Category: Virtues & Principles

September 6, 2019

Exploration

Exploration is one of our most intriguing basic needs. We are instinctively curious of the unknown. We pursue it. We question our own existence, the universe and we even question the existence of God. At the end of every quest, we embark on another. For every answer, we tinker with another question.

We have dreams. We have goals. We always look at the horizon and beyond. We look at the stars and wonder what is up there. When we see caves, we instinctively want to explore inside. We want to sail the oceans and dive deep down to learn more. When volcanoes erupt or earthquakes shake our foundation, we want to know why. We just do not accept the storms or the wrath of mother nature. We study and always try to understand the cause of the chaos. We see the spark of lightning, it tickles our mind to find the source of that energy and maybe utilize it. Our minds wonder, we aspire, we have ambitions, we hope, always on a quest for a solution for any problem that comes along.

Rarely will anyone stay in one place. We are always on the move. So we explore.

August 29, 2019

Indifference

Indifference: lack of interest, concern, or sympathy.

When you do not act, express your opinion or you are just quiet about a cruel, unjust, ruthless, biased, prejudiced, inhumane or heinous action of an individual, of a group or of the government, what impression do you give others about your attitude? Are you simply minding your own business? Are you one of those people who think that since it is not happening to you or that is is not affecting your family, then you will just let it be? Are you one of those who thinks that someone else is supposed to take care of that situation? Or are you one of those who thinks that their time will come and that the almighty will pass judgement on them? Are you one of those people who think that being tolerant will lead to peace?

INDIFFERENCE makes a human being weak. Indifference breaks down respect. Indifference is a great excuse for not being kind. Indifference allows an individual to be ungrateful. Indifference makes a person unapologetic. Indifference makes it difficult to forgive oneself and others.

July 24, 2019

perception

You See, Hear, Taste, Smell, Touch, Suspect and you perceive (the “target”): the object, the being, the belief, the concept, or the event . This perception becomes part of your daily decision making. It plays a part in the choices you make. It becomes your past, your truth. Your perception of your surroundings molds you. Temper your perception with clarity.
Clarity will allow you to change your perceptions, to make changes in your life and lead you to enlightenment.

Your perception of the “target” belongs to you or to a group of people who shares that same perception. Your perception has no bearing on what or who the “target” is, what it represents or what it can do. You have no control. Only the creator (maker) knows. Until he shares that knowledge, you do not really know, you can only perceive.

July 21, 2019

essence of time

Take the time to enjoy life.
Take the time to express your love to your loved ones.
Take the time to be Kind.

During my day to day activities, I do not even think about my breathing or the beating of my heart. So I take the time to feel the beat of my heart and experience the inhaling and exhaling.

I take the time to be aware that I have the gift of life. I feel it, so I can enjoy the flow of time.

I let the essentials of the universe flow through the funnel of the present time and let it drip to form the stalagmite of my foundation: the accumulation of my experiences, my past.

April 23, 2019

NICE

Being Nice Opens Opportunities

We talk and preach about how love conquers all and that it can solve all problems. That love will bring peace and goodwill to us all. But before love can work, we have to be NICE.

Love is instinctive. So what is the first positive thing that we should teach our children? Let us teach them to be nice. Instinctively a child craves for the mother’s care and attention. A mother in turn loves and cares for the child. As the child grows and begins to meddle in everything that arouses curiosity, a mother starts the lesson in consequences and the reason for discipline.

Do not start your discipline with denial as most parents do. The stern No, No, No will indeed develop discipline, but it will also foster negativeness and begins the lesson in violence. Instead use a soft tone in your voice and say “be nice”, this will always create better results. A child then learns the positive way towards discipline.

When a child grabs something that he/she is not supposed to, don’t spank the hand. Again, this opens the path to violence. Instead hold it and lead it away and nicely give the reason why. You can say NO in a soft and firm voice so as not to instill fear in the child. You may think that a child can’t understand, but they understand your tone of voice.

Discipline without the reason for consequences leads the offender to excuses, lying, escape and treachery. And worst of all, it leads the offended (disciplinarian or people with authority) to deal with offenses by employing sheer punishments.

It is unfortunate that many children learn the negativity before positivity.
This negativity is carried over to adulthood. That is why there are so many bullies out there who would insult, make fun of and deprive others, and we have to deal with them. We can deal with them with prudence. Can’t be prudent if you are not nice. Prudence gives the bully a chance to change his/her mind and be nice.

Do not be confused with “turning the other cheek” for being nice. “Turning the other cheek” is being tolerant. And continued tolerance is cowardice. When ignoring the instigator, or when prudence and being nice fails, then an attitude adjustment is in order.

