Never ever loose hope! Its something that keeps us going in life! Hope gives us the confidence to live and have an awesome happy future!! Never loose hope!
Tag Archives: Hope
Impossible not to dream
From time to time, I have been posting a poem from my book The Human Hive. This one is taken from Part 5, ‘States of Mind’:
DANCER
She turns and takes a final look at the room:
the mirrors across the wall, the well-sprung floor.
If you ignore the lights, it’s like a womb
where music finds embodiment in dance.
Re-living the last half-hour, she shuts the door.
What did they think of that?
This was the feared audition, the longed-for chance.
Those weeks, let’s say the years, of preparation
had worked their alchemy: as though entranced
her mind and the music fused, her body became
line and shape, gesture, and lightness of motion.
Surely they will recognise, at last,
my true potential?
She feels so alive! She wants, she needs, this same
exhilaration daily in her life,
to burst out from the chrysalis…
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Optimism & morality of hope
A morality of hope lives in the belief that we can change the world for the better,
and without certain theological beliefs it is hard to see where hope could come from, if not from optimism.
Optimism and hope are not the same.
Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better;
hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better.
Optimism is a passive virtue, hope an active one.It needs no courage to be an optimist,
but it takes a great deal of courage to hope.The Hebrew Bible is not an optimistic book.
It is, however, one of the great literatures of hope.
and without certain theological beliefs it is hard to see where hope could come from, if not from optimism.
Optimism and hope are not the same.
Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better;
hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better.
Optimism is a passive virtue, hope an active one.It needs no courage to be an optimist,
but it takes a great deal of courage to hope.The Hebrew Bible is not an optimistic book.
It is, however, one of the great literatures of hope.
~ Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, from his book, To Heal a Fractured World
You’re Not That Young
At first, you look forward to the fertile days. You let your hopes fly recklessly, like helium balloons into the atmosphere. You imagine yourself glowing, growing beautifully round and radiant. You let yourself dream of nurseries and names.
Two weeks later, you feel the too familiar twist of emotional knife-sharp monthly cramps stabbing your womb and heart. Another month, another moon gone, like the egg from your uterus in a bloody river of wasted potential.
The sun, once bright with promise, becomes glaringly harsh. The discarded days collect into years you don’t have.
Moon, a wasted egg.
The suns toll like taunting bells.
Fewer days remain.
***
Oekraïne – Droogenbroodt
Oorlog in Oekraïne
De amandelbomen staan hier in bloei
een verrukking voor het oog
dat van schoonheid houdt
weldra zullen ook citrusbloesems
een verleidelijk parfum verspreiden
maar elders woedt de oorlog
ziet het oog verwoesting
en menselijk leed
daar bloeien geen bloesems
ze verstikken in de rook
van barbaars geweld.
Germain Droogenbroodt
Vredesduif
Het regent
het regent treurnis
voor onschuldige slachtoffers
voor de vernietiging van een land
voor de vlucht van moorddadig geweld
hongerig verlaat een tortelduif
de beschutting van haar boom
een strop gelijk
de zwarte ring rond haar hals.
Germain Droogenbroodt
Despoot
De nacht heeft de dageraad overvallen
en ontvreemdt van de vrede
het kostbare licht
De stilte verstomt
door schoten, kanongebulder
en huilende sirenes overstemd
Onberoerd door het leed
─ zelfs van zijn eigen volk
de heerszuchtige despoot.
Germain Droogenbroodt
Sporen
De storm is geluwd
met de zandkorrels vermengd
de algen op het strand
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True or false hope
Hope:
It is so often the case that wonderful words and phrases have no real meaning
until we meditate for a while on their descriptors.
One such wonderful example is the word ‘Hope’.
To say that I have hope is meaningless.
Is it a true or false hope, a strong or weak hope, a living or dead hope?
I could go on.
It is so often the case that wonderful words and phrases have no real meaning
until we meditate for a while on their descriptors.
One such wonderful example is the word ‘Hope’.
To say that I have hope is meaningless.
Is it a true or false hope, a strong or weak hope, a living or dead hope?
I could go on.
Where does your hope in Jesus stand?
I pray it is enriched by the sure reality that you are greatly loved by the Creator and His Son,
whose love will be the sure basis of our hope for all eternity.
It is the only hope that matters.
Join me in hope.
It is the only way to live,
and live and live joyfully and eternally.
Live!!!
~ Alan Hermann
Filed under Being and Feeling, Lifestyle, Religious affairs, Welfare matters
Improving the one who loves Him
We have seen that a Source of light and wisdom lights up for everyone, but it should be noted.
Each of us must grow up in this troubled world and become resilient.
Those whom Jehovah loves he disciplines.—Heb. 12:6.
As part of our training, our loving Father disciplines us when necessary. He does so in many ways. For instance, something we read in His Word or hear at our meetings may correct us. Or perhaps the help we need comes from the elders. Regardless of the form it takes, Jehovah’s discipline is always motivated by love.
11 “For I am with you,” declares Jehovah, “to save you.
Jehovah supports us through trials. Just as a caring human father supports his children during difficult times, our heavenly Father sustains us through trials. He uses his holy spirit to protect us from spiritual harm.
13 Therefore, if you, although being wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more so will the Father in heaven give holy spirit to those asking him!”+ (Luke 11:13)
Jehovah also protects us emotionally. For example, he gives us a marvelous hope. That hope for the future helps us to endure difficulties. Consider this: No matter what bad things happen to us, our loving Father will undo any injury we suffer. Whatever trials we are facing, these are only temporary, but the blessings Jehovah gives are everlasting.
16 Therefore, we do not give up, but even if the man we are outside is wasting away, certainly the man we are inside+ is being renewed from day to day.+ 17 For though the tribulation is momentary and light, it works out for us a glory that is of more and more surpassing greatness* and is everlasting;+ 18 while we keep our eyes, not on the things seen, but on the things unseen.+ For the things seen are temporary, but the things unseen are everlasting. — 2 Cor. 4:16-18.
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Read also
Imperfect ones to learn from the One Who wants to be our Father
Filed under Reflection Texts, Religious affairs
Some Hope for 2021
Karla Surguine cried when the clock struck twelve on January 1st, 2021. She writes:
It never crossed my mind that I would be emotional about the moment wretched 2020 would turn to history, but my heart was relieved to see a conglomerate of pain walk away. I am not a believer that a different day immediately improved things; we are still in the midst of everything 2020 brought for us. However, I know for sure that 2021 is the year of hope. We hope that things will get better from here. They will not be as normal as a year ago, but we expect this year to bring healing to our bodies, hearts, and pockets. {My Hope for 2021}
At the beginning of the year, we all have a lot of resolutions or plans we want to realise in the new year. On the 31st of December many are waiting and counting down, ready for a fresh start and a New Year. Every year we want to have certain things of the previous year to be put in a bin to forget very quickly. 2020 brought us something we shall not easily forget, though we would love to see it soon over.
It’s crystal clear that 2020 was not as promising as we expected it to be, that was a year filled with challenges and hopes for a better future that we so craved to come as soon as possible and now it’s finally here but how can we manage to leave that outdated/shadowy mindset behind in order to bring up a fresh one that can take us exactly where we wanted to go in the former year but couldn’t utterly achieve? {Tips For a More Uplifting Mindset}
How many people do not spend their whole life stuck in situations where they wish to escape. This last year was for many more a year we all want to leave behind. Though so quickly it shall not let us go loose. We must understand it is still going to be here for some while. So we shall have to be patient.
writes:
Last year was a hard/different year and even if we don’t see many changes in the beginning of 2021, we have to be positive and think that we learn some things in the hardest times, and that good times will come. The good thinks we learned should be remembered and applied in 2021 (and maybe for the rest of our life) but there are always more things that we can try to be better. {Our 2021 Resolutions…}
For many 2020 has shown the importance of finding bliss in the little things and of being able to be with our beloved ones, trying to stay save and uninfected. Many of us could find in 2020 so much more time for themselves, because they did not have to go to work or could not open their shop. The obligated time for oneself could enrich us. The time of isolation could also be for many a time for reflection. We clearly see the result of it, by having even people starting a new business in this crisis time. Others found now the time to work in the house, doing renovations, or working more in the garden; All the green fingers seemed to have come out of the soil.
