Is it time to BeReal?

Everyday at a different time, everyone is notified simultaneously to capture and share a Photo in 2 Minutes. A new and unique way to discover who your friends really are in their daily life.

It’s neither possible nor necessarily desirable to be authentic on social media. But a new app, BeReal, is trying. It invites users to share something intimate, mundane, maybe even boring.

Once a day, users are prompted to post a pair of simultaneous pictures: One from the front camera, and one from the back. Instead of curating vacation pictures or perfectly posed outfit shots, they’re at home, at work, commuting. It’s an unglamorous scroll, and it’s gotten popular: By mid-August, BeReal had become the No. 1 free iPhone app.

The normalcy, Sophie Haigney writes in The Times, is the point. “This is a version of social media that circles back toward its origins: oversharing, maybe, but the oversharing of minutia that will disappear the next day, instead of building a permanent record of some alternate self.”

Read more about one app’s push for a nostalgic internet.

Grounded

Daily we are surrounded by bad news-stories via the media (television and social media). All those terrible stories can weaken us and manage to bring fear to many (for no obvious reason, because they live far away from the trouble).

Often it is better to detach because it is not possible to live day to day if you spiral into all in the grief in the world. We have to be conscious about it, but may not close our eyes and ears for the beauties that are around us. And for sure there can be found a lot of beauty, even in the smallest thing.

Each of us can help to give others a feeling of safety and comfort in their own surroundings, accepting the wide variety of cultures that can go together anyway.
A person can not love the others without loving himself first and without wanting to share with others.

Today we can see that the fear for the unknown brings many to choose for extreme right wing political groups, which make use of the fear for other people and cultures, and bring the immigration in a wrong exaggerated light. Immigration, by the way, has been there for ages. It is nothing new. Every generation has come to know about some migration.

When we are willing to learn more about the world we and others live in we shall understand the different positions better and come to accept certain things much easier.

When each person is willing to come closer to the other, and is willing to open his mind to come to understand the other better, by willingness of openness of mind and heart the little environment we live in can change, but like a domino falling can bring something bigger changing too.

Let us always remember that a spiritual shaking is always safer than a real earth shaking.

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To remember

All through life when times get tough, when things start to run away with us or when things start to get too much we often hear the advice

“stay grounded.”

• to balance us, to remind of something solid, something steady

how exactly do we stay grounded when we can’t even trust the ground we walk on?

• on a little Greek island = best + worst moments of humanity play out on a daily basis => difficult to stay grounded

Facebook safety check icon > pictures of Parliament + London Bridge > horrors + pictures of frantic families trying to trace their missing children

• a family connected by love
• memories of places we love
• distract ourselves from terrorism on our doorsteps with the escalating rhetoric of nuclear war between North Korea and the US?
• watch white supremacists march the streets
• ongoing refugee crisis on shores of Italy + Greece
• hundreds of lives still lost in the Mediterranean
• hundreds of lives trapped in camps + detention facilities > endless wait for asylum in Europe.

=> pretty hard to stay grounded

=> have become so desensitized

= not go to denial but keep our heads?

• most important thing = not buy into all the hate.
• majority of people = kind + loving
• fear + when we are really scared => ignorance can lead to some pretty extreme standpoints on issues we never really felt too strongly about before.

== to stay grounded we need to start learning more about the world we live in + we need to discover how we can make change.

Stand together, show love where you find hate and don’t let fear win.

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Preceding

Going on holiday is… silence in your head

Summer holiday time to knock and ask, and time to share

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Additional reading

1. Uncertainty, shame and no time for vacillation
2. What is life?
3. Immigration consternation
4. Would you run
5. Mountains of information, disinformation and breaking away
6. Fearmongering succeeded and got the bugaboo a victory
7. Fear of failure, and fear of the unknown
8. I Am Not Alone – By: Kari Jobe
9. Emotional pain and emotional deadness
10. The soul has no rainbow if the eyes have no tears
11. Not fear or dread or blind compulsion
12. Can We Pay The Price To Free Humanity?
13. The chosen ones to fear or not to fear
14. Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) by Chris Tomlin
15. Prayer has comforted us in sorrow

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Further reading

1. What Makes Me Bern about Fear
2. Fear
3. “… Fears…”
4. Worry and Fear
5. Fear, Surprise, Relief, What’s Next?
6. Courage is not an absence of fear…
7. What Fear Can Do To You.
8. The Power Fear Holds Over Us
9. Overwhelmed
10. Anxious And Worried? Pray!
11. Celebrate Victories Daily
12. Change
13. Face Your Fears | Choose Joys
14. Italy: Migrants from Riace are to be resettled
15. Criminalization of aid puts migrant lives at further risk
16. Migration: 416,000 more people moved to Germany than emigrated
17. After the Crisis? Reflections on Migration Governance
18. Turkey slams developed nations over migration issue
19. The migration which is changing the demography of India : The illegal migrants of Bangladesh
20. The Year of Immigration theme seeks to create a renewed sense of community in College Park
21. Szijjarto rejects the UN Migration compact
22. Thousands flee due to crisis, Brazil deploys army to Venezuela border
23. Parliament condemns the Sargentini Report
24. Crosses Erected For Thousands Of Dead Immigrants Who Never Reached American Dream – Desert Graves

From Greece With Love

All through life when times get tough, when things start to run away with us or when things start to get too much we often hear the advice “stay grounded.” We are told to “keep our feet on the ground” to balance us, to remind of something solid, something steady that can help bring us down from those dizzying heights that challenging times can take us to. But what happens when that safety net fails, when you can no longer trust the earth to keep you steady?

Recently I experienced a rather nasty earthquake which has left this question playing on my mind. When we live in a world of such uncertainty, how exactly do we stay grounded when we can’t even trust the ground we walk on?

