they profile people into certain groups or categories depending upon the way they appear on the outside!

      Many years ago, I watched a television program where they recorded different individuals going into a supermarket and shop lifting in the plain sight of others.  This test was done to see how many of the customers would report those individuals to the management of the store.

     Some of the “thieves” were dressed in business suits or fashionable women’s outfits.  Others were dressed more like you would see an everyday person on the street, jeans, t-shirts, etc.  In almost every case the people dressed to “look” very respectful, prominent, or effluent, were NEVER turned in to management.  Almost ALL the others WERE!

      What did this test prove?  Most people only look at the outward appearance and never give consideration to the person one is on the inside. 

      Isn’t it nice to know that our Creator is not like that, but he sees what is in the heart and He can make decisions accordingly?  We may “beautify” our outsides and fool all the people around us.  We may even fool ourselves into thinking that we are a different person than we truly are.  But we cannot fool the one who sees all things as He looks at the inner person.  As hard as we try to improve ourselves, and we should!  We have to remember: We’re Only Human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Who am I?

The person YOU see?

The person I want to be?

The person I truly am?"

Walking

 

    I finished my regular walking program this morning and began to think about this subject of walking.  First, I say my regular walking program, but I haven’t walked regularly in several years.  I just started back this week.  So actually, my regular walking program has only been for three times at this point.  However, that’s not the reason for my writing on this topic.

     When we are babies, we reach a point where we realize there’s got to be a faster way to get from one point to another than by crawling or shuffling across the floor.  So, somewhere around the age of 9 to 15 months we learn that we can stand on our two legs and project ourselves forward. This process eventually turns into our being able to walk.

     When man was first created, we found walking to be the most efficient means of getting around.  According to the Smithsonian magazine “evidence indicates [that the wheel] was created to serve as a potter’s wheel around 3500 B.C. in Mesopotamia --- about 300 years before someone figured out, they could be used for chariots.”

     It seems from that point forward mankind has always been trying to invent a new or more advanced means of transportation so that they would not have to walk.  You only have to look at the history of the bicycle, the motorcycle, the automobile, the train, and the airplane.  I’ve not even begun to mention the variations of these means of transportation.  Nor have I gotten into space travel and the search to reach beyond our own planet.

     Man has continued to desire to go faster and farther than the generation before him.  This has led to many expensive and dangerous experiments.  But he always wants to seek that new frontier of ever projecting himself forward. 

     Since man came to the realization that as a bi-peddle creature he could move about he has realized this ability has put him to a greater advantage over others of God’s creation.  The plants and other vegetation can’t move forward as a man does.  Even within the animal creation, man has used his technology to make himself superior to them in their efforts to move about. 

     Now after thousands of years of advancement, man has come to a startling discovery:  Walking is a good cardio exercise! Such an exercise as walking at a brisk pace of a least 3 miles per hour works your large muscles over and over and pushes your heart and lungs to work hard.  Over a period of time, this makes your heart stronger and more efficient.

     It can lower your resting blood pressure and heart rate.  It can improve your mood, lower stress, give you more energy and stamina, and sharpen your mental focus and memory.  It can also help you keep off extra weight, improve your cholesterol, build stronger bones and muscles, and lower your risk of diabetes, stroke, and certain cancers.  It can also help you sleep better at night.  And except for the cost of a good pair of shoes and a little time, it doesn’t cost you a thing! 

     It’s hard to believe that what we were given from the very beginning of our lives has now been proven to be one of the best things for us as physical creatures.  Through all our advancements we now see that using the two legs we were given from birth is the best things we could be doing for our own bodies.

     Isn’t it funny how it takes us so long to learn that what we had been doing from the beginning is what we should continue to do for our own health?  But, then again, we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"If you can't pick up your feet when you walk,

sit down!"

Imitation

     It has been said for many years prior to now but was solidified by Charles Caleb Colton toward the end of 1820 when he published Lacon (or Many Things in Few Words): “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

     What Colton was in effect saying was: If one imitates something another person does, it means one admires that person and wants to be like him or her.  A person would imitate another because he or she admired that person or they valued what that person was doing.

     This might imply impersonating their actions, their voice, their way of life, or some other quality that has drawn you to desire to be like that person in some way.

     There have been individuals who impersonate celebrities and earn a lot of money doing so.  You may have seen some of these people perform on television or perhaps you’ve been to a live show.

     Several years ago, my wife and I went to an Elvis impersonator show in Honolulu.  We were very impressed with this young man and the performance he was able to do.  This acclaimed Elvis impersonator Jonathan Von Brana and his cast of dancers and musicians really brought the house down with their performance.