2020 surprisingly was also a year many could find renewed energy to things that bring them pure happiness, learning that change is okay, and setting boundaries in order to be their best self. Many people their eyes opened how they were the other years taken by their job full of stress, more working instead of living.
2020 brought them down to earth to reconsider. It was really a year of reflection for many.
I often get so caught up in work, stress, + daily to-do’s that I forget to take a moment to look around me and appreciate everything that I have. This is something that 2020 has taught me to do, and I am so grateful. I hope to carry this mentality into the coming year, because it has shown me what is most important in life.{New Year, New Manifestations}
Ranjani writes:
With a deadly virus lurking in unexpected corners, it was critical for everyone to maintain a good physical health. But it did not suffice, did it? To sustain those prolonged durations of lockdown, distancing ourselves from our loved ones, isolations and taking responsibility of our dependents despite our precarious emotional states, achieving and maintaining a state of harmony of the body, mind and emotions had become inevitable. {Entering a new decade with old values!}
We can look negatively to those lockdowns, or we can be glad we still could make the best out of it and stay healthy. She continues:
we are a lot calmer than what we were a year before and have embraced the uncertainty, albeit gingerly. {Entering a new decade with old values!}
2020 was for many a year that showed reasons enough to be thankful.
There’s no such thing as not having anything to be grateful for, it might be the most modest thing we can possibly think of that it’s still going to count as something to be grateful for, so grab a pen and a piece of paper and go do some grateful thinking practice or just type it on your phone. Whatever you fancy! {Tips For a More Uplifting Mindset}
Probably for most people things didn’t go the way they wanted them to go. All over the world, we got taken by the unexpected. However, one thing is for certain, all over the world, people are looking forward to some change.
A change in perspective holds the power to highly influence in your outcomes regardless of your setting point. So, perhaps adjusting the way we perceive things to be might not just give us the results that we want plus also helps us discern our dreams and hopes from a brighter perspective. {Tips For a More Uplifting Mindset}
All people were taken out of their comfort zone. Most of us are not yet sure what perspective 2021 might bring. But we all hope we shall be able to put an end to this mighty coronavirus tickling our society for such a long time. For sure in 2021 we shall need another strategy than in 2020.
See, this is the moment when we are supposed to be courageous and driven enought in order to let go of the control and boredom and take over a whole innovative attitude on how to take actions that are just as reasonable and that can take you where you are intented to go. {Tips For a More Uplifting Mindset}
Last few months we were allowed to go easy on ourselves and allowing us to have time for resting and even perhaps some time to go lazy (who knows?).
2020 was a rough year in which required so much of us to merely make it through to get to this point and so just for that we are deserving of the greatest amount of respect we could ever nurture for anyone…
So, please in the name of quality of life, the next time we find us beating ourselves up let’s remember that that inner, ugly and powerless voice has no inpact on our reality unless we grant it the strenght to. {Tips For a More Uplifting Mindset}
One of the good things of 2020 was also that lots of people became more aware of the difficult position others are.
People, otherwise preoccupied with their mundane problems, turned crusaders in support of the less privileged and the needy. There are reports galore in the media of people donating their earnings to relief funds, supplying essentials, arranging transport services, serving food to frontline workers, volunteering along with health care professionals, working round the clock to bring relief to patients, supplying medicines and protective gears, sharing their resources and opening their heart, mind and arms to fellow humans, across the world. {Entering a new decade with old values!}
2021 shall not directly bring new days, but the hope might be here now that in lots of countries vaccinations have been started.
In our minds getting something done can be a huge elephant that we have to tackle when all we have to do is beat the potato sitting on us. What happens to our dreams? What happens to our environment? What about our friends? Do we just accept turning into a puddle of screens or a piece of that silver tape on our couch that will not budge? It’s not worth it. These mindless activities just cause emptiness and blend our free time away. Again, it’s not worth it. By shifting just a little bit we can move the potato off its position and gain some momentum. Potatoes aren’t particularly heavy. {The 10 Minutes that Will Change Your Life}
The time being we shall just have to make the best of the coming months. Therefore, take some good books with you and watch some nice films with your partner and your kids. Take some more time to play outdoors and to play some family games inside.
Deciding to pick up a book for a few minutes a day instead of my phone, will water me and make me very fruitful, enabling me to give to others. As a consequence, I hope to sleep better, try new things around my neighborhood, discover new interesting topics, learn a bit about art, and cook some new dishes. Reading will breathe newness and refreshment in me. {My Hope for 2021}
Choose for 2021 to
- find happiness in the everyday
- read more
- set clear boundaries
- continue to prioritize health + wellness
- continue to grow
- to make the best out of life
To end:
So often we try to work at ourselves to change ourselves. But is that always change for the good? More often we need to accept ourselves more and find a way to fit in this world of diversity. It is not bad to have plans for the future and to work at yourself, but always think very carefully about it and do not have too high expectations.
We don’t know what the new year has in store for us. But let’s pack some optimism and newfound values and lessons learnt last year in our benevolence bag and make headway with a big smile! {Entering a new decade with old values!}
Good luck.
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Find also to read
- In Coronatime thinking about death
- Today’s thought “A New Year” (January 01)
- The secular year coming to a close
- If you’re going to try, go all the way
- Good time to sort out your friends and contacts
- A new start when the lockdown comes to an end
- Do we need to learn to accept ourselves as we are?
- A living Word giving confidence
- We should use the Bible every day
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Related
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- Be yourself, Be at home
- Work from Home: Quarantine Time
- Complex dynamics and simple disappointments
- The good behind the bad and the ugly
- The 200 year present
- Hope & possibility
- New Year
- Fresh Start
- New Year, New Manifestations
- Alive in the future – dead in the past
2020 a year of having more idols but also more personal problems
The Spring of 2020 brought something new to the world which made everyone and everything coming to a standstill but brought also many to having psychological problems. At first, it seemed incredible to hear certain churches calling for their members to come to church, even when the governments asked people to avoid contact with many. Some pastors dared to go so far as telling people that if they would become infected with Corona that would be because they had not enough faith. Such saying we can only call “criminal”. Several Christian groups, mainly in Holland wanted people to believe that as faithful people would come to the service they would not be harmed because they would do what God expected from them.
Lots of people got in problem with their mind, having become pulled away from their social contacts by the lockdown. Depression, bipolar episodes, and anxiety attacks were hindermost in the running.
Because depression isn’t often discussed in churches, a great deal of misunderstanding has popped up in this year when there were so many more people with a lot of psychological problems, who could not be helped by medical staff.
We want people to believe that the first step is realising what this disorder isn’t:
“It’s not a character defect, a spiritual disorder or an emotional dysfunction. And chief of all, it’s not a choice.”
Also we want Christians to be aware that it is not, like some Trinitarian preachers wanted their flock to believe
a penalty from God.
When you do not feel well in your skin it is not that God would be punishing you because you would have done something wrong or that you would not have enough faith in Him.
We also must be aware that just because someone seems “happy,” that doesn’t mean they’re healthy or that they really would be happy. Look at the very popular Flemish influencer. Social media seemed to take more people in its ban this year. The advertising flow is drying up, so professional users of social media tell more about their concerns and they seemed for many to provide some good information. After the death of that 21 year old boy more than ever, several influencers came to understand their role in the youthgroups and to realise that good mental health is important.
This way NokNok wants to teach young people that it is normal to not always feel perfect. Staff member Eline De Decker:
“Nobody walks on clouds every day. Sometimes you get up and immediately feel that it is going to be a terrible day. Sometimes you doubt yourself or feel insecure. Or are you stressed or disappointed with friends or family. That is normal.