But this idea of losing trust in your surroundings goes further than a shift in tectonic plates, for me personally anyway. Over…

View original post 972 more words

Weinig Nederlandstalige lezers en nog veel minder reacties

In 2014 ging dit lifestylemagazine van start. Van de 1847 bezoekers konden wij er 115 uit Nederland aantreffen en 106 uit België. Het Nederlandstalige artikel met het meeste bezichtigingen was “Zit je in de put? Stop dan met graven.” van 19 november voor maar 29 bezichtigingen. Na 3 jaar werking staat het engelstalige artikel “Freedom and amendments, firearms and abortions” aan de leiding met 237 bezichtigingen en in het Nederlands “De Familie Palache. Joden en ontroerende onzin” van 23 januari 2017 met 78 bezichtigingen.
Vorig jaar mochten wij van de 5018 bezoekers er 469 aantreffen uit Nederland en 199 uit België met een totaal van 5018 bezoekers en 6888 pagina bezichtigingen.
Ons lijkt dat niet zo veel.

Indien die lage cijfers de enige opbrengst kan zijn voor al het harde werk, kan men de vraag stellen of het dat allemaal waard is. Maar elke lezer telt en elk verhaal heeft op zich haar eigen waarde en haar eigen levensloop. Wij staan nog in onze kinderschoenen en moeten nog uit onze luiers geraken. Ook beseffen wij dat artikelen over seks, seksueel gedrag, koetjes en kalfjes, over eigen of persoonlijke ervaring meer succes zouden hebben dan datgene wat wij hier trachten aan te bieden.

Bezoekers aan onze site zijn diegenen die meehelpen om ons te doen groeien en om ons groter te doen worden. Zij kunnen anderen van ons bestaan laten weten. Ook zouden zij kunnen gebruik maken van de “Like”  knop alsook van de “Sharing” mogelijkheden. Dit gebeurt echter zelden, nochtans lijkt het ons toch niet te moeilijk om van die knop gebruik te maken en ons dan zo te stimuleren om voort te doen of verder de opgeslagen weg te gaan. Vraag hierbij is of ons materiaal dan niet boeiend genoeg is of slechts een zeer beperkt publiek aanspreekt.

De opzet van deze site was om een soort van Readers Digest te creëren zodat mensen met beperkte tijd een selectie van interessante artikelen van allerlei slag en een keuze van over de gehele wereld gepubliceerde blogartikelen kon voorgeschoteld krijgen. In het Engelstalig gebied is er heel wat meer te vinden dan in het Nederlandstalig gebied en aan de kijkcijfers is ook te merken dat de Engelstalige artikelen meer bezichtigers kunnen aantrekken wat ook maakt dat er voor hen ook meer artikelen worden aangeboden.

Wij mogen misschien wel in een wereld leven waar er volop duizenden meningen worden gespuid op allerlei sites en waar sommigen echt overtuigd zijn dat zij het volle recht hebben om ongezouten zo hun eigen mening mogen uiten zonder boe of bah, want zij voelen zich een onvolprezen scherprechter, en wie weet ook een ondergewaardeerd recensent. Hier staat niemand klaar met een stok om niet graag gezien reacties weg te kegelen. Wel staan wij klaar om elke reactie naar waarde te vatten. diegenen die hier langskomen zullen wel moeten beseffen dat wij hier niet enkel onze eigen opinie weergeven. Wij durven gerust het woord geven of linken naar pagina’s die met hun denken niet in lijn liggen met ons denken. Wij willen juist een onbevooroordeeld overzicht geven van wat er op het internet te vinden is van, volgens ons, boeiende lectuur. De opzet van dit platform was juist om het mensen, die weinig tijd hebben, het makkelijk te maken om toch lezenswaardige artikelen voor te schotelen en een selectie van aanvullende lectuur te bezorgen, zodat eenieder die wat meer tijd kan vrij maken op zijn of haar ogenblik tijd kan maken om verder te lezen over een bepaald onderwerp.

Op het internet is een heel kleurenpalet te vinden en naar ons inzien is er zo veel dat wij zelfs tijd te kort hebben om voldoende na te kunnen zien voor onze selectie. Daarom nodigen wij nog steeds vlijtige lezers uit om hun selectie van lezenswaardige artikelen hier op dit platform voor te stellen.

Dit platform is niet echt een forum, maar wel zouden wij het leuk vinden indien wij nu en dan toch nog wat reacties zouden kunnen krijgen. Nu blijven die echter veel te lang uit. Het is zo spijtig dat wij zo weinig respons krijgen. Onze elektronische brievenbussen geraken wel goed gevuld met spam, of met scheldtirades. Je moest eens weten hoe dikwijls worden toegeroepen dat wij zullen branden in de hel. Gelukkig geloven wij niet in zulk een eeuwige folterplaats die zulke vervloekers voor ons in oog hebben. Meer constructieve reacties zouden wij liefst willen zien en durven u daar vandaag ook toe aanzetten.

Misschien is het best dat wij vandaag enkele vragen oproepen, waarop onze lezers dan misschien eens tijd willen voor maken om ze te beantwoorden.

Onze vragen voor vandaag

Vragen die u van harte welkom bent om te beantwoorden

1.     Zijn de artikelen die we hier presenteren niet van enig belang voor iemand die hier langs komt?
2.     Is een persoonlijkheidsgevoel dat ontbreekt of echt noodzakelijk?
3.     Is het verkeerd om te denken dat onze woorden niet zomaar willekeurige woorden zijn? Of zijn onze woorden niet van belang voor de huidige generatie?
4.     Zou u nog steeds graag een “lijst” van “Aanvullende informatie” en van “Verwante artikelen” willen zien?
5.     Wat vindt u van een dergelijke selectie die we onze lezers willen presenteren?
6.     Kijkend naar de statistieken kan het de indruk wekken dat het niet goed gaat met ons. Dus wat kunnen we doen om het beter te maken?
7.     Wil je dat we nog steeds regelmatig naar interessante blogs zoeken om ze te herbloggen of om ze hier te bespreken?
8.     Hou je van de kleine gedachten, citaten of overpeinzingen voor de dag. Zou je het waarderen om ze regelmatig gepubliceerd te zien?
9.     Zou je niet bereid zijn om enkele lezingen die je leuk vond of interessant of belangrijk vond om te lezen te delen op dit platform?
10.     Als je van je werk houdt, zou het dan niet interessant voor je zijn om er enkele gedachten over te delen met onze lezers?
11.     Als u een historicus, een psycholoog of een filosoof bent, zou u het niet erg vinden om enkele artikelen te schrijven over historische feiten, menselijke evolutie en menselijke activiteiten, manieren van leven, menselijke manieren en gebeurtenissen, misdaden tegen de mensheid, e.a.?
12.     Behoort u tot de mensen die geen commentaar hebben op de toestand van onze samenleving?
13.     Zou je niet een extra plek waarderen waar je af en toe wat gedachten kunt delen die voor anderen interessant zijn om te horen?
14.     Betreft de hier aanwezige “Like” en “Share” of “Deel” knoppen: Wanneer het zo gemakkelijk wordt geacht om op een dergelijke knop te klikken, waarom gebeurt het dan niet meer? Waarom kunnen we niet meer “Likes” hebben?
15. Is er een bepaalde angst die je weerhoudt om hier te reageren?