     This was a dinner show performance so we got to sit at a table (stage side) with a couple of ladies from Michigan (I think).  It was a daughter and her elderly mother.  We learned that the daughter lived six months in the states and six months on the island.  She had brought her mother with her on this trip for a little vacation.

     During our discussion while having our meal we learned that the mother had seen Elvis himself in a live performance in Las Vegas back in the late 50s.  She was very excited to see this performance by Mr. Von Brana.

     There was part of his act while he was singing, he would walk through the audience and give out scarfs as Elvis had actually done during some of his performances.  While he would do this, he would give each lady a kiss on the cheek and thank them for attending his show.

     When he came by our table, he leaned over gave the mother a quick kiss on the cheek and put one of the scarfs around her neck.  When he did this, the mother whispered in his ear: “Time has certainly been kinder to you than me.”  My wife and I felt she believed this was the REAL Elvis she had seen those many years before!”

     These types of entertainment may be very flattering to those whom are being impersonated.  However, many are only doing these impersonations because they are able to make a living from such actions. 

     Many other “ordinary” people imitate sports figures, celebrities, or pollical persons because they want to emulate that person’s life style or way of living.  Let’ think about that for a moment.

     Let’s look inside.  What if people in the world imitated YOUR way of living, speaking, and acting?  What would the world be like?  We don’t often think about that, but for a moment consider how you live your life.

     Are YOU worthy of imitation?  Would there be more love in the world, or more peace, if others imitated YOU?  It doesn’t matter who we are or where we are living, we are setting an example for others around us to copy.  It may be a good example or it may be a bad example.  But it is an example none the less.

     It may be a bit scary to think that our life may be an example for others, but it’s true!  So, consider what you are doing, what you are saying, and how you face various situations in your life.  Someone may be watching YOU wanting to be exactly like you.  And remember:  We’re Only Human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"If your life is not worthy to be copied,

perhaps it should be changed!"

Confidence

     Confidence is the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something’s firm trust.  You need to have confidence in yourself to get many things accomplished.  That’s what I want to talk about today.  Let’s take an exercise in confidence.

     Did you know that confidence is a learnable skill? If you look at your life right now you will find you have had confidence in many areas. If you are honest with yourself you will also notice areas of your life where you lack confidence.

     For example, I work out about 3 times a week and it is a huge part of my life.  I love it. However, this wasn’t always the case. When I first learned how to lift weights, I was awkward, weak and clumsy. I was always looking around the gym at the experienced people worried that they might be judging me. Had my desire to lose weight and improve my health not been so strong at the time, I very likely would have let the discomfort of the situation force me to quit and give up.

     But I didn’t. I found several experienced individuals and started to learn from them. I slowly but deliberately became stronger and more comfortable in the gym setting. After a few short weeks, it was almost second nature to me. All of the feelings of embarrassment and inferiority had disappeared. I had developed confidence. The same way I had developed confidence when I learned to walk as a baby, when I learned to ride a bike as a young boy and when I learned how to drive at age 16.

     There is no trick to the development of confidence. It is a predictable process that any of us can implement for virtually any action or habit in our lives.

     Have you recognized this and applied this in your life?

     OR have you mistakenly accused yourself of not having to ability to do something due to a lack of confidence?

     I want you to take a moment right now and mentally review your dominant thought patterns.

     Most people have at least one area in their life where they lack confidence. For some, it could be speaking in public, for others it could be meeting new people and developing relationships. Identify what that specific area in your life is right now

     How can you do this?  Simply follow the suggestions outlined here:

1. You have to identify a major goal that you would like to achieve
   
   
2. You have to identify where you lack confidence in terms of the obtainment of this goal. I assume you lack confidence in this area because if you did not lack confidence then you would have achieved this goal by now. So, identify what that blockage is:
   
   
1. If you’re an entrepreneur, maybe you lack confidence in presenting funding proposals to other business owners or financial institutions.
2. If you are in sales perhaps you are limiting your success by not pursuing the large accounts.
3. Maybe you are in a relationship and you‘re not happy with the behavior of your partner, do you lack the confidence to ask for what you want?
   
   
3. Write at least one paragraph that describes your confidence block and your current state of mind. When you imagine yourself in this situation of low confidence, what comes up for you. Are you anxious, nervous, upset, etc… Describe your state as accurately as possible
   
   
4. Now that you are aware of your confidence blockages, you can begin to redevelop them. Define one major activity that you can implement ASAP that moves you towards your goal
   
   
1. If you have a fear of speaking, your activity could be to rehearse a 10-minute power speech in front of the mirror
2. If you struggle in sales, you could plan to practice and refine your sales presentation with a manager or senior colleague
   
   
5. Write a commitment to yourself to practice this new activity every single day for the next 30 days. If you really want to commit to this, find an accountability partner and perform the activity with them so that you have a witness.
   