Try to be nice everyday. Being nice opens the door to respect and kindness. Being nice makes it easier to be polite. Being nice allows you to smile more often. A smile has a tendency to dampen anger and it helps brighten the day.

April 9, 2019

Guilt and shame

Guilt and Shame are emotions. We need emotion. We are humans. Guilt and Shame are associated with fear. The fear of rejection, the fear of not belonging, the fear of depriving someone or being deprived, the fear of cheating or being cheated by the person we love drives this feeling of guilt and shame.

The need for accountability is strong in humans. Guilt is a personal self-conscious emotion generated from the individual’s thoughts, words, and deeds. Whenever we realize that we knowingly deprived someone who did not deserve deprivation, we feel that we have done something wrong and somehow yearn to have it corrected and this is “guilt” in action.

Shame on the other hand is a self-inflicted emotion. Shame is wake up call. Shame erases vanity. Shame makes an individual focus on himself as a failure (in public). Shame diminishes a person’s self-esteem towards others. Through guilt and shame the spiritual leader was able to build his group of followers.

Why do children feel ashamed? Why do they sometimes feel uncomfortable to step up and be recognized? Why are some children more sheepish than others? These behaviors are developed behaviors during the formative years of the child. It is true that there are children who are not as aggressive or as outgoing as others. But this has nothing to do with negative feelings or behaviors that a child has developed. Lack of discipline and education or too much of both can create these negative behavior. A child must grow with love, prudence, respect, kindness, gratitude, apology and forgiveness.

April 6, 2019

Live like a child

Live like a child. A child does not think about death. A child looks forward to life.

A child is always longing to belong, to have friends and to be happy. A child craves to mature. So grow in prosperity and security. Be mature and embrace the meaning of maturity.

Do not live in fear of rejection. Share your happiness, prosperity and abundance. Be nice. Be kind. As you exit this corporeal life, leave something behind of yourself for posterity, for others to grow and learn from.

Since the creation of humans, children have always lived with a positive attitude. All over the world, children start with the same blessings. Children played. Children loved. Most of all they learned. Learning can be for the positive or the negative. The behavior of adults have an impact on the growth of the children. The bitterness and anger of the adults are easily passed on to the children. But the same is true about all the positive and good behavior. Somehow the negatives are always easier to learn. The children learned the material advantages of segregation, prejudice and deprivation. This breeds vanity and greed. The educated adults feed the children’s minds with the idea of “the end of times” or “armageddon”. The child grows up to be an adult, then the cycle continues. Break the cycle of bitterness. Let the cycle be about prosperity, sharing, love and happiness.

The greatest teacher of all said, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” There will always be good in humanity and there is always hope, because God blesses humanity with the innocence of children. Every generation is born with a clean slate. This is the cycle of life. This is humanity’s perpetual cycle of hope.

Let us not blame solely the new generation for their failures. We the old generation have our hands in the guilty pot. So, let us teach our children how to be nice and for those who have the talent to write or build, leave something good behind as a foundation for them to learn from. Because the future is not preordained and their choices will create their future.

As an adult you will face challenges, defeats, heartaches, betrayal, loneliness, rejection, and bullies who will do their best to deprive, cheat, insult and put you down. But close your eyes, let your mind focus and find that child in you and rise.

February 11, 2019

CORU

The greatest advise came from Jesus Christ: “Love one another as I have loved you.” This is easier said than done. Most people do not even understand what this “love” is, that Christ was talking about. However, we are humans. We have an instinctive need to bond. We reach out to belong. We may not understand it, but we crave for this unity.

Here is an acronym CORU, that may help: Care, Openness, Respect, and Understanding.

These four words can help simplify Christ’s advise and guide the individual towards loving someone and be one of the stewards of the universe.

Care: If you care for something, someone, an idea or anything, you pay serious attention or consideration to doing, working or relating with it correctly to avoid hurting the individual, damaging the object, or putting it at risk. If you care, you are nicer, you are kinder. A young child responds to emotions as we all do. Be nice.
Openness: If you are open or transparent, you avoid cheating or lying, you avoid secrecy or concealment. Do not make the assumption that your opinion is not valid. Voice it out with respect. Your are being straight forward or frank. Listen to both sides of the story before you conclude. Communicate with an open attitude and never take the other person for granted. A smile on your face makes it easier for others to open up. The book of wisdom: Job 13:5 has been taken out of context: “Oh, that you would altogether be silent! This for you would be wisdom.” Silence (tranquility) is a great way to communicate with God. However, we are humans. Our senses must be invigorated with words, touch or gesture. Open up. Communicate.
Respect: GIVE RESPECT. DO NOT EXPECT RESPECT. “Respect is to be earned, only if lost once given.” If everybody is expecting respect, how can there be respect for one another? On the other hand, if everybody gives respect, there will be no need to expect it. The only time that respect needs to be earned is when the respect that was kindly given was disrespectfully lost. Anything done without respect is done either for the money, for a reward, as an obligation, out of tolerance, was told to, was forced to, was coerced to, or for vanity.
Understanding: To have compassion, patience, and sensitivity, for the action or words of the other person. To listen and comprehend, to communicate. To be prudent before reacting. Sometimes the person you care for may have made a mistake per your perception, but before you react or conclude try to understand the reason for her/his actions. That is why openness is important.