U ook mag u verbinden met een beweging die deze wereld nodig heeft: join a movement the world needs.

 

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Voorgaande

Openingswoord voor Nederlandstaligen

Bij angst om excentrisch te zijn in je opinie

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Aanvullende lectuur

1. Faal beter

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Gerelateerd

1. #10. De reviewsitereclame.
2. Mijn allereerste blog ooit
3. Jupiler 0,0

Readers, likes and comments

Mostly the articles placed on this and our other platforms are not so much placed to open a debate, or better said are no part of a “forum”.

that does not mean we do not like to receive reactions like “likes” or some comments. You can imagine that it takes time to create a post and when we can notice in the statistics that they are read. That may be a stimulant to continue, but also to see a reaction brought by the reader, either by clicking on the “like” or “share” button, this last one giving us the opportunity to receive more readers for that particular article.

Voxate Writing & Editing which was established in 2008 and since then, has been providing writing, editing and SEO services for South African and international clients writes

Reader comments aren’t only a little boost to the blogger that spent hours crafting a post, although they certainly help! They’re also important for search engine optimisation and for letting the blogger know what his or her readers value in terms of content. A good comment can be integral to generating leads, and the commenter may also benefit by directing other readers to his or her own content or blog, since they can usually click your username to be taken directly to your site. It’s an all-round score.

On this site you may find a.o. news articles which discusses current events or recent news of either general interest. Bringing such headlines or talking about recent incidents we do want to bring up some thoughts around those affairs. They are used to focus the reader’s attention on a particular (or main) part of the article or that what we think is important for people who want to make something of our society. At the same time looking at what we think may be a major event we also try to give facts and detailed information following answers to general questions like the Five W’s: who, what, when, where, why and how.

Our intention is also to offer some encyclopedia articles or reference works, offering a more in-depth informative article with a primary division of content. For this we are still looking for more contributors, willing to share their knowledge around specific subjects like ‘life’, ‘living’, ‘history’, ‘culture’.

This Blog as such may have blog articles which are like magazine or newspaper articles whilst others may be written more like entries in a personal journal. More important as lifestyle magazine we do hope we may offer some different opinions about several important life issues, of which the religious and spiritual aspects are not gone out of the way.

Being aware that today not many people have lots of time to read serious articles, we do love to present on this site an overview of articles we think would be interesting to read. Therefore we offer next to our own articles a selection of reblogged posts. We may not bring a Listicle,  or a specific article whose primary content is a list, but at the end of the postings presented over here we also do try to offer a listing of other additional readings or related articles we could select from the blogging world. We also do hope to bring here a sort of Readers Digest and are still hoping some more writers would join us to help us to succeed in those efforts.
Concerning the “Related articles” service we offer, we regularly do get some irritated bloggers who ask us to take their writing of the list. This discourages us a lot for doing all that research work, checking all those posts, looking for them of being of interest. Therefore we reduces already the time for searching and reading so many blogs, to look for something to share. We also can use more people to help us looking for interesting writers, photographers, to present their articles or work to our readers.
Normally we would think there must be enough people who read several blogs and would be able to find something worth reblogging, this being an extra place to do so, next to their own blog, and at the same time giving them the opportunity to link to their own articles. As such we can offer additional readers to those who are willing to join this effort of sharing information and promoting a multicultural and multicoloured world.

In our articles we talked already a lot about how we use are time and on what we are willing to spend time in our time limited day and world. Being aware that not enough people do take time to retreat and to take some time to look at things, wondering how everything is going good or bad and why certain things evolve a certain way, we are trying to bring some balance and are willing to give some material for thought. Having only certain moments a day for ourselves or to do something else than our job, being limited in time we sincerely do hope to be able to offering some interesting material. If not so let us know.

The small thoughts or quotes we offer a day, we do hope can give something to think and are a welcome meditation for the day. Perhaps they can bring you to some daydreaming or musing.

In 2014 we started and reached 1847 visitors with 3124 views offering us 263 likes. Last year we got 5018 visitors fetching 6888 views willing to give us 486 likes. We are pleased to find 279 WordPress followers and only 2 e-mail followers, making us not such a popular blog it seems. Or do you find we do not do enough our best as a team? What can we do more?
Comparing with my personal (political) site I generate 256 WordPress followers and 9 e-mail followers. It is also not so much but there I bring very personal views and spend not so much time as on my other (religious and lifestyle magazine) blogs.

Looking at the statistics it may give the impression we are not doing well or it may be very discouraging. So what can we do to make it better?

Steve Hayes also may have a similar feeling like me. He writes

Speaking for myself now, one of the reasons that I write blog posts is that I have some half-baked ideas floating around, and I’m hoping that others will read them and help me to bake them. So it’s pretty discouraging when there are no comments at all. {The importance of blog comments}

WordPress does a wonderful job diverting spam from the inbox.