   
6. At the end of 30 days, repeat step 3 again and analyse where you are at in terms of confidence. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10

     You can continue this until you reach a level that you are satisfied with when it comes to your confidence in this area of your life!

     Once you develop confidence in yourself begin to manifest confidence in others.  Often there are many things in life that we can’t accomplish on our own but will need the assistance of others.

     By developing this confidence, you will find many enjoyable new activities in your life and others will be able to see the confidence you exude!

     One caution:  Do Not confuse confidence with arrogance and pride.  Please be careful because we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"If you think you can, you can!

If you think you can't, you can't!"

Choices

    Sometimes people have a difficult time when it comes to making choices.  They get confused because they often fail to see what the actual choice is.  They look at situations and circumstances and then they think they know what choice they have to make when in reality they have failed to fully understand what their choices are. 

     A choice is the act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities within a given circumstance.  People often get the “two or more possibilities” confused so they don’t understand exactly what their choice is.  Let me give you a current situation as an example.

     Recently a gentleman was escorted off an airline flight from California to Colorado because he refused to wear a face mask due to the Coronavirus pandemic.  He was highly upset because of this decision made by the airline.  He evidently confused his choice!  He thought his choice was (1) to wear a face mask on the flight or (2) not to wear a face mask.  So, with these options he was choosing NOT to wear the mask. 

     However, the airline had informed all passengers that wearing a face mask was mandatory.  This man’s choice was (1) wear a face mask and get on the flight or (2) NOT!  In evaluating his situation, he did know that he was going to have to make a choice.  However, he chose to view the options of the wrong event in which to make his decision.  Wearing the mask should not have been his issue, but rather whether he was going to fly on the plane or not.

     We see that as humans we are often required to make decisions or choices on matters within our lives every day.  At times these choices or very insignificant, but at other times they have a major effect upon our life.  Just consider the example above of the man who now was unable to get to Colorado because of his poor choice in not wearing the required face mask. 

     It also seems that there are many who continue to make poor choices and never really learn how to improve their lives by making correct choices.  It doesn’t matter about the situations that this may involve:  a bad choice is always a bad choice!

     This reminds me of a man I met when I was in the military.  We had a “moral meeting” where we were going to be encouraged to make good choices in our lives.  This man (at the time of this occurrence) was in his mid to late 40s.  He had been in and out of the penal system most of his adult life.  Now he was making these speeches at various military bases so that perhaps others would learn from the poor choices he had made and not make those same mistakes themselves.

     Listening to some of the stories of his activities during his life it became obvious that he was a person, who despite his good intentions, always made the wrong choices within his life.  However, he summed up his life philosophy with this statement and example: “You can choose to do whatever you want to in your life as long as you’re willing to accept the consequences.  If you want to tell your boss what you really think about him, go ahead, if you’re willing to accept the consequences.  He may fire you.  He may do worse.  But if you’re willing to accept the consequences go ahead and tell him.”

     I’m glad you have gotten to this point in this blog post.  I had a choice on what I was going to write within this post and I chose to include the information you read above.  You had the choice to read this blog or not.  I’m glad you chose to read it.  But if you chose NOT to read it - - - well, I guess that is a mute issue!  It was your choice.

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"If you're going to make a choice 

that you can't live with,

make a different one, but choose wisely!"

Life

    I feel that one of the most precious and most valuable gifts that your parents ever gave to you was your LIFE!  Since you have received that gift you have been able to do all things that have made you the person you are today.  You have been able to have one experience after the other.  It’s true we may look back on some of the experiences in our lives and think we might have been better off if we had never had to go through that situation.  But the truth is, without life we would have NO experiences at all!

     We need to appreciate that this wonderful gift that was given to us without our asking is also the same gift given by other parents to their children.  We need to not only have a high regard and appreciation for our life but also for the lives of others. 

     As a Sanatani Hindu, Gandhi found the message of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount to be very interesting.  Gandhi drew the attention of the world to the noble message of the Sermon.  He stated its relevance for the peaceful living of humanity.  Moreover, he has practically shown its application, especially its teaching on non-violence to the public affairs of life.

