June 5, 2016 by Bill

The Rope of “Political Correctness”

Have you ever tried to push a rope?

Have you ever tied something or even a friend to a rope and then attempt to push it in a given direction? I guess you would agree that it doesn’t work very well. However, if you pull on the rope, you at least have the chance of getting things moving in the direction you would like them to move.

A key question is:

Are you the puller of the rope or are you the one being pulled?

If you are the one being pulled, which in many cases we are all pulled from time to time, which direction are you being pulled? Are you aware of where you are headed? Do you know who you are being pulled along by? Have you peeled the layers back far enough to discover who or even why someone is pulling you?

In todays life in this country as well as many others around the world, people have been pulled in the direction of “Political Correctness” (i.e., PC). The “PC” movement is a force that is gaining momentum and goes unnoticed. It is as if it is pulling our rope and we don’t recognize that we are tied to it.

PC really is not the same thing as “Love for all.” PC keeps telling us that we should let everyone live and do as they desire. It is their choice. Live and let live. Stand to the side and say nothing. What they do won’t hurt me. We need to ask ourselves the question; But will it?

We can love someone, but do we let them jump off a cliff because they choose to do so just because it’s PC?

Now maybe everyone is not ready to jump off a cliff, but one can show love and compassion and still speak up on issues of life. It’s ok and correct to listen, to try to understand, to discuss and exchange ideas. It’s also ok to have an opinion and to speak up about it, to be heard by the minority or the majority.

Being PC should never stand in the way of doing what is right!

In the USA, 85% of the people believe in God. The people around the world that believe in God, or Allah or just in peace and the study of how to live in harmony accounts for a major amount of the worlds population. So why do we allow the “Political Correctness” to take over and pull our rope in it’s direction. It appears that small minority is in control and are changing our culture and directing what our future generations will become. All for what appears to make them feel good, that fits their agenda, their life style preferences, or their beliefs.

However, the minority has rights and should be heard. The majority also has rights and should be heard. Love and understanding should be embraced on both sides. Political Correctness should not play a role in shutting down one side or the other, even if both sides believe the other has it wrong. Peaceful protest should be allowed, however non-peaceful protest should be shunned by both side.

A question to ponder:

When will we drop the momentum of “Political Correctness” and allow love, understanding, compassion, and an openness to “Truth” to find its way back to the top?

If God is real, and I personally believe He is based on my discovery down both roads, then why should I not be taught about this in my schools today as a possibility? Schools are for learning. Just because you may not believe in God, does not mean that there is no possibly that He may exist. I would think that in either case, one would want to know both side, be allowed to make ones own decision, to be given all available information, and to make ones own discovery and choices.

It truly takes a level of faith either way. I just wanted to know as much as possible so I could place my faith where I believed it belonged and not be driven by the “PC” of this world. I want to speak up and not let “PC” get in the way of someone who should be given a chance to learn what I have learned. To gain the knowledge allowing them to make life decisions based on what they choose to believe, not on what someone else tells them to believe.

So ask yourself:

Will you listen and share?

Will you look for “Truth”?

or

Will you stay in a comfort position remaining
“Politically Correct – PC”?

March 12, 2016 by Bill

The Paint of our Heart

When you open a fresh can of paint it is clean and ready to beautify. If you have completely cleaned up all the dust and debris, your paint remains just as it was prior to opening the can. The more you paint the beauty continues to shows it face. It’s when our brush picks up some dust or dirt and we dip it back into the can of paint that the paint begins to change. If we forget and leave the top off for a period of time a film can form which creates small lumps in the paint can. Before long you notice something on the wall that you need to remove or even worse, it is not found until the paint is dry. What happen? It started out so perfect.

How we handle our fresh can of paint is the same as how we handle the emotional side of our heart. It starts out so perfect with nothing but love. But then we allow it to become contaminated. It’s never the heart itself, but it’s the surroundings, the environment, and the influences that change it into something different than how it began. If we put the cover back on the paint, debris cannot enter. If we protect our hearts or the heart of a loved one, we keep it clean.

The heart just like a fresh can of paint requires proper handling. We need to be aware of what we put into it or it’s beauty and love will change or even disappear completely. When this happens it takes some hard work to restore it. But just like a can of paint, once it is contaminated, it never returns back to it’s original state.