For me the talking we do bring here on certain matters and bringing comments on some expressions of others or on certain blogwritings is giving comments on the quoted blog, though most often nothing of our comments is quoted on the discussed page or no link to the article is mentioned. When we get some feed back it is mostly somebody who is angry that he is quoted or that we dared to link to his article. Most often when we get such reply we are asked to delete the link or the mentioning of that person’s name. For that reason it can be that after some time you come to read an article again some related articles may not appear any more in the list. Those negative reactions concerning the links to related articles made us also to decide to reduce this service we thought would be productive for both sides. What surprises us that several blog writers do forget that when they with writing on the net and not making their blog private, have the possibility that from everywhere  all sorts of people may come to see and read what they have written and should as such also not be surprised when people react on their site (what we also do, but not have it appreciated all the time – certainly not on the religious front.)
One big problem is also that we daily get in a lot of spam or ridiculous mail nothing to do with the article or articles. Spam luckily enough gets straight in the Spambox to be deleted.

Spending hours moderating comments and determining what is or isn’t spam can be extremely frustrating.

I do agree this blog and my ‘personal’ blog are not really blogs about me or an other person his personality. when I look at some very popular blogs I notice that most often they are about the person himself or herself or really commercial blogs without the followers noticing it or being aware of it that it is a blog full of advertisements or promotional articles. Dominic Sceski (Aul) a sixteen year-old home-schooled student formulates it this way

You might have a huge following, but if you don’t have a sense of personality, people will stop treating you like a blogger.  They’ll see your blog posts, they’ll Like them, hopefully they’ll read them…but if you are only putting your writing forward, or whatever you’re trying to promote, people won’t care about you.  They won’t know YOU.

People might like your blog, but they aren’t going to comment unless they like you.

Think about it.

If your blog, your writing, lacks a sense of YOU, what will people be seeing?   Just words.  They might be some good words.  But if they aren’t able to attribute them to you, then why would they comment?  Who are they commenting to?  Not a person.   Just words.  And no one praises or converses with random words, however good they are.

Of course, maybe you ARE putting yourself into what you write…but maybe it’s too much of yourself.  I see this sooooo often.  Those bloggers who get big and popular and then all they do is blog about themselves and their own personal endeavors.  The titles of their posts are eternally:

“Hey, check out my new book”

“PLEASE buy my new book”

“Hey, guess what?  My new book is out”

“Update on my story”

You get the picture.

I’ve said this multiple times and I’ll say it again.  If you want followers and an active audience, blog about things people CARE about.  Blog about things that HELP people.  Make them WANT or NEED you.

Are we according to you then not blogging about matters that can help you or others? We do agree we talk more than once about God and the way of life according His rules, and not so many people are interested in that. Is that a reason why we have so few followers? Is that what we try to offer our readers not something some people want?

Voxate comments

Although time is scarce and we’re often reading other blogs between other must-do’s on our daily schedule, making the time to comment is important – both for the link it may allow you to include to your own blog or site, and to the blogger.

I take the liberty to reproduce the result of Voxate his inquiries posed in his article Why Reader Comments Are The Cat’s Pajamas concerning

 

• reader comments that meant the most to them (I’ve included them as written and submitted):
  

  Gaynor from Tulips and Phoenixes said:

  The comments on this blog post of mine have been the most special to me because of the wonderful feedback I received from various people. It showed just how fond people were about the area of Tsitsikamma and how willing they were to share the love for it. This is why I blog – I love seeing comments like these!

  ___________________________________________

  Steve, who blogs at Khanya, said:

  The comment by Nomtha Gawe on this post. It gives a complementary experience to that described in the blog, and thus a different persective on it, while remaining on topic. She immediately grasps what the post is saying, relates it to her own experience, which is similar in some ways but different in others, and explains it lucidly.

  ___________________________________________

   

  Luchae, from My Spreadsheet Brain, added:

  Marcolene’s comment really meant a lot to me. It feels good knowing my oversharing brought some sort of peace to someone else’s crazy thoughts…

  ___________________________________________

   

  Lizna, from With Elizabeth H, shared a candid post about her weight struggles.

  She really appreciated Ilona Fourie’s comment, which read, “What a awesome post. Whilst I was reading it so much rang true to me. I have been on a roller coaster with my weight. I have lost 26kg but have not been able to move any more in the last year. I have tried and tried and are failing miserably. It has made me so negative and I keep asking myself whats wrong with me. This is a war that few people understand and I am so grateful to have read your post!” Lizna said:

  It meant a lot to me because I am not alone, me and her became such great friends that we are actually living together now, you find best friends when you least expect it. 

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  JustEllaBella also shares some really personal stuff. Ella says:

  Over there years I’ve opened up about losing my son. Sometimes it felt a little self indulgent and that people would surely be rolling their eyes at me BUT I speak about him because of comments like these. People who can relate, I have somehow told them it’s okay not to be okay and for that I am grateful. This one particularly struck a chord, “i simply love this blog. lost my baby girl also two days after she was born in hospital 7 February 2017 and to this day she is a big part of our lives. This is the first time i ever spoke about her to anyone besides my husband.God decided he needs her more and she is now one of heavens angels im just glad to have had the opportunity to meet her. i also hope that the best part of her 48 hours on earth was meeting mom&dad.
  -Forever Gianni Hendricks-“

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  In Africa and Beyond is one of my favourite travel blogs. Sara shares some of the reader comments that touched her the most:

  On my post about “30 Photos of South Africa That Will Fuel Your Wanderlust” Erika said, “I was tearing up looking at these photos. Going to South Africa has always been a dream of mine. I loved seeing it through your eyes and hope to see it through mine one day soon.”

  On my series about Lesotho, I received many comments from people who had never heard of Lesotho before.

  On the hotel review, Yukti said, “I never heard of Lesotho and thanks to you as it is now added into my wishlist” and Raghav said, “I feel so bad because I had not a clue Lesotho even existed.”

  I love influencing people with my travel writing and photos and making them aware of new places to discover and explore. It is gratifying and makes me feel as though I am doing something worthwhile and helpful. I also get told often that I am a great ambassador for South Africa which feels good as I love showcasing South Africa’s beauty.