And that’s all okay. ”
NokNok wants to convey that message clearly and shows young people between the ages of 12 and 16 what they can do to gain more self-confidence, have less stress and go through life as positivo.
Instagram has been around for ten years, and what the app has perhaps achieved best during that period is creating the illusion that users can “work independently” via the platform. Certainly influencers, people who live off sponsored photos on their Instagram profile, are an example of this bogus self-employment.
They live off Instagram, but much more for Instagram – they tweak their entire lives to create the best photos and videos. And once their Instagram goes down, they have nothing to fall back on.
With the rise of social media, the phenomenon of fanship has changed drastically. About ten or twenty years ago, an idol was someone you idolized by hanging posters on the wall, playing CDs, maybe watching movies or TV shows. The relationship fan-
Idol was pretty one-sided: the fan was occasionally thrown a treat – a new song, a TV appearance, a message about a wedding in a gossip magazine – and he or she had to settle for that.
But with digitization, the relationship between fans and idols has turned inside out,
British sociology professor Ellis Cashmore writes in his book Kardashian Kulture, in which he examines how celebrity culture has changed in the 21st century. No longer are fans from outside looking at the world in which their idol lives – they are right in the thick of it.
Certain churches used those idols also in church and wanted to attire people to their meetings by using a lot of music and disco settings. In 2020 we saw a continuation of the pulpits shrinking and even disappearing while bands and lighting have grown. But faith does not come from music, dynamic experiences, or supposed encounters with God. Faith is birthed through the proclamation of God’s Word (Rom 10:17).
Our assurance is threatened.
Whilst certain churches kept calling their flock to the church building, others tried to bring entertaining video presentations. All that attention or focussing on those idols and entertainement made many youngsters feeling even more alone, when there was no such church meeting any more. If we associate God’s presence with a particular experience or emotion, you can ask what happens when we no longer feel it.
We search for churches whose praise band, orchestra, or pipe organ produce in us the feelings we are chasing. But the reality of God in our lives depends on the mediation of Christ not on subjective experiences.
Musicians are given priestly status.
When music is seen as a means to encounter God, worship leaders and musicians are vested with a priestly role. They become the ones who bring us into the presence of God rather than Jesus Christ who alone has already fulfilled that role. Understandably, when a worship leader or band doesn’t help me experience God they have failed and must be replaced. On the other hand, when we believe that they have successfully moved us into God’s presence they will attain in our minds a status that is far too high for their own good.
Division is increased.
If we identify a feeling as an encounter with God, and only a particular kind of music produces that feeling, then we will insist that same music be played regularly in our church or gatherings. As long as everyone else shares our taste then there is no problem. But if others depend upon a different kind of music to produce the feeling that is important to them then division is cultivated. And because we routinely classify particular feelings as encounters with God our demands for what produce those feelings become very rigid. This is why so many churches succumb to offering multiple styles of worship services. By doing so, they unwittingly sanction division and self-centeredness among the people of God.
Scripture is full of exhortations to God’s people to sing and make music to Him. Our God has been gracious to give us this means to worship Him. But it is important to understand that music in our worship is for two specific purposes: to honour God and to edify our fellow believers. Unfortunately, many Christians tend to grant music a sacramental power which Scripture never bestows upon it.
Intense relationship
Those churches who by the years focused more on the show element of their services brought their members now in a situation where the lockdown is felt more as a restriction and limitation. Some even came to find that they could not serve God any more or did not give Him the full worship they had to offer Him. The fact they felt they could not serve their God any more made them feeling very bad. Instead of making them to understand they also could worship God in their own house in their own small bubble, some churches gave them even more a feeling of guilt by keeping to tell them they should not stop coming to the church building.
Against the lonely feeling they said what’s needed was the gathering and coming to feast again for God. But what is really needed is a loving community where people are encouraged to speak up and get help. And that speaking can be done by internet meetings and help can be giving by phone calls as well as by sending material by land mail.
People should know that when fear comes into their heart, they themselves can call to God. They not only should trust on the entertaining sessions of their church.
God Loves You
The fundamental message of the Gospel is that God loves you.
Do you understand?
God loves you. No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been, God will always love you. Dr. Kenneth Hutcherson describes it like this,
“No matter what kind of situation you may find yourself facing, don’t be afraid, because God will always be with you and have your best interests in mind since He loves you. Whenever feelings of fear creep into your life, turn to God for the help you need to overcome them and successfully navigate your circumstances. Whenever you sense God calling you to do something that requires taking a risk, move forward without fear because God will empower you to do whatever He calls you to do.”
It’s Alright to Feel Sad
No one likes to feel sad. We frequently try to avoid feelings of pain, or bury them under the weight of our daily routines. But sorrow cannot and should not be ignored. Accepting our sorrow doesn’t mean we’re weak, or a failure, it means we’re human. Just look what Ethan McCarthy of Christianity Today had to say,
“Our faith is predicated on sadness. As we grow in Christ’s service, we begin to recognize ourselves in Christ’s sad gaze in the icons. The sadness of Jesus exemplifies the sadness of Christians everywhere, and through it the whole world is redeemed. For the sadness of Jesus is not an ultimate sadness: the Bible also promises the end of sadness, and the wiping away of all tears: ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted’ (Matt. 5:4).”
After bad times better times
2020 may not have been an ideal year, but we should know there have been lots more worse years in the past. When looking at those horrible years of illnesses, pains, horrible situations and wars, we should see that we did not have it as bad as some want us to believe.
Hope is a frail thing, but it’s hard to kill. If you’ve found yourself struggling in the valleys of life, please don’t give up. Surround yourself with friends who will comfort you and mourn with you. If you’re suffering from depression, have courage and make an appointment with a doctor. Above all, remember that God loves you, and that will never change.
2020 has been a year where a lot more people had psychological difficulties. The helplines got a lot more calls. Lots of people were struggling with depression. More than 1 in 5 youngsters this year had difficulties with the isolation brought unto them. Christians should see signs and then should come to help.
Every suicide is a tragic end to a life that’s precious to God. If you’re willing, God can empower you to help save the lives of people he loves from ending their lives before they’ve completed the lifetimes he intends for them. Here’s how you can help prevent suicide by reaching out to struggling people you know:
Recognize warning signs.
The American Association of Suicidology says that people who are at risk of committing suicide often display warning signs such as: communicating a desire to kill themselves, looking for ways to kill themselves (like seeking access to guns or medications), expressing a lack of purpose or hope in life, demonstrating dramatic mood changes, behaving in significantly anxious or angry ways, sleeping too much or not sleeping enough, feeling trapped in a challenging situation, taking reckless risks, abusing alcohol or drugs, and withdrawing from relationships with family and friends.
Listen well and offer unconditional love, like God does.
Pay attention to the troubling thoughts and feelings that people share with you. Listen carefully to what they express, and ask them questions to clarify and seek more information. If suicidal people know that you’re genuinely interested in them and that they can trust you not to judge them, gossip about them, or avoid them when they tell you something disturbing, they’ll likely open up to you. Ask God to help you love suicidal people unconditionally – like He does – and that will give them hope they desperately need while struggling with embarrassment and shame.
Pray specifically.
Let people know that they can count on you to pray for them about every specific issue they’ve shared with you. Ask God to bring them the help and healing they need, and pray in Jesus’ name against any form of evil that may be attacking them spiritually.
Give people a fresh perspective on themselves and their problems.
