Only when we are forced to see things for ourselves, does it become real for us.
Where Were You?
article by: Gary Haugen, Gregg Hunter
“I grew up with a great love for reading history, and I used to wonder, How would I have fared in the great moral struggles of the past? Would I have been on the right side? Would I have acted with courage? Would I have made my grandchildren proud?
In many respects, such speculation feels idle. Who knows what we would have done? Besides, it feels as if history has passed us by- certainly nothing our grandchildren will ask us about. Right?
Like much of the global ugliness transported by television into my living room, it just didn’t seem real; it seemed true, but not real- the way descriptions of life in ancient Rome seem true but not real. Or reports about how many stars there are in the Milky Way- all true enough, but not real. Not real like my job when I’m falling further behind in my work. Not real like my neighbor when she has been in a car accident.
Sooner or later, I stopped wondering how I might have fared in the great moral struggles of history. It became abundantly clear that such struggles are not matters for idle speculation; such struggles are now. We have the ability to fix these struggles, to get involved, and to act with courage; we have the chance now, to make our grandchildren proud.
And when our grandchildren ask us where we were when the weak and the voiceless and the vulnerable of our era needed a leader of compassion and purpose and hope- I hope we can say that we showed up, and that we showed up on time.”
Understanding Cultural Differences
“Culture” refers to a group or community which shares common experiences that shape the way its members understand the world. It includes groups that we are born into, such as race, national origin, gender, class, or religion. Culture is a very important part of peopleâs lives. Understanding culture and diversity fosters and builds community.
Learning to be sensitive to different cultures is necessary to gain awareness and broaden our views. In-order to build relationships, we need to have some perspective and understanding of other cultures. It helps us find similarities and relate to other people more easily. Everyone views the world differently, but we are all the same. We are all human beings with the same basic needs of living. We crave love and desire to be understood; we share the same fears and feel the same pain. Understanding culture contributes to understanding ourselves and what connects us as a people. Embracing cultural differences can get rid of stigma, intentional and unintentional prejudice, and overcome radical and ethnic divisions. By understanding different cultures and getting different perspectives, we can better find similarities between us.
Culture differences canât be ignored, but I believe there are more things that connect us rather than separate us.
“Home Is Not A Place But A Person”
Joy- it is just simply appreciating the simple things in life that bring you happiness. Maybe itâs the things that you take for granted in your everyday life. The key to reaching real joy, is to find it in what you already have. Youâre not going to go out and find joy with more material things like money or pleasure relationships. If you find peace and satisfaction with what you have now, it will lead to humbleness and happiness later in life. Joy for me doesnât come from things, but from the people in my life. My joy springs from their joy; when the people in my life arenât happy, I feel lesser joy. This is because when I care about someone, their joy becomes my joy and essentially they get a piece of my heart. So, for me, the secret to genuine happiness and a fulfilling joy is bonding with the people who care about you- you’ll find joy in them.
Goodness And Hope
If you only focus on the pain in the world, you will always be depressed. It is hard sometimes to find the goodness in a broken situation, a broken place, or in a broken person. But, if you have patience and an open mind, and are willing to take a deeper look into things, you might just find that goodness. I feel there is some level of goodness in everyoneâs hearts, even the coldest ones. My take on life is to just live with optimism, live with hope- because if you can see goodness in yourself and in others, you can find hope in a bad situation and even make a difference in someone elseâs life.
Comment of The day, About Gratitude
Aw this is so sweet, thank you so much Ilona! đ
Finding The Love In Your Life
Sometimes Iâm overwhelmed by the love in this world. I know there is so much hate, but if you just look at the good in the world, focus on the love, you will be a lot happier. I try to focus on the love in my life and try to share that love with those who care about me. At times it is hard, in struggles we can lose sight of the truth and how much love we actually receive. But if you really evaluate your life in retrospect, you will see that you matter so much to all the many people in your life. Youâll will feel so much love when you realize all the little ways people show they love you.
Nobody gets out of this life without suffering; just some a little more than others.
Technology- connection or detachment?
Technology and social norms have changed the way people date in the 21st century.
Thoughts??…
While technology has made some aspects of dating more convenient, it has also made things a lot less personal. The idea of commitment has changed, and I think in some cases even our ideas of love have been distorted.
Texting makes dating much more impersonal. I donât get how people can form âfull-onâ relationships online. People start âdatingâ before they even meet each other. Some people will go years âdatingâ whilst never once even meeting in real life. People donât understand that some of the fundamental aspects of a real relationship are missing. Dating has never been easy, but now there seem to be many more challenges⌠despite our ability to be in touch 24/7. Dating no longer means one specific thing. And while one could argue that any time together can be quality time, it can be easy to get complacent and let these kinds of less-than-romantic options become the norm.
Also, knowing too much about a potential partner before you even meet them can lead to you having a preconceived notion of how that person is going to be. If you already think you have them all figured out, you might see them only as you want to, as opposed to how they actually are.
To put it simply, people are a lot less âinvestedâ into making things work, and more about protecting their own feelings. I think we all have this fear of getting hurt, fear of rejection- but you canât let that hold you back from going for something you want. Because like it or not, your whole life is going to be filled with all different types of rejection- it will never go away. But, if you donât learn handle it now, it will only get harder as you move through life. Furthermore, youâll never know if you donât try. Embrace your fear and take charge. The whole thing about putting yourself out there comes with the reality that you might get hurt, but thatâs okay. With the possibility of failure comes the possibility of starting something beautiful. With the possibility of rejection comes the possibility that youâll get to make some memories.
I believe it all comes down to learning how to be a lot more open with and connected with each other, and being more trusting of our partners; and more trustworthy ourselves.
*compiled from a variety of sources
Dealing With Depression
Mastering Depression and Living the Life You Were Meant to Live
“Itâs a part of who I am. I donât think of it as mental illness or a disorder or a disease. Itâs just part of the way Iâm wired.”
-Daniel Jeffries
article excerpts by: Daniel Jeffries
DepressionâŚ
“Iâm talking about the times where you wake up and canât get out of bed and you feel like nothing will ever go right again and your whole life is meaningless.
It is that absence of being able to envisage that you will ever be cheerful again. The absence of hope. That very deadened feeling, which is so very different from feeling sad. Sad hurts but itâs a healthy feeling. Itâs a necessary thing to feel.
Thatâs the nature of the demon. Itâs the absence of feeling. Itâs the end of hope. Itâs feeling like nothing will ever be good or bright or wonderful ever again. Itâs feeling like youâll never have anything but failure, youâre not good enough for what you want in life and youâll never get it no matter what you do.
Dealing with depression starts with understanding.
Know thy enemy.
I donât hate writers and celebrity teeth whitening pushers, not at all. Sure a number of them are outright, cynical hucksters but many of them are probably sincere. And thatâs the real problem.
Theyâre unwitting agents of delusion.
They donât know theyâre creating delusion. They believe their own lies and think theyâre helping people.
But itâs all a lie.
What theyâre selling is the easy button and there is no easy button here. This is something you will deal with every day of your life.
The faster you realize this the faster you can start to heal yourself and live an authentic life, the life you imagine for yourself.”
Hope's Corner 