  ___________________________________________

   

  Jonelle, from Tyranny of Pink, had an understandably tough time:

  I’ve narrowed it down to this post, but I can’t choose a specific comment. A lot of comments are also sent to me privately because my blog is so raw and personal but each and every comment on my blog is a reminder of why I blog. The sense of community, that feeling of not being alone. The understanding that it’s okay to not be okay. The affirmations from other women who are in the same position as me. I treasure every comment, many of them moving me to tears because other women GET me and other women feel what I feel and in many cases, it’s a rawness that they share with me about their own experience with loss, grief, parenting and just being. Comments remind me in the times that blogging feels like too much that this is my tribe, these are my people and I’m never alone!

  In this article, Zena posted a comment that was meanginful to me. She said, ” Jonelle you have such courage to have written this great story, a tribute to your hero. You have inspired me. I work everyday for a foundation in memory of Hassan and its been 8 yrs since his passing and 4 years working here, and still have not had your courage to even speak or write a sentence, I believe the time will come.”

  ___________________________________________

  Shante Hutton of Rose For Thorns shared a very personal post, and valued this comment:

  Beautiful Shante, your story touched me so deeply that I found it difficult not only to find words, but to actually find my voice. You told your story in such a delicate yet profound way and I’m in awe of you right now. Reading your story, your pain and then how the birth of your daughter opened your heart to this incredible love again is wonderful. And isn’t it amazing how the opening of your womb caused an opening of the heart! Like a flower you have opened and become even more beautiful than you already were.
  I also lost my brother 34 years ago. I was 23 and he was 26 and because we were the last two of 8 kids, we were very close. So one sunny morning 34 years ago, I kissed him goodbye as I dropped him at work, not knowing that as I watched him walk away I would never see him again. For many years I would search for him on a crowded street or shop or anywhere thinking, it was just a mistake and that he was alive somewhere and I suppose that was how I coped.
  So thank you for your story, we all need to be reminded of how God, in His infinite wisdom can bring us out of darkness and into His beautiful light.
  Never forget how strong, courageous and breathtaking beautiful you are.
  love n blessings
  Connie

  ___________________________________________

   

  For the Bloggers

  To encourage your readers to comment more on your posts, you could:

  • Ask open-ended questions that prompt them to answer in the comments
  • Have a numbered list (e.g. 9 Ways To Clean Your Ears) and then ask them to add to this number
  • Write a controversial post; this often leaves readers chomping at the bit to include their pro or anti opinion
  • Reply to the existing comments – this starts a conversation
  • Comment on other blogs
  • Encourage commenting on your social media platforms

  To Wrap It Up

  Don’t underestimate the power and reach of your comments on the blogs and posts of others. By using this powerful tool, you play a big part in SEO and engagement – both for the post on which you’re commenting and on your own site.

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Now we come to the end of this article, we dare to ask you some questions and perhaps you would not mind to answer some of them or to give us some advice.

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Questions you are welcome to answer

1. Are the articles we present over here stuff nobody or not many are interested in?
2. Is a sense of personality lacking or really necessary?
3. Are we wrong to think our words are not just random words? Or are our words not of any interest to the present generation?
4. Would you still like to see a “Listicle” of “Additional Reading” and of  “Related articles”?
5. What do you find of such selection we like to present our readers?
6. Looking at the statistics it may give the impression we are not doing well. So what can we do to make it better?
7. Do you like us to regularly to search for interesting blogs to Reblog them or to discuss them over here?
8. Do you like the small thoughts, quotes or musings for the day. Would you appreciate it to have them regularly?
9. Are there any subjects you want to see covered more?
10. Would you not be willing to share some readings you liked or did find interesting or important to read?
11. When you love your job, would it not be interesting for you to share some thoughts about it with our readers?
12. When you are a historian, a psychologist or a philosopher would you not mind writing some articles about historic facts, human evolution and human activities, ways of life, human manners and events, crimes against humanity, a.o.?
13. Do you belong to the people who have no comment on the state of our society?
14. would you not appreciate an extra place where you now and then can share some thoughts which would be interesting for others to hear?
15. When it is considered so easy to click a like button why does it not happen more? Why can we not have more “Likes”?

You too may join a movement the world needs.

 

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Preceding articles

From Guestwriters 2015 in review

From Guestwriters 2016 in review

Be realistic, do not pretend

The Culture of Excesses- Losing Humanity

Thoughts and reflections taking only a few minutes

The Scensual World – Mission & Vision

Awards, prizes, Peace and Working together

Again nominated for the same award

Do you have a writer or presenter in you?

1000 articles placed on From Guestwriters

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Additional reading

1. My blogs 2014 in review
2. A new voice calling for peace
3. Americans wrongly informed about situation in Europe

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Related articles

1. A Comment Issue
2. Comments How do you get more comments on your blog? Just asking.
3. The comment section…
4. The Reason Why People “Like” But They Don’t Comment
5. Is It All About Likes/Comments When It Comes To Blogging?
6. The Awkward Duty and Ecstatic Joy of Comments // The Blogging Life
7. More Comments Without Context
8. Kan du kommentera min sida / Can you comment on my page
9. Candid Comments
10. No Comments!!
11. Anonymous Comments
12. A Comment on Anonymous Comments
13. Trash Talk — I Need to Monitor Comments
14. The Habits of Certain Conservative Trolls Based on Comments and Blogs
15. Reminder: General Guidelines for Comments
16. The Potpourri of Blogging Comments
17. Is it time to turn off comments on your blog?
18. Diversity in YA: Should We Comment If We’re Not Diverse? Ft. Opinions. > The Reason Why People “Like” But They Don’t Comment
19. Just a quick comment.Comment Respectfully
20. My Comments on Your Posts May Be in Your Spam Filter!
21. Don’t forget to comment!!!!
22. Polldaddy URL on Blog Comments
23. Why I Hate Comment Moderation
24. The return of the comments malfunction !
25. What is Spam and Where Do Those Strange Comments Come From?Spammer’s Delight
26. The Joys of Spam ~ Amusing Comment
27. Interesting and Nonsensical Spam Comments
28. The Real Reason Why Nicki Minaj Turned off Her comments and Erased her Instagram Profile
29. Response to Some Comments
30. New Rule – No spoilers in comment
31. A comment on the state of society