CORU must be tempered with attitude. Attitude is developed from childhood. Your past, your perception of your surroundings and events contributes to the development of your attitude. Attitude becomes embedded in our personality. People tell you to develop a positive attitude. “Don’t be negative” is what everybody hears when an opinion is contradictory. It is good to think about a positive attitude but it is not easy to do. So it is best to develop and “open” attitude. Start the day with kindness to yourself and others. Kindness to others can be in the simplest way of showing respect for the opinions of others or by talking in a softer tone of voice and not condescending. Allow others to express themselves without intimidation. Be nice.

Learn to walk away from disagreements even from bullies. But if a bully insists to be abusive (verbal, writing, gesture, or physical) and you are more than capable, then by all means give the bully an attitude adjustment.

Practice CORU to be able to love and ultimately be PROSPEROUS and HAPPY.

January 6, 2019

Security

Security: Protecting oneself and family. Method of guarding our community, its assets and equity. Protection from predators, from plunderers, from thieves, from bullies and those who deprive. Protection from natural disasters. Security guarantees survival. There is no security in weakness. Security sustains prosperity.

Our basic right to Security ranks up there with sustenance, shelter and propagation. During simple times when weapons of mass destruction and guns were not yet invented, it was with pride that every household possessed weapons; weapons that can defend, keep the peace, commit crime or whatever the user may want his weapon to be used for. As civilization prospered and got more sophisticated, governance decided to control the number and types of weapons possessed by their citizens. .

Government became in charge of security and the responsibility for securing the peace in the community became that of the government. This is a good thing because security guarantees survival. However, government does not want the citizens to possess lethal weapons. So rules and laws were created to justify this demand from the government. When crimes were committed with the use of lethal weapons, the argument for the disarmament of the citizens became stronger. Laws and rules and the enforcement thereof where always based on the criminal actions of the few demented people who are bullies and do not value respect and kindness. Violence always begets violence. There is always retaliation. The reaction of the government is always the same: “disarmament”. But this is not the answer. The answer is in the behavior of humans.

The basic human need of SECURITY lies with the individual. Government must never be allowed to take this away. However, this does not mean concession to anarchy. Government exists to protect the people. But if government is left unchecked then changes are made without the consent of the people. In order for government to be monitored and kept in check, guardians of the principles of universal stewardship must be in place.

Security must embrace respect and kindness. Parents must teach this. The school system must teach this. Government must embrace this. Security is the right of every individual. It is not an inherent government right, it is an inherent individual human right. It must never be taken away from him.

There is no security in weakness. We must protect our prosperity. This does not mean that others are not welcome. On the contrary, all peaceful and law abiding people are welcome to visit or stay. Strength in security does not mean oppression or totalitarianism. It only means PROTECTION. The moment the borders become weak, intruders will immediately trespass and deprive. They will attempt to take over. They will cluster become strong and deprive the community and impose their rules and make it part of government.They will infiltrate and will take over from within.

Those who want to stay in power or take over, always want others to practice tolerance. They always insist on the transparency of security. Transparency destroys security. The strength of security relies on privacy and secrecy.

December 30, 2018

Peace

Our world, mother earth, is always at peace. The universe is always at peace. Our environment may seem chaotic at times. But that is because we do not understand all the creations of God. Humanity and sentient beings create chaos among themselves. Fights among individuals and people will never be avoided. Fights within a country can be avoided with prosperity. Fights among nations and worlds can be avoided through negotiations with diplomacy, prudence and a great security and defense system. Plundering and exploitation are mostly prompted by greed and the need to have material prosperity. Sometimes it is prompted by the need for survival.

The path to peace is through prosperity with accountability and security. An individual who has achieved responsible prosperity is seldom “wanting” or greedy. This is also true with the family, community, country, world and the universe. However, peace must always be protected. Defense or security must always be maintained. There is always a bully around the corner who will try to take what you have. We must also protect ourselves from natural disasters. Security guarantees survival and prosperity.

Any individual, organization, community, or country who gets complacent and leaves its values and prosperity unguarded will one day be taken down by the greedy, the depriver, or natural disaster.