January 25, 2016 by Bill

Reflecting on Life

When I look back on my childhood, taking the time to evaluate my life, or maybe I should say the areas that I wrapped my arms around and embraced and those that I didn’t, it brings great joy and in some cases a level of sadness. Turning the clock back to my childhood, growing up on the farm during the 50’s and 60’s with little spare cash, just enough to get by with and sometimes not even that much, I had a good life that taught me more than I ever gave it credit for.

Graduating High School in 1968 while the Viet Nam war was in full swing, seeing many of my friends serving there and returning home not the same person, some in a box, some missing limbs, but mostly changed personalities due to the effects of the war, was a difficult time.

Getting married at age nineteen, building our first house at age twenty, becoming a father at age twenty-one, were huge steps in life for me.

The foundation learned as a youth growing up was never lost, only forgotten for many years. Saddened by so much I had witnessed as a youth and my mid-teenage years in the religious arena, set my life path in motion. Determination set in, a drive to enjoy life, to become financially sound, to take a stand against all that didn’t fit into my version of faith, all began while still in high school.

Working my way up the ranks of my first job, I worked hard. I took on two jobs in those early years trying to earn what I felt was required to be a good provider. Then becoming licensed in the electrical trade and eventually starting our own company my life was very busy. Between work, family and fun, I had my hands full. Then my eyes were opened to the rest of the world when I took a new job in 1986. Being able to travel to many parts of the world, I began to see and feel the effects that war really has. To be close to war, hearing how others dealt with war both old and new, grasping the many religious faiths and beliefs including those that have no belief in God, it kicked in motion my past and the emotions caused me to re-evaluate my understandings of life.

So what does this mean in the grander scheme of things? It shows that from childhood on, our lives and personalities are set in a direction and become altered as we continue to age, grasping new information, learning about others we cross paths with. The real question is; do we allow ourselves the freedom to open our mind and explore what we see and hear? Or do we remain set in our ways determined not to allow change? Do we even recognize that we are closed to anything that may disrupt our desires and beliefs in life?

For me, I spent the time to re-evaluate my past, examine what I had learned and experienced, and to wrap my arms around what I believe this life is all about. I worked hard to eliminate the mental blocks that so often accompanies our attempt to truly understand, disabling any rational outcome. What I found was that I could make a decision for myself, placing my faith in what I had come to understand. While it was influenced by many, it was in the end, my choice, my decision, my beliefs.

So there’s this lingering question

When was the time you slowed down long enough, shoved the distraction aside, threw out the external influences of those that educate with an agenda whether religious or non-religious or educational and dug deep enough that you allowed yourself the freedom to choose where you have placed your faith?

One of the biggest things I learned along this adventure is that it takes faith to believe in life, it takes faith to believe what it is all about. It takes faith to believe in God or to not believe in God. It takes faith to believe in the direction we choose for our lives.

Where is your faith placed?

January 22, 2016 by Bill

Making a Difference!

“As the African proverb puts it, ‘If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito.’ The mosquito makes a difference in an annoying way, but the principle is the same. One person can stop a great injustice. One person can be a voice for truth. One person’s kindness can save a life. Each person matters.”

Very interesting way to view doing something positive!

December 7, 2015 by Bill

Breaking it Down: if we could just…

If we would allow ourselves to step outside our current life, dropping for a moment our inner thoughts, forgetting what we have been taught in our schools, our homes and step back from any religious beliefs we have, opening our mind to all we see, what would we like the world to be like?

With everything that is happening around this world, many times in the name of God, or some god, or Allah, or in the name of progressive evolution, one should wonder why. Why does man take something so simple to grasp, add his desires and then drive his agenda? What is it that makes man’s desire to do evil, to hate, to murder?

If you are a Christian, you say you believe in God. Why do those that kill in the name of this belief, kill at all, when to be a Christian you are to love one another.

If you a Muslim, you say you believe in God. Why do those that kill in the name of this belief, kill at all, when to be a Muslim you are to love one another.

If you acknowledge that God exist, then you should show love to everyone.

What makes man behave as he does? What makes humans make up their own rules just to satisfy man’s own desires?

One of the most basic needs in life is to be loved by a mother or father, a brother or sister, a son or a daughter, a friend or a foe. Yes, even our enemy. If we loved our enemies and we were loved by our enemies, we would no longer have enemies. It makes no difference where in this world you live or what your beliefs are. Love enables each of us to grasp our desired happiness and defeat evil, to stop doing evil, to stop being evil.