     Among the many valuable lessons, we may learn from this sermon I have chosen to highlight but a few that will help us consider the view of the life of ourselves and that the lives of others:

1.       Love your enemies.  Within the life course of Jesus, he demonstrated that it was easy for someone to have and display love for those you also loved them in return.  But to be able to show love to those who disagreed with your view or plainly despise you!  This was the sign of true love that imitated the love God has for mankind.

2.      Do good to those who hate you.  Jesus showed that not all people would agree with your viewpoint.  However, if your life actions are in agreement with God’s requirements then you will find yourself under obligation to do good to ALL people.

3.      Pray for those who mistreat you.  This may seem contradictory to the nature of our human makeup.  But this too shows that our love for human life goes beyond our own thinking and displays the thoughts of our heavenly father.

4.      If anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.  This at first may seem extremely counterproductive.  However, Jesus was not only speaking about those things that we may have in a material sense.  Our attitude should be, if necessary, even to letting ourselves be defrauded in the hopes of gaining someone to God’s side of the great issue.  Jesus also would be including those things of a non-tangible nature.  We may feel that someone has brought injury upon our name or our reputation.  These too are things of little importance in the larger scheme of things.

5.      Do to others as you would have them do to you.  This is in summation the ultimate quality that mankind should be striving to achieve.  In viewing the life of others, in showing honor to others, and wanting others to treat us in a respectful and dignified manner, we should be taking the lead and showing them the same.

     There are many other aspects of this one sermon that we could discuss however, it can be shown that Jesus, when here upon the earth, had a deep respect for the lives of others.  Since his ascension into heaven his viewpoint has not changed.

     Those desirous of referring to themselves as Christians should always be making necessary adjustments in their imperfect lives to better reflect the qualities that have been set out by our exemplar, Jesus.  Then, and only then, can we truly say that we have reached beyond the confines of our imperfect lives and display the true manner of living that was intended from the beginning of creation.

     The sad problem of the entire situation is: we’re only human!  

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"The demise of ONE life

lessens the value of ALL lives!"

Memories

    I am old enough to have created many memories within my lifetime.  But I’m not so old that I can’t recall the vast majority of them.  Some times I do need help to get the details correct and there may be times when I have a vivid recollection of a wonderful memory to only learn later that it wasn’t mine at all!

     My point being is that there will be times in our lives when we may choose to not want to experience the current events that we are having to live through.  These are times when we want to fall back on our memories to a more simpler time in our lives.

     I think of one of those times now.  When I was growing up during my early teen years, we lived in a house that sat right on the edge of town.  I’m talking about RIGHT on the edge!  When you crossed the street toward the front of our house there was the grocery store.  At one time it was a Colonial store, I don’t recall exactly, but I think it changed names at another time.

     If you went just behind our house on the next block there was a small convenience store with a laundry attached to the side.  Toward the side of the house that faced town was an auto parts store.  It was behind this store in part of a vacant lot that for a long time sat an abandoned school bus.

     I say the bus was abandoned but I think that the auto parts store owner probably became possessor of the bus for some unknown reason to me and this is where he wanted to leave it setting.  For whatever reason the bus sat there for several years and it become an amazing place of adventure to me.

     Who would be able to resist sitting at the wheel of this wonderous machine and pretending to be the driver who had the responsibility of transporting all types of different kids to their classes during the summer period of school?  I’m not sure how many “miles” I must have put on that bus during these various journeys.

     That bus also became the cockpit for many space adventures.  I commanded great expeditions into the vastness of space and had many encounters with beings that you would never be able to imagine.  On one occasion I actually had developed a bus route into space where I would collect various species of alien children so they could attend a space academy.  At this training location they would learn to present themselves as earth children and have to understand what “normal” kids did on days they didn’t have to attend school.

     During a couple of summers, I spent many hours within my fantasy “job” of caring for the needs for all the individuals who were dependent upon that bus.  I would even spend some of my time going through the bus cleaning the seats and windows and floor so that all would be in a presentable order for all my “kids.”  I mean, who would want to have such a great vehicle and not have it in presentable order?

     However, time passes, things change.  People change.  You grow and your life moves on.  But there are times when I pause and ponder back to that simpler life and wonder if there might be some way to, even if for only a moment, recreate that moment in time once again?

     We all have within us those memories we would like to relive.  Those times when life wasn’t going by at such a fast pace.  Those moments that have perhaps defined our lives for all times.  Can’t you hear it?  Stop - - - listen!  Is that the past calling out to you?  If you would slow down and listen, I’m sure you would hear it too.  Never forget - - - we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"If you can't enjoy your life now

at least enjoy the memory later."