To the Freeworlders

With pleasure we want to let you know that we have been busy with building a place where people want to share with each other. For more than 27 years Marcus Ampe tried to bring the idea of sharing into our capitalist society. In 1995 he got a computer and started writing on the internet under different pen names, to spout his ideas and to ventilate his criticism on our squandering society. In the 1990ies, with some political activists it was tried to get some ideas in the Belgian political and economical system (further presented by Roland Duchâtelet his political movement Vivant), like a standard income for every adult citizen and to bring more awareness about ecological matters. On that part he continued in the lines of the “Kabouters” (the Gnomes), the political green-party of the 1960ies of which he was an active member in the late 1960ies early 1970ies, and which promoted already the idea of sharing goods with each other to lessen the waste of consumption goods [long before Agalev – founded in 1979 and transformed into Groen (Green) in 2003].

A famous and controversial 1971 election poster, reading “Disarming”, giving a good impression for what the movements of which Marcus Ampe was involved with stood for and why their actions in the conservative Roman Catholic country got them and Marcus Ampe so much in trouble.

Because of his ideas of people having to share with each other and helping each other to build a peaceful multicultural society in an ecological respected environment, Mr. Ampe, as a flower-power person or hippie, was many times attacked and considered to be a communist, though he always claimed to promote the ways of Christ and considering his expressing disagreement with the principles and particular outcomes of capitalism plus considering himself more as utopist or by some called Utopian socialist. Because of his non-violence attitude, e.g. on animal rights, some considered him as pacifist,  a “politically homeless“, as progressive liberal (charismatic) Christian having contacts and friends with leftwing socialists, orthodox Marxists, anti-Stalinist Trotskyists, left communists, liberal pacifists and some anarchists, to be a weak and to naive stargazer to avoid. Mr. Ampe was clearly very much influenced by one of his favourite thinkers, Charles Fourier, and reformers as Robert Owen, going for utopian socialism, even when he got so much adverse wind of socialists, drawing from early communist and socialist ideas.

Today he is still convinced that our current systems of monetary, social, ideological and border divisions are not working and endangering our species. Having come aware that too many of his ideals are perhaps not for this world he still keeps to many of his old ideals and hopes once there may come a new generation again prepared to oppose our war-machine and consumer society. He is still looking at mankind as people allowed (by the Most High Power) to live on this planet as attenders who have to come to show their mutual respect for each other and our planetary home.

For him it must not be that every single one of us, rich or poor, born into life-long slavery and bondage from which there would be no escape under the current system. There is still to do a lot of work to have more people come to see that we can liberate ourselves. Most of us may know that the system we are born into does not serve humanity, but very few of us know what to do to change it or are even willing to look for some change which brings more peace in the hearts of the people.

We can no longer sit idly, watching the destruction of our people, our communities, our countries, and our human potential, by greedy corporations supported by governments with no remorse for their actions, or accountability to the people they are supposed to serve. It should not be allowed that certain people earn 300% more than those who do the dirty job.

Along all sites there are certain groups and movements trying to bring fear and restriction of liberty, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. If we are not careful a lot fro what so many fought in the previous centuries will be lost again soon.

We can no longer sit silently, hoping that someone will do something to stop the assault on our liberties and future prosperity. It has fallen on the shoulders of the common people, to unite and create a new way … a new system … a future filled with abundance and prosperity for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. The individualist centralist ego has to be silenced.

We should go for creating a totally new system free from economic slavery … where we turn competition into collaboration …  a new social structure where we all benefit from our collective efforts and individual talents …  a new world where people are put before profits, and the resources & materials are used to enrich all our lives.

Every single one of us is born in the image of the Divine Creator with valuable and unique gifts and talents and should be happy that he or she can have such talents.  Tat what we received for nothing we also should share with others and should use it for those who do not have such talents. When each individual uses his own talents to improve the lives of everyone around them, these gifts would not be wasted in mundane week-long positions of servitude making profits for those wealthier than ourselves.

Everything you see around you are things which came into being by people who used their hands and brains, and should all be articles created by people for people. Therefore it can not be that there are many who have so little.

The people are the gifts, the people are the power, the genius, the brilliance, and the vision that has created everything we see around us. Without the workers no factory can produce. So why should the society receive most of the gains, the bricks do not need the money.

We are told all the problems facing us are inevitable, that war, hunger and poverty are symptoms of the human condition and we need governments to protect us from ourselves. As many of us now realize, this is simply a lie to disempower us! All the decay, hunger, fear, and lack surrounding us are the direct results of the parasites profiteering off of us, which includes the governments we are told are there to serve us, but just do not come to protect and help the citizens of their country.

Mr. Ampe says.

In the meantime all over the world we could find like-minded figures willing to promote the sharing of knowledge and materials.

In 2014 Robert Chatwin (robito) founded Wake Up World Education (WUWE) trying to collaborate with the world’s biggest global movements for change to help bring solutions into everyone’s life.  WUWE is contributing to this global movement for positive change by switching people on (or waking people up) to this solutions-focused reality so they feel energised, inspired and excited about the world we live in. They take Solutions Education into schools, workplaces, homes and communities, as well as providing a Free online course and offering the world’s biggest solutions to meet-up via their Weekly Circle.

The author of F-Day: The Second Dawn Of Man, a fictional account of humanity’s evolution into a society beyond money, and several video’s on YouTube, created a few years ago a Free World Charter, a social reform initiative that proposes 10 founding principles on which to grow an alternative moneyless society that is fair and sustainable, which Marcus Ampe also endorsed.

Colin Turner his work also includes the Freeworlder Free Sharing Network and HonorPay, a moneyless public awards system for expressing appreciation and gratitude. Many of the underlying concepts of his charter were originally inspired by Jacque Fresco’s Venus Project and Peter Joseph’s Zeitgeist film series – visionaries who, no doubt, would attribute their inspiration to many other historical influences too.