Coming back full circle, we step back into our world realizing that love is drastically missing in so many places. We recognize that some force is driving man away from this simple principle of life. Is it intellect and a belief man has evolved and that some levels of man are greater than others? Is it the man-made rules in some religious belief that pits one against another? Is it a form of arrogance, conceit, pride or superiority that separates one from another? Is it aggressiveness versus laziness? Is it an evil force driving the wedge of hate and deceit into our lives?

This is a question we should ask ourselves?

To be loved one must show love remembering that real love is unconditional and real love expects nothing in return. If your religious belief, which includes all religions, (i.e. Christian, Muslim/Islam, Atheist, Buddhism, etc.) includes evil, hate, murder, then maybe you should rethink your religious belief and take a stand for “Love your neighbor” and bring this world back to what it was designed to be from the beginning.

November 7, 2015 by Bill

Walking the “Middle of the Road”

The CENTER – The LEFT – The RIGHT

Where should we walk, talk and live?

What happens when one try’s to walk down the middle of the road? Have you ever tried to stay neutral? Do you believe in live and let live, don’t rock the boat, or to each their own? Everyone generally has an opinion, a belief or an understanding on many of todays issues of life, but do you feel that it is sometimes more healthy to keep it to yourself?

What happens when we are forced into a corner and are required to take one side or the other, when we are confronted by something bigger than we are and the center lane of life is taken away? Your desires, understanding or position may be on the right or the left or maybe you consider yourself in the center when it comes to politics, but what about your health or someone else’s health or what about religion? What will we do when we are forced to make a choice?

For some people living today, this question is faced everyday. We could be forced to make a decision based on “how will this impact my life” or “how will this impact my family” or “how will this impact my job”. It could truly be a matter of life or death. Will we go with the majority, side with the ones forcing the decision, enabling a temporary feeling of safeness? Will we tell the questioner what they want to hear even if we don’t believe it? Have you ever thought about what you would do if you were confronted by someone that would do you harm if you didn’t side with them? Would you stand by your beliefs or cave to the pressure?

When we look around the world we see countries and regions that beat, mam, and kill, the men, women and children who stand up for their beliefs. In many countries including mine, this generally does not exist today, but what would we do if it did?

Question: What would you do?

Being prepared, knowing what to do or say is one of life’s challenges. To prepare, one first must acknowledge the need and then step out and ask themselves those critical questions.

September 7, 2015 by Bill

Where Does Faith in Science Stop and Faith in God Begin – It’s a Choice

True story: A man visits his Doctor and after some test he is diagnosed with cancer. Surgery is scheduled and during the surgery the Doctor find that he is full of cancer, much worse that they had anticipated and they can do nothing. They sew him back up and after a short stop in the recovery room, the Doctors give him the results of what they found explaining to him and his family that he has only a short time to live. They tell him to go home and call them if he feels things are progressing or if he has any additional issues but that he should return in one month and they should be able to tell how fast the cancer is spreading and how much time he has left.

The man goes home and together with his family they begin to pray for his health to return.

The man returns one month later and when the Doctors checked him out they look at each other not believing what they are finding. They run more test and finally return to tell the man they cannot find any cancer. They have no explanation. One of the Doctors added; I have seen this happen once before. I cannot explain it. First it is there and then it is gone. The other Doctor added; I know what we saw when we had you opened up. There is just no medical or scientific answer to how this could have happened.

” I know such a man that this happened too. No explanation outside of his prayer asking to be healed. No pills, no drugs, just prayer to God.”

The question is: If we as a human population rely so heavily on Science and stand so firm on the idea that for ever action there is a reaction, that all things can be proven by Science and only after proven will we believe something is true, then what did this just prove? Science tells us he should have died of cancer, but he didn’t. So can Science be wrong at times?

Conclusion: if Science tells us one thing but something else happens then it is a Miracle and yes God exist! However, if one chooses to not believe in the existence of God, that the miracle just happened for what ever reason, then we are still choosing to place our faith in something without a proven explanation. So it does take faith one way or the other.

The follow-up question: how deep have you looked into the possibilities that some of what you have been told may not have real scientific proof behind it? In the doctors case they had the proof that he had cancer and that he would only live a short time. Case after case people died with this type of cancer. But how did it go away? If you dig deep enough you will find other cases where science is defied as something else is the final result.