Suicidal people often become so preoccupied with their own failures and the problems in their lives that they blow them out of proportion. When that happens, they feel overwhelmed and can’t see how they can ever find solutions to their problems or find relief from their suffering. Mistakenly thinking that there’s no hope for them to experience better lives, they then may choose to simply end their lives. If someone tells you that she hates herself or feels like a burden on others, you can encourage her by pointing out specific ways she has enriched your life. When someone you know is distraught about a problem that seems insurmountable, you can gently and respectfully point out other aspects of her life that are positive to help her gain a better perspective. Refrain from giving unsolicited advice, which can seem judgmental to someone who is struggling. But remind your friend that there’s plenty of good in her, and in her life, despite the bad aspects that trouble her. You can also point out that every problem – no matter how severe – is temporary, but suicide is permanent. Encourage suicidal people to give themselves time to see how their problems can resolve in unexpected ways, rather than prematurely ending their lives.
Strong churches don’t “fix” depression.
Even large churches may not have the framework currently in place to deal with mental disorders. So, what’s needed?
“Healing comes from a prayerful, loving community that seeks to truly understand major depressive disorder and related conditions, and one that develops a positive response.”
Depression can feel like a huge weight that keeps pulling a Christian down again and again. Breaking free from the clutches of this disorder may seem impossible, but Margaret Ashmore (of the Association of Biblical Counselors) says that one of the most important things a sufferer can do is “the next thing”:
“So ‘doing the next thing’ might mean getting right with someone you’ve wronged, making restitution on outstanding payments, putting away once for all that website or magazine which feeds a monstrous, lustful appetite, taking back a purchase of self indulgence whose only outcome was more debt – you will have your own list. I certainly have mine. But be assured, this principle alone can take you from a shrugging Atlas with the weight of the world on your shoulders to that of renewed vigor and reviving refreshment….”
“The choices we make to obey despite our feelings or to give in to the downward pull of a fallen world filled with fallen people – mean everything.”
If you suffer from anxiety of depression, you’re not alone.
The one true source of freedom: Jesus.
People who kill themselves are trying to break free from their pain. But suicide just makes people dead, not free, and it actually causes more pain by spreading grief around to deceased people’s loved ones. Tell struggling people you know that while suicide can’t make them free, Jesus Christ can. Jesus is the way to God. He is the mediator between God and man, and having been here on earth as a man of flesh and blood, he very well knows the pains man can have to face.
No matter how difficult, certain things may look for us, when we pray to God we may find solutions to get over those difficult situations.
(With parts of articles by a.o. Todd Pruitt, John UpChurch, Ryan Duncan, Whitney Hopler of Crosswalk.com)
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An Ode Of Utopia
The world is inhabited by lots of peoples, all humans, which does not have to mean they are humane.
Those who say they honour Allah, the Most High Divine Creator Who made man in His own image, should make sure that they are worth to bear that image. Living according to the Laws of the Elohim Hashem Jehovah it is up to those lovers of God to work at the improvement of the living environment.
Many may call those callers for peace utopians, but the world shall have to come to know our world is not an unreachable Utopia.
Looking at an Utopism which has not ended
Marcus Ampe wrote a few days ago on WordPress “Utopism has not ended” giving more clarification on his way of thinking and about his “Utopian Dreams“. In a series of articles on his WordPress blog he continues to look at reasons why we should not give up hope for a better world and how some Christians and certain people are too much afraid for matters of social protection.
The Thousand-Year View from N.S. Palmer wants to apply time-tested ideas to the problems of our modern era and also took a look at Mr. Ampe‘s writing. N.S. Palmer preaches that we shouldn’t worry about things we can’t control, but it’s easier to say than to do. On that point we seem to differ. We cannot escape being in this system and having to live in this world at a certain time. But how we live and what we are willing to accept to happen plays an important role in our life. When people, living in this world, believe it could be very well possible to make it a better place for many, to some that might be an unreachable goal, to others it should be something to work at.
Trying to get a perfect society is something which we all should be doing. Though we agree only partly with Mr. Palmer who says
No society ever has been or ever will be perfect. {Utopia’s Biggest Problem}
him forgetting that one day Jesus Christ shall return and install the Kingdom of God here on earth. The Nazarene rabbi his government will be the most perfect governing body and shall give all its inhabitants the most perfect system to live in.
Mr Palmer further finds that
utopians waste their time and cause great harm by rejecting possible goals and pursuing an impossible goal. {Utopia’s Biggest Problem}
It is true that the goal set by utopians might be very unreachable, hence their name “utopists”, or followers of utopian dreams, thinking of utopia (1500-1600) being the imaginary perfect country in the book Utopia (1516) by the English humanist and statesman, chancellor of England (1529–32) Sir Thomas More, from Greek ou “not, no” + topos “place”.
Because their goal can never be achieved, nothing will ever be enough. They think we should keep doing the same things, just do them harder. Spend more money. Take away more freedom. Police more speech. {Utopia’s Biggest Problem}
Such an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its citizens may be presented in several authors their stories. A utopia focuses on equality in such categories as economics, government and justice (a non-exhaustive list), and does not focus on “spending more money” like Mr. Palmer seems to give the impression. Neither do utopians want to take away the freedom of people. Just the opposite they want to secure that there is freedom on all sorts of levels: freedom of life, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, a.o. but most importantly also freedom of choice under the condition not to limit others. That utopians want to have more control on those freedoms and perhaps would want to see more control of having all people receiving the same liberties and same equalities, may demand a controlling apparatus or police, but does not have to mean we have to go to become a police-state or a state of repression. That is the wrong vision a lot of people who are against socialism, utopianism and communism want to send into the world.
There are many debates about what constitutes a utopia. Many who are against any social feeling, what they call part of the “left” consider utopians and their world or societies they want to build, “utopias” benign or dangerous. Concerning utopia fitting or not, or being essential to a Christian world lots of contradictory ideas go round. Many ask
Is the idea of utopianism essential to Christianity or heretical? What is the relationship between utopia and ideology?
One of the leading scholars in the field of utopian studies, Lyman Tower Sargent argues that utopia’s nature is inherently contradictory because societies are not homogeneous and have desires which conflict and therefore cannot simultaneously be satisfied. Sargent notes that some thinkers see a trajectory from utopia to totalitarianism, with violence an inevitable part of the mix, and we have the impression Mr. Palmer might do so also.
According to Sargent:
There are socialist, capitalist, monarchical, democratic, anarchist, ecological, feminist, patriarchal, egalitarian, hierarchical, racist, left-wing, right-wing, reformist, free love, nuclear family, extended family, gay, lesbian and many more utopias [ Naturism, Nude Christians, …] Utopianism, some argue, is essential for the improvement of the human condition. But if used wrongly, it becomes dangerous. Utopia has an inherent contradictory nature here.
And that describes very well the difficulty of that utopian world for which Mr. Ampe puts his hand in the fire. He as several other Christians believes in the purity man can come to reach, in which innocence is in the heart of that person, enabling people to walk freely in nature naked, without others having bad ideas. In such a free world naturism would for example never be a problem, because all people would abstain from wrong thinking and wrong acts. In an utopian world there is no place for sexual offensive acts to the public sense of decency. There being no place for obscenity by people keeping themselves to pure thought the same as the first people in the Garden of Eden had. It was only after they had done wrong and came to know good and evil that they became afraid of the other and wanted to protect themselves by covering their body. Such covering in an ideal world would not be necessary, the same as it was not a matter to cover oneself in the 1970ies and hippies could share their places freely with others without having to fear something to go wrong. Nakedness was no problem at that time, whilst now we see again a lot of shyness and fear of nudity among many young people as well as some elderly people.
We do agree many of the boom children tried to create a perfect society in the 1960–70ies but failed terribly. Though we are not ashamed that we tried to stimulate others to step on the wagon with us (dreamers). Many of our generation might have betrayed their ideas, but Mr. Ampe like several others, as a follower of the Nazarene Jeshua (Jesus Christ) believes the teachings of that rebbe are still worth going for.
Utopians just ask people to take the responsibility for others and to respect everybody and everybody around them. They would never stimulate capitalism, like N.S. Palmer gives the impression.