Freewolder Founder Colin Turner states:

“Imagine the power of billions of acts of unconditional free-sharing and the positive effect that could have both on our society and the environment. Imagine how much more peaceful and abundant our world could be without the limitations and injustices of trade.”

Freeworlder: the world’s first truly free sharing network! No exchange. No credits. No barter. Just everyone sharing their excess items and skills!

Can you imagine the power of free, unconditional sharing, mulitplied by millions and billions of people? What kind of world would that be?

Can you imagine the problems we could solve if we didn’t need to trade in order to survive?

Can you imagine if the only thing that governed people’s behaviour was not the money they had nor the laws they obeyed, but rather the knowledge, respect and appreciation they had for each other and their environment?

This is why we built Freeworlder.com – to facilitate online what we all do every day – except to bring that trust outside our immediate circles, friends and family and around the world.

We are changing the world in baby steps. Today, we can share our small excess items, skills and knowledge easily. Soon we will build enough trust and confidence in the idea of unconditional sharing, that we can begin to truly re-organise our society for the mutual benefit of all.

“The Freeworlder Network” will go online this coming May. (We’ll let you know when the site is ready)

Welcome to the world’s first free-sharing network!

Please join. Please support. Please share.

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Find also to read

1. The Free World
2. Freeworlder – Free Sharing Network
3. The Free World Charter – A New Story
4. Our World Is Free
5. Ubuntu contrubitonism
6. Pulling The Gum Out Of The Rug
7. Free The Economy
8. Universal Basic Serfdom – Freeworlder.com
9. The Free World Charter: Let’s make everything free
10. The Freeworlder Wall – see who’s here!
11. Life In The Open Economy – Freeworlder.com
12. The Flower of Life
13. Access to a New Dream
14. The mindful approach to animal connection
15. Socialentrepreneurialism project. Collaborators wanted
16. WUWE, can be contacted by email or signed up here to get involved and stay informed.
17. Blogging In The Free World
18. A Call to Calm, A Call to Reset
19. 21 Day Challenge – Complaint Free
20. Leaders of the Free World
21. The “American Dream” …
22. What in the “Free” world….?
23. Fear of Truth (Reprise)
24. Dreamland!
25. Virtual Brownie Sharing Circle
26. one.
27. sharing
28. Just Sharing!!
29. Sharing is Caring
30. Free From Modern Capitalism

    

Not Your Own

Redbird's Roost

It is sharing and caring,
Giving and forgiving,
Loving and being loved,
Walking hand in hand,
Talking heart to heart,
Seeing through each other’s eyes,
Laughing together,
Weeping together,
And always trusting and believing
And thanking God for each other…
For love that is shared
is a beautiful thing —
It enriches the soul
and makes the heart sing.
Helen Steiner Rice – “A Touch of Joy”

Never say: “It is nobody’s business but my own what I do with my life.” It is not true. Your life is put in your hands as a trust, for many others beside yourself. If you use it well, it will make many others happy; if you abuse it, it will harm many others beside yourself.
James M. Pullman

View original post

The cold hitting in the northern hemisphere

Dealing with ongoing cardiac problems in their younger son, now an adult, who was born with a rare genetic disorder that includes multiple disabilities, the father fights against Stage IV cancer and the mother finds herself struggling daily with feelings of hopelessness that threaten to defeat her natural optimism.  They see that life is hard, and for most of us, it is likely to get harder in the future. Yet it is also filled with blessings and promise.  {About Defeat Despair}

Julia, the writer of the blog Defeat Despair writes

Many of us who live north of the equator have been enduring record-cold temperatures. Some have been hit with a particularly nasty flu or other seasonal aches and pains. Power outages, weather delays and traffic snarls, along with wind chills below zero, can make wintertime something to dread. So let’s get cozy and enjoy what’s good about this season. {A poet in January}

When it is so cold outside, who doesn’t love to sleep in? For many the aversion to getting up in the morning is much greater in the winter, when the cold weather makes a snug warm bed all the more appealing. {Nonetheless}

While winter brings a lazy streak, it also sparks Julia’s inner drive to get organized, set goals and form good habits. She writes

Those winter resolutions, along with the beauty of the snowfalls such as the one I’m seeing right now, are reasons why I love winter despite the discomfort and inconvenience of inclement weather.

I hope you are enjoying January too, whatever kinds of weather it brings to where you are. If you are in the midst of your summer, or live in a tropical climate, enjoy it! Sip an iced tea for me, and go barefoot in the sand of a seashore whenever you have the chance.

If you, like me, are in “cozy hibernation” mode, keep that kettle on and lots of tea, coffee or cocoa handy. Check out some of the many self-improvement articles that proliferate in January via magazines and websites, and dream of springtime. As I keep reminding myself, it will be here before we know it! {Nonetheless}

Brew a cup of your favorite cold-weather beverage. Pull up a comfy chair, light a crackling fire, or if you don’t have that kind of fireplace (alas, I don’t), try switching on your gas or electric fireplace, or just snuggle up with a warm fuzzy throw. Take out your favorite poetry book, or grab your laptop, tablet or phone and go on a poetry scavenger hunt for some wonderful undiscovered gems, or lifelong favorites you can’t fully remember.

If you find anything lovely, funny, thought-provoking or heartwarming, we’d love to have you share it with us here. For every comment that links us to a poem, I’ll answer with a favorite of my own for us to read. Our high school English teachers would be proud!

Let’s bring our virtual Verandah indoors while it’s too cold to be outside. What we lack in sunshine and warm breezes we can more than make up for in congenial online company and realtime hygge.*  Cookies, pastries and savory snacks optional. {A poet in January}

In any case this is the time to enjoy the small things.

A charming display of teapots greeted us at a Pennsylvania bed & breakfast inn, June 2015

Despite the deceptively warm days of this past December, cold weather will be our frequent companion for weeks to come. Time for bundling up– or perhaps I should say settling down? for some cozy comforts to chase away the chill. Whether your day will take you indoors or out, be sure to make time for tea.