At the moment we can grow unto more tolerance by learning to agree to disagree, as well by not being afraid to dare to engage in thoughtful political discussions. Though at the moment we still face the difficulty that not everyone involved is really interested in finding out the truth. An other problem these days is also that lots of people do not realise that disagreement does not imply evil. On that fact Mr. Palmer seems to agree and writes:
Calm, rational debate helps them see the underlying assumptions, strengths, and weaknesses of each person’s viewpoint. That helps everyone understand the issues better. It also helps them understand each other better. Screaming, hysteria, and emotional theatrics do not. {Dialogue Is Not Harmful}
We believe the Bible offers a way to live together peaceful and gives us a nice picture in the Book of Isaiah, what that world can and shall be. We might be utopians or dreamers for many, but Mr. Ampe with his brethren and sisters in Christ do believe those prophesies are going to become true, and as such shall their utopian dream once become a reality, though it still may take some time.
Mr. Ampe also believes we can be united and should try to convince those who hate certain people, to have them to accept them as co-living citizens with the same rights as them. It is for mutual benefit and the common good that people must be rational enough to set aside their differences and come closer to each other with full respect for each other and for other cultures.
Big problem today to come to such an utopian world is the egocentric and egoistic attitude of the present population.
We believe the Bible gives enough directions to come to a better world already now in our lifetime, even before the return of Christ. We do not have to wait until the wars to expect or the Big Battle or Armageddon, before we shall come to think about that better world. Already today, in our lifetime, we can show others fundamental truths of life.
Some might think utopians want all to become “puppets” handled by someone in charge of everything. But that is a wrong thought about the world envisioned by us. We are against any dictatorial system. It is a world whereby people freely agree to follow certain ethics and moral laws. We also do not say everybody has to do the same thing in the same manner. In our ‘utopian world’, there is enough freedom to act freely. Already now we can try to come to agreements to live a certain way, and this without any force or violence.
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Find also to read:
- Misleading world, stress, technique, superficiality, past, future and positivism
- Subcutaneous power for humanity 2 1950-2010 Post war generations
- Are people willing to take the responsibility for others
- Baby Boomers reaching retirement age, Demographic trends and New blood from abroad
- Lower and middle-class youth becoming tiny cogs in a larger whole that they cannot control
- Intellectual servility a curse of mankind
- the Bible – God’s guide for life #3 Fast food or staple diet
- the Bible – God’s guide for life #4 Not to get the best from our diet– or from ourselves
- Determine the drive
- Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #4 Transitoriness #3 Rejoicing in the insistence
- The Scensual World – Mission & Vision
- Are Christianity and Capitalism Compatible?
- Francis Fukuyama and ‘The End of History?’
- The Upbringing of Ideas and the Extrapolation of Capitalism
- Utopism has not ended
- A famous individual by the name of Jesus of Nazareth
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Further related
- Utopia!
Utopia basically means paradise. And, in these times of social, political and ecological upheaval, to dream of a utopian world in which these problems cease to exist is completely natural. - Utopia – Thomas More ****
- Broaden the Narratives: Mistaken Orders<
- Humanities Retribution
- Anarchy, State and Utopia
- Leon Trotzky
- Globalism: a Letter
- Money-Free World
- Alternative Earth
- The Citizen’s Convention on Climate: utopia or step towards change?
- Utopia….State of bliss!
- Technology, Utopia, and Horizon Zero Dawn
- Are We There, Yet?
- History Bends Toward Chaos
- “How will i get a cappuccino in your political utopia?”
- Why Common Sense Is So Uncommon
- Nothing Learned
- We Can Have Unity Without Unanimity
- How to Get a Healthy Society
- Rebecca Solnit on Hope
- The Blank Slate of Outer Space
- The Climate Crisis and the Need for Utopian Thinking
- And The Greatest Of These…Is Love
- An Ode Of Utopia
Kismet
Even when clothed in the bright
colours of a peacock’s feathers….
the light plays games when it peaks
through dry dead branches as it chases
the darkness into the shadows
And time passes so differently here
….it beckons to the future
….and veils the past
……a future … a hope
……. a kismet to last
© Vivian Zems
Hope – History the proof that humans have the capacity to make their hopes come true
History is the proof that if humans have the audacity to hope they also have the capacity to make their hopes come true.
Almost all the people who were responsible for a breakthrough were once labelled insane because they believed in something considered to be impossible. Our world is a materialistic sphere which encourages actions rather than speculations because guesswork cannot pay bills.
Every discovery starts with a wild conjecture which receives more criticism rather than appreciation. It’s not an easy task to implement something which lies on the spectrum of so-called impossibility. But even in a world like this, there are some people who would choose to be a dreamer rather than a skeptic realist; I am one of them. I believe there’s only a thin line of skepticism between possibility and impossibility which can be erased with hope; where there’s hope there’s a possibility.
If our ancestors hadn’t…
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Hope Within Our Poetry
Words from deep in our heart give us our character and strength and carry us far away in this world and our other world.
Scars won’t keep our hope in the darkness,
instead our words will live
within our poetry,
encouraging us,
strengthening us
each and every day.
Poetry and Image © Copyright 2019, ancient skies
Don’t Be Discouraged
We must know that living in a godless world many burdens and suffering may be part of every person being part of this word-system. Though every one who has found God and has come to believe in His sent one, shall find consolation that we shall come closer to a time when the Most High shall bring a turn-over.
Though people of the earth have ruined it, because they do not follow God’s teachings or do not obey God’s laws. Those who kept to the agreement with God that was to last forever, shall soon hear songs from every part of the earth, praising God, the Righteous One. The Almighty God has always done what He said He would do and has done what He planned long ago, and as such we may trust Him Who not only renews us but shall renew the whole earth, stopping the violent attacks on us, as a cloud cools a hot day, Jehovah shall silence the songs of those who have no mercy.
In Him we may have hope and shall come to see that He will wipe away every tear from every face. He will take away the shame of His people from the earth. (Isaiah 24-25)
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Related
- Up, or Down…
- Discouragement
- Harps #5! On Discouragement, And The Overall Feeling Of Failure
- Quote (discouragement)
- You have no reason
- Throwback Thursday: The Danger of Discouragement
- Emotions Are Like the Sea
- Discouragements are not from God. 5 Things to do to stay positive and NOT lose your focus
- Discouragement like temptation
- My Resting Place
- God Hears Your Cry
Verse of the Day: 2 Corinthians 4:16
Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
Life is sometimes hard and the world can be a mean and lonely place not to mention the pressure we put on ourselves to be perfect. Don’t be discouraged, don’t give up, this world and everything in it is only temporary. Turn to God and let your spirit be renewed by his love and grace.
ek is bang ek vergeet
22 Maart 2018
Ek neem so baie in en my oë sien prentjies om elke hoek en draai. Vandag plunge ek na ‘n diep plek en ek dink sommer aan alles wat vir my belangrik is.
Ek is bang ek vergeet hierdie ervaring.
Ek moet my hande en my hart oopvou. Alles wat ek sien en beleef moet deur my spoel.
Een van die dae is ek terug in my gewone roetine, maar ek sal nie dieselfde wees nie. Hierdie ervaring word deel van my en verander die buitelyne van my wese.
Ek gaan nie dieselfde wees nie maar tóg presies soos gister. Dit is die lewe.
A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.
The time had come to open her heart to joy, to love, to the unknown, to sadness, to what was, to hope, to what will…
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Preach
Too many people who call themselves Christian do forget who Jesus really was and which tasks he had given to his followers. Today true Christians still should follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and should proclaim the hopeful message of the coming Kingdom.
Real Christians should be heralds of the Gospel, eager to tell the people about the Good News, of salvation and about the hope for mankind given by the Grace of God.
As forerunner or herald Christians should be portent or indicators of something important or calamitous about to occur, perhaps an omen in the eyes of many, but for others an insurmountable event to look forward even when it might bring lots of suffering and an incredible violence. therefore we should warn the people of that last and third world war which is insuperable.
By sharing the agape love and bringing more people to see that Jesus is the way to God and the way to life, the Christian herald shall be able to make many stronger and secured against the coming disaster. Out of love for others we should tell others about the love of God, about what Jesus has done, but also about the return of Jesus and what to expect of that time of his return.
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To remember
- Greek word most often translated as ‘preach’ is κηρύσσω – kérussó (Strong’s 2784) = Koine = ‘to be or act like a herald’ or ‘to proclaim’.
- role of a herald or Old French heraut from Frankish via herewald, literally ‘war-ruler’, > martial or commander > 3 distinct contemporary meanings:
- ‘preacher’ of the Gospel, = entrusted (stewardship) with a message of coming of the Kingdom of God.
- ‘to herald’ = ‘sing the praises of’
- idea that a Christian should ‘preach the Gospel’= frowned upon. > conjures images of street corner evangelists ranting at passing ‘sinners’
- Christian organisations involved in social action ministry > running night shelters, to discourage volunteers from speaking about Jesus – some even require a signed commitment to not proactively mention the Gospel.
What has gone wrong? To paraphrase Peter (Acts 5:3), how has Satan so filled the hearts of Christians? How is it that Christians feel confident enough to defy God and disobey the Great Commission?
Go into all the world and proclaim (kérussó) the gospel to the whole creation. (Mark 16:15)
‘preach’ is not:
- convicting people of their sin and telling them they are bound for hell
- talking down to people from a position of self-righteousness
- a slick presentation, a hectoring declamation or a well-honed argument.
Preaching = heralding = speaking joyfully of Jesus, singing his praises; telling people of how people are transformed in Christ, and how they can be also, through faith.
best witnesses to Christ = demonstrate love + speak of its origin, which is Jesus; perhaps the Great Commission was given as command because Jesus knew that it would be challenging.
If witness speaks from love about hope + declares that Jesus = source of hope => herald will have done his work faithfully.
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Additional reading
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Related
- What is meant by awareness, or witnessing?
- Witnessing the Destruction of Nature around the Planet.
- Man I sure wish I would’ve had one of my witnessing cards just now to send with a man.
- A witnessing prayer
- Witnessing the Secret Creator
- ” Witnessing “
- As the clock strikes 12…
- Hope is an anchor
- Reject And Correct Christian propaganda
- Families embrace their community for the gospel
- Bold to Witness
- Being a One Talent Church
- Come and see…
- Hold Up The Light
- Are You An Ambassador For Christ?
- Are You Ready for the Harvest?
- First Things First
- Talking About Jesus
- You Are Ready To Go – By Laurence Torr
- Christianity’s Most Essential Verse
Raphael’s depiction of Paul preaching in Athens
Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. (1 Thessalonians 2:9)
The Greek word that is most often translated as ‘preach’ is κηρύσσω – kérussó (Strong’s 2784). The word in the Koine
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A Reminder of Hope and Light on a January Morning
In the dry heart of winter,
the cold splinters around us,
shards of light cut through
night’s thinning darkness.
A teasing sun rises to the south
of what we believe is east,
bringing an illusion of heat
to leafless limbs and bare branches.
On other days,
a gray heaviness hovers around us,
hazy shadows shift slowly
in frozen passings.
Even through this mist of clouds,
a touch of Light still moves within,
easing clenched fist into outstretched hand,
whispering hope into a land of doubt:
“You live yet
and God still works within you.”
H. Arnett
1/8/18
A Million Ways To Live: Al Muhyi (The One Who Gives Life)
When we start our life we do not have any specific dreams or aspirations; When we start seeing all those attracting things around us we want to get up from our four pats to stand up on two limbs and to come to conquer the world around us. We start having lots of dreams and lots of aspirations, but when we get older we encounter also lots of defeats and disillusions.
Somehow deep in our heart we may feel a certain call, a cry that there could be an Al Khaleeq (The Creator), but most people do not want to know about some One Who is Greater than they and has their life in His Hands. But without this Divine Creator man shall have to find that life is empty and time is restricted, coming to see that in this life we shall never get to that high point of total fulfilment.
When finding Allah the Exalted, or the God above all gods, we shall be able to grow and find peace in our heart, how much other people may try to destroy the good name of Allah and want to bring fear over the world, blaspheming Allah and besmearing the Muslim community.
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To remember
dreams sketched in your duas (= your very essence of worship) > visuals you created in your mind > voice out to Allah = like statues made of clay.
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Preceding article
Reflections on Existence and Teaching
Engagement in an actual two-way conversation with your deities
Getting out of the dark corners of this world
Why “Selfishness” Doesn’t Properly Mean Being Shortsighted and Harmful to Others
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Additional reading
- It is Today
- A time for everything
- A tongue to speak slowly and well-considered
- To whom do we want to be enslaved
- Old Man of Prayer
- Death
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Further reading
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Related articles
The dreams that you have sketched in your duas, the visuals that you have created in your mind about how that “moment” would look like, the imaginary rehearsal sessions in your washroom where you prepare for the “feeling” lest you dont feel silly- we all have these dreams. Getting that degree or that job, that dream marriage, that dream family, driving your dream car or unpacking at your dream home; all of us have so many things we want, wish for, ask for.
The wishes and duas we voice out to Allah are like the statues made of clay. In our limited capacities, thats the closest we can be to the reality we want to have. So we need Al Muhyi to give life to those statue like dreams, by making them real in flesh and blood. So ask Al Muhyi to give life to your duas by manifesting them…
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Darkest just before dawn
Marcus Ampe when looking over the happenings of 2016 told his public that when we should have to choose a colour for 2016 it probably would be ‘black’. Even the darkest black colour you might find.
Certainly here in Belgium and neighbouring countries we have seen many black moments caused by people living very close to us. Hundreds of people who lived in cities like Brussels (Molenbeek district), Verviers, Charleroi, Mons, just to name some of the most mentioned living quarters of those who killed many in Paris, Brussels, Frankfurt and further away many cities in Syria. A so called liberation of human race was on their lips by causing so much agony in name for their sort of Islam which has nothing to do with real Islam, a religion which has ‘salam‘ or ‘peace‘ in its name.
2016 may have been the year where Bad came over Good and brought with it Hate over Love. Though many still may believe in
Good over Bad. Love over Hate. {When it looks like hate is winning}
May we really believe that
“Good always wins”?
When we look around us it seems just the opposite. Those who do not mind to swindle and do whatever they can to make themself rich without taking care of others, seem to win. Marcus Ampe warns us for the political scene which is changing drastically almost everywhere in the world, not for the good. He warns for the populism which is going over Europe and the United States as a virus. As a Christadelphian he likes to look at what is prophesied in the Bible and by looking at that sacred book is not at all surprised of what is going on. In his eyes we can follow the notated signs of those old writings and see that we are heading to a third World War, though it may still many years before us. He likes to compare the last few years with the 1920ies and showed us also how the present days are very much related to the 1930ies, which should sincerely worry us.
He does not speak of an apocalyptic change like certain Christians may do, but likes to warn us to prepare ourselves and our kids for the coming period where very right wing politicians may gain lots of votes and even come into power.
Perhaps Jyoti Chauhan Singh, an Indian lady who reads Tarot cards and came to live in the United States, perhaps thinks on similar lines, saying the same as Mr. Ampe that
it is happening in every corner of this world. People around the world are bringing this change by their votes, by their say, and by their actions. Be it Brexit or current US election, or stimulated political environment in my home country India. This change is too much. Too much for us to handle and accept, and to adapt to. {When it looks like hate is winning}
Is that not the danger we shall have to face in the coming months?
Are not many politicians going to make use of and are going to instigate people against others and nourish the fear many already have?
For Mrs. Chauhan Singh the present President elect in the States was
not elected against a virtuous leader. It was not the fight between good vs evil. It was just bad and worse fighting with each other. You guess which is worse and which is bad. But, it was never a winning situation for USA, no matter who would have won. {When it looks like hate is winning}
speaking at CPAC in Washington D.C. on February 10, 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I do not know why Clinton would have been so bad, because honestly her stupidity about the e-mails was not really a criminal act, like so many Americans would like us to believe. If they consider such stupidity already a crime or sin than the many frauds and bankruptcies of Donald Trump which many Americans never seemed to have remembered or noticed, would be “cardinal sins and death penalty crimes”
We also may notice that many people seem to have some nostalgia to some times they had it better, though at those times they ware hoping for better times and for having more material richness. But as we could know beforehand all those modern gadgets they can have today are not making them more happy. The opposite today lots of people are more lonely and feeling poverty more harsh than years ago, though we may see less poverty stricken people. Less tramps on the streets.
With a smiling or is it a sarcastic face Mr. Ampe may tell us that many people would love to go back to a time they are imaging there was, but which has never been so. Mrs. Chauhan Singh alsy pointing to the same fact
With this election, Americans have spoken very clearly that they want to bring back ‘good old days’. Doesn’t matter if those good old days are going to be good for rest of us or not. They want to go back. They want someone with traditional values, traditional promises. Although seeing the lifestyle of elect president I hardly think he is an epitome of traditionalism. {When it looks like hate is winning}
Mr Ampe analysed some body language of Mr. Trump and showed us how clever that man must be playing with his public. This cleverness should make us even be more alert. He also compare certain tactics with the way how Erdogan managed to come in his dictatorial position today. How he was patient enough to go from mayor of Istanbul, even having spent some years in prison after his mayorship to come stronger and more radicalised out of it, imposing the traditional Muslim values and going in against the civil state of the old creator of a dream state Turkey.
We shall have to wait and see to know how Donald Trump is going to use his power and how Marine Le Pen is going to drive her wedge through France which seem to be the under the spell of Muslim extremism and Islam fear.
Mr Ampe, like Mrs. Chauhan Singh seems to do also says we may not loose hope and contrary to how lots of people are concentrating on their own self, we should look more to others and try to come up for the weaker ones.
Mrs. Chauhan Singh writes
Losing hope is never an option. If we are given this result, we must be hopeful that there must be something good coming out of it. Give him a chance. He has already shocked all of us; he may surprise us too. Do not lose hope. Instead hope for him to change his ways, his words, and his actions, for the betterment of this country. {When it looks like hate is winning}
One of Mr. Ampe his main teachings, also as a retired teacher of ballet history, is that we should learn from history and that we should make others aware of possible traps lots of people in the past did not notice but became victim of. According to him by knowing the past we can avoid the same mistakes, which have been repeated so many times, because people did not know their history.
We always shall look at things and would love to see things changed. Man is not easy satisfied.
One also can wonder when our world evolves if/ when and how many people would be ready for such changes, and if they are for the better or for the worse. In most cases lots of people are just not ready for the changes taking place.
Problem is not in these major changes but our inability to accept them. {When it looks like hate is winning}
One might also ask whether we shall be able to find enough people who shall be really wanting to pursue peace. To find enough people who really want to “raise awareness that peace in itself,” and willing to take steps with which to motivate others to go that track of peace making is something we should go for. Too many may be very confused and may not be sure which dreams might be the best for them. Though according to Mr. Ampe we should come to work together towards mutual peace and to the broadcasting of hope and positive thoughts, trying to take away the confusion there is today and putting right the wrong ideas about some people, religions and ways of life. He believes the change must come from each of us and that we are responsible for the evolution of the day. According to him, we ourselves are to convey the message and have even to adopt a certain attitude and should form a shining example. According to him, there also should be peace as a base in our own daily lives.
This peace will also make the connection with the other and this will be like a snowball effect to be implemented on this world.
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Preceding articles about overviews for 2016
Donkere periodes en het uitkijken naar vrede
From Guestwriters 2015 in review
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Additional reading
- Knife-trust in democratic sore back
- Daesh hits heart of Europe
- What Associated Press released on Wednesday 23 March 2016
- Iranian media implicitly accuse Erdogan to have known of the Bruxelles’s attacks in advance
- Hard questions
- Terrorist attacks in brussels
- Social media, sympathy & shocks
- Europe unites to defeat terror
- Silence, devotion, Salafists, quietists, weaponry, bombings, books, writers and terrorists
- Declaration of war against Islam and Christianity
- Is Europe going to become a dictatorial bastion
- French authorities have shut down around 20 mosques and prayer halls
- State of emergency and respect for human rights
- Paris attacks darkning the world
- Trump brand of migrant demonization
- Trump brand of migrant demonization #2
- Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam key suspect Paris terrorist attacks
- Muslim Grooming (Rape) Gangs and Sharia
- Amount of Muslims living in your country
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Further reading
- Paris Attackers Had Already Appeared in the Islamic State’s Propaganda
It has already been established that the on-the-ground leader of the Islamic State’s atrocities on Paris - Belgium knew in 2012 already that Paris suspects were plotting attacks
Belgian authorities knew as early as 2012 that terrorists linked to the bloodshed in Paris were plotting attacks in the West. But little was done to disrupt the build-up of a network that subsequently became a cornerstone … - Fugitive Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam captured in anti-terror raid
He was shot in the leg and arrested in a major police operation in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek - Paris Attacks Suspect Wounded, Arrested In Brussels Raid
Salah Abdeslam, a suspect in the deadly Paris attacks, has been wounded and arrested, following a raid in the Belgian capital, Brussels, after four months on the run. - Hollande Chairs Emergency Security Meeting — France Determining Next Move After Arrest of Suspected Terrorist Salah Abdeslam, a French…
- Muslims in Molenbeek are on the side of Salah against the belgian police. Take in more muslim immigrants so we enlarge the Salah’s Fan…
The so called refugees are all muslims, I don’t see why we should let them in. Now that we know the destructive attitude of freemasonry we also know we mustn’t let them do what they ask. - One Paris attacker buried just a day before his brother was captured in Brussels police raid
Brahim Abdeslam, who blew himself up in November’s attacks, was laid to rest the day before his brother Salah was captured. - Top Lawyers of Belgium, France in Suspected Terrorists Abdeslam Case — Focus on European jihadists
- How Recent European Terror Wins Led to Abdeslam’s Capture
- ISIS Launches Coordinated Attacks in Brussels Airport and Subway
Early reports from Brussels are that two coordinated attacks have taken place with the first being at the Brussels Airport Departure Terminal and the second within the Brussels Subway system. - J’accuse ! L’attentat que les services craignaient
Avec colère suite aux événements de ce matin, j’accuse la Belgique d’avoir été attentiste depuis des années et de n’avoir jamais donné les moyens aux services de Renseignement de faire leur travail professionnellement pour tenter de prévenir ce genre d’attaques.
… Outraged about the events of this morning in Brussels, I accuse Belgium of having endorsed a “wait-and-see” policy for years and having never giving to the intelligence services the means to do their job professionally to try and avoid this kind of attack. … - Leighton: Terror cells are a lot bigger than Belgium authorities anticipated
- Terror attacks in Brussels kill at least 34, story developing
Terrorist bombings at a subway station in Maalbeek and at Zaventem Airport have killed at least 34 people and injured another 170. Two bombs, at least one of which is believed to have been a suicide bombing, struck the … - Bombing in Brussels!
Today, once again, Islamic terrorists have attacked the west. This morning, Brussels became the latest city to come under attack with a bomb detonating on a metro train … - Islamofoobikot pitävät terrorismin voimissaan
Ennen kuin Brysselin terrori-iskuista oli kiirinyt tieto Suomeen, Helsingin Sanomat kirjoitti viime syksyn Pariisin iskujen tekijöiden jahdista. Belgiassa 18.3. kiinniotettu Salah Abdesalam piileskeli kuukausien ajan - Islamofoobikot pitävät terrorismin voimissaan
Ennen kuin Brysselin terrori-iskuista oli kiirinyt tieto Suomeen, Helsingin Sanomat kirjoitti viime syksyn Pariisin iskujen tekijöiden jahdista. Belgiassa 18.3. kiinniotettu Salah Abdesalam piileskeli kuukausien ajan … - Het raadsel, Salah Abdeslam
Op 13 november vorig jaar reed hij zijn vrienden naar de Parijse plekken om toe te slaan. Dood en verderf te zaaien, angst aan te jagen, het leven te vernietigen dat hij met hart en ziel haatte. - Del estupor al sopor: atentados jihadistas, habituación europea, y jamais vu liberal-progresista
Creo que estoy progresando. Esta noche, alrededor de las 3am, fui despertado por el zumbido de mi teléfono celular que se encontraba recargándose, apoyado sobre la mesita de luz. - The Religion of Peace Strikes Again
This morning we awoke to the news of a deadly terrorist attack in Brussels. Isis claimed responsibility for the bombings at the airport and the Metro station. - Why Belgium?
ISIS has claimed responsibility for separate explosions in Brussel’s Zaventem airport and a central metro station that killed 34 and wounded over 200. - Don’t Blame Whitey!
- Belgium’s approach to immigration and security again under fire
- CAIR Cannot Be Trusted To Police Radical Muslims
- Brussels
- Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
- After Brussels, Europe must abandon its safe space and face reality
- Hidden in Plain Sight: Salah Abdesalam’s 120 Days on the Lam
- Waking Up to the Brussels Bombs
- Aboard the Eurostar to Brussels
- Two belgian politicians elected in Molenbeek committed themselves to legalize Sharia in Belgium. That’s how Islam destroys Democracy when…
- Molenbeek’s gangster jihadis – BBC News
- Europe’s Muslims hate the West
- CAIR Cannot Be Trusted!
- Belgian Terrorism Suspect Salah Abdeslam Has Agreed To Provide Police With Full Information on Other Terrorists — “Turns Supergrass”
- Brussels Suicide Attacks ‘Shocking But Not Surprising,’ Stanford Experts Say
- The Muslim Problem and How Not To Solve It
- Look at what I almost stepped in
- We Are AfraidMerci, Thanks !Revolution: Jesus loves Every Jihadist
- Perps of ‘Far-Right’ Hit-and-Run on Muslim Woman Were Muslims
- Why Belgium is Ground Zero for European Jihadis
- Een falend land, dát is het echte probleem, meneer JambonTerrorism From Brussels: A Report
- Molenbeek and its cultural and creative dynamism – a (small) press review
- A Close Look at Brussels Offers a More Nuanced View of Radicalization – The New York Times
- «Il reste encore des éléments à neutraliser»
- Europe: Suicide by Jihad
- How Many Molenbeeks in France?
- The truth about “no-go” Molenbeek
- Open brief aan Jan Jambon door Selma Benkhelifa (advocate)
- Getting Up Earlier.
- Two Police Officers Attacked With Knife In Belgium, Unhurt
- Knifeman attacks Brussels police
- Tent Cities for questionable dwellers
- L’Arc-en-Ciel presque au complet
- Dec 16,
- It has been an eventful year for me 2016
- The Politically Correct Right
- Bet you missed this #1
- 2016- A Reflection
- 2016 Recapped
- Summarising 2016-Энэ оныг дүгнэх нь
- 2016 in review
- Christmas Countdown Blitz 2016 ~ Day 12
- Not Goals. Plans.
- Book Review: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet
- What India Searched in 2016
- Saturday 17 December 2016 – Some famous people who’ve died in 2016
- My 2016: August.
- Movie Review: Rogue One (2016)
- Things That Need To End In 2017
- History tells us what may happen next with Brexit & Trump
- Look East and Watch for the Light
- Readjusting Expectations
- revolutionary reflections | The Crisis in German Politics and the Rise of the Radical Right
2016 has been a year in which right –wing and authoritarian agendas have been in the ascendant. With the French and German elections next year we will see if this trend continues. - Links for 16/12/16
Black-White Earnings Gap Remains at 1950s Levels for Median Worker Donald Trump Should Know: This Is What Climate Change Costs Us How data maps are transforming the fight against malaria in Zambia South - Populist right – the mass appeal of “strict father” framing
George Lakoff’s book, Moral Politics, popularised the idea that ‘rightwing’ politics stem from a particular moral worldview, which Lakoff called “strict father framing”. - What is Populism?
Populism. It is everywhere in the news right now and it is one of those words that have so many vague meanings and yet describes itself so well. Populism is simply the revolt of the people against the political - Who do Western Australian populist voters second preference?
Most draw support from across the spectrum when compared to the remaining small parties. - The Elites Are Fuelling A Backlash They Do Not Comprehend And May Not Withstand
Accustomed to getting their own way and furious at being thwarted by mere democracy, the political elite are responding to recent setbacks by …The Future of Federalism in an Age of Populism
Richard Eccleston, Helen Krever and Rick Smith explore the future of federalism in the 21st century.
The two seismic political events of 2016, Brexit and the election victory … - The 3 Layers of Authoritarian Thinking
There are three layers to unfreedom or authoritarian thinking that is sweeping the world today. - More than just populism: Renzi, the Italian Senate referendum and the perils of second chamber reform
On 4 December Italians decisively rejected Matteo Renzi’s proposed constitutional reforms, which centred on reforming the Senate – leading to his resignation as Prime Minister. - Times of Uncertainty: The Rise of Far-Right Populism
Uncertain times lie ahead. People have had their fill of neoliberalism and they’re looking for alternatives. So far, they’ve found dreadful ones. Trump was elected president of the US, Marine Le Pen - What is anti-establishment according to Donald Trump?
People from Goldman Sachs, billionaires, top donors, Secretary of State from Exxon. It seems this is how the huge part of Trump’s administration will be established. What does it tell us about how Trump wanna - Policy corruption, vote buying and double standards
The Constitution Drafting Committee has been hard at work hamstringing political parties to prevent them from ever “ruling.” Apart from simply being anti-Thaksin Shinawatra, the law is based on beliefs … - Cameron names his nemesis populism, but the Westminster set still refuses to accept that it was a rejection of self interest which was…
As I stepped into the polling booth at a local church hall on the evening of 23rd of June and looked at the voting slip in my hands, the feeling that crossed my mind couldn’t have been further from the thought of - Why Did Trump’s Anticorruption Rhetoric Resonate? Three Hypotheses
OK, I know I said in last week’s post that I would eventually get back to blogging about topics other than Trump, but not yet. After all, Trump’s election—a political and moral crisis on so many dimensions— - The Islamic and black populists of the Netherlands: a tyranny of the minority?
DENK’s main representers. From left to right: leader Tunahan Kuzu, TV personality Sylvana Simons and co-founder Selçuk Öztürk. More than once, the Netherlands proved to be first in Europe to - The SNP is not like horror-show euro-populism. Mercifully.
THE liberal Left hasn’t had much to celebrate recently, what with Brexit, Donald Trump and the rise of the alt-right. So there was understandable jubilation over the defeat of the far-right candidate … - On Populism
It was Lord Acton who said power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But as citizens of a country and a nation, we have civic duties such as addressing corruption in government and empowering - Are France Next to Join the Nationalist Narrative?
Last week saw Italy become part of the nationalist narrative in Europe after changes to their constitution were rejected. As a result the country’s Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, - Brexit Britain turns against globalisation and modern technology, blaming it for low UK wages and inequality – The Independent.
Post-Brexit Britain is in the throes of a major backlash against globalisation, blaming dwindling wages and rife inequality on the opening of the world’s economy, an exclusive poll - They Are All Populists
”Populism” is a loaded word and it is a rather strange one. It is used to express disapproval of certain forms of political activity, but unlike other such negative terms its basic reference would seem quite positive.
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