Note that I said “make time for tea,” not “have some tea” or “drink tea.” One of the great transforming qualities of becoming a tea lover is the inevitability that it will become a centering ritual, calming our nerves even before we take that first taste. Coffee drinkers also understand this, though that beverage is more often associated with busy days and drinking “on the run” — a shame, really, given the salutary benefits of serene sipping.

This winter morning, I invite you to sit down with me for a few minutes of reflective enjoyment. The kettle is on, and there has never been a better time to appreciate the greatness of small things. What are some of the everyday joys you look forward to this week? {Greatness in small things}

January bliss: a comfy chair, poetry, and tea in a lovely cup given by a dear friend. You’re invited to drop in and tell us your favorites– poets, teas, or both!

 

“When one reads a poet in January, it is as lovely as when one goes to walk in June.”
— Jean Paul Friedrich Richter

 

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Note: Hygge has been called everything from “the art of creating intimacy”, “cosines of the soul”, “the absence of annoyance” to “taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things”, “cosy togetherness” but I think my personal favourite is “the pursuit of everyday pleasures”.

Freedom. To dispose of what is surplus.

Full summer.
The season of juicy fruit.
The land gives, we reap and enjoy.
The season of sharing, sharing what is abundant on the bushes.
Sharing what we can do without.

Full summer.
Is filling ourselves with sunlight.
Recharge our batteries, new energy.
The air and the light give, we reap and enjoy.
And then we share. We share what we can do without.

Because that is freedom.
To choose to share.
To give away what is surplus.
To get rid of the unnecessary.

Nederlandse versie: Vrijheid. Wegdoen wat overbodig is

…

The Open Share icon conveys the act of sharing by visually representing one hand passing an object to another hand, as in “pass it on” or “sharing”. The icon also represents an “eye”, as in “look at this”. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scriptures and Thoughts about: Proclaim

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Preceding

High time to go out telling the world about Jesus

7 Ways To Become A Better Christian

What Should I Preach ?

Daring to speak in multicultural environment

Crisis man needed in this world

Refusing to Be Silent

Go Ye!

To proclaim the day of vengeance

Proclaiming: a task given to Christians

Go! Proclaim! Testify!

Mankato Church of Christ

Old Testament concepts:
To cry out (as the prophets)
To call upon one (often God) for help
To read aloud, or to appoint, or to be summoned

New Testament:
Kerusso – “to be a herald, to officiate as a herald; to proclaim after the manner of a herald, always with the suggestion of formality, gravity, and an authority which must be listened to and obeyed; to publish, proclaim openly something which has been done; used of the public proclamation of the Gospel and matters pertaining to it, made by John the Baptist, by Jesus, by the apostles, and other Christian teachers.”
Does everyone have a responsibility to proclaim the gospel?

(Matthew 5:16) In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

(Matthew 28:16-20) “But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the…

View original post 2,272 more words

Proclaiming: a task given to Christians

Christians get their title by their baptism in the Body of Christ (the Church). By receiving that title normally they are supposed to recognise Jesus Christ as the Messiah and to be willing to follow him.

In this world we do find lots of people who call themselves Christian but do not follow Christ and often even do not keep to the teachings and ordinances of their so called church or denomination. We may find lots of people who say they are a Christian but who live contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Their lives are rooted in the world. They keep to heathen festivals and when they worship some one it are a three-headed god and saints, instead of keeping to the only One True God of Israel, the God of Jesus. By living a contrary life Jehovah God will not know them and they will not be saved. There are people that go to churches that teach doctrines contrary to the Bible and by continuing to go to them they are distancing themselves from the Only True God.

A lot of christians do not mind to keep their faith for themselves, not sharing it with others. They forget that the Nazarene master teacher Jesus wants his followers to help connect all people to the life-giving message of him. Jesus wants as many as possible to experience God and having them to find freedom, have them to discover purpose and to make a difference in our world.

Jesus wants us to say on each day

“Give thanks to Jehovah; praise Him and proclaim His name! Celebrate His works among the peoples – make his deeds known. Tell the nations how glorious how great He is and declare that His Name is exalted. {Isaiah 12:4}

All people should come to know that authority has been given to Jesus (in heaven and on earth) and therefore we should not hesitate to proclaim the message of the Good News, and should also make disciples of^[f] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything Jesus has commanded his disciples. {Matthew 28: 18-20}

¹⁵ Jesus said to them, “Go everywhere in the world, and ·tell [preach; proclaim] the ·Good News [Gospel] to ·everyone [all creation]. ¹⁶ Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved, but anyone who does not believe will be ·punished [condemned]. ¹⁷ And those who believe will be able to do these things as ·proof [signs]: They will use my name to ·force [drive; cast] out demons. They will speak in new ·languages [tongues]. ¹⁸ They will pick up snakes and drink poison without being hurt. They will ·touch [lay hands on] the sick, and the sick will ·be healed [recover].” {Mark 16:15-18 EXB}

Believers in Christ and his God should not be afraid of the badness which may surround them. They should show that they might be stronger than it when trusting in the Most High God. Not by our own means can we do things but we must count on the power of the Holy Spirit (God’s Force).

It is no difference than in the time of Jesus Christ. There is no reason at all to think there has to be done no preaching any more. The opposite, today it is even of more utmost importance than in the time of Christ Jesus. When Jesus was walking around in the planes of Jerusalem and Galilee he could perhaps encounter much more believers in the Only One true God than we can today in our regions. Today, around us are much more unbelievers and worshippers of binary, trinary and other multiple godheads, than in the region where Christ walked around.

Today there is also a much more hostile environment for those who want to worship the Only One True God, Jehovah. Already by hearing the Name of God lots of people raise their voice.

Let us take at heart what Jesus said to his disciples:

⁵ Jesus sent out these twelve men with the following ·order [instructions]: “Don’t go ·to [^Lon the way/road of] the ·Gentiles [non-Jewish people] or ·to [^Lenter] any town where the Samaritans live. ⁶ But go to the ·people of Israel, who are like lost sheep [^Llost sheep of the house of Israel]. ⁷ When you go, ·preach [announce; proclaim] this: ‘The kingdom of heaven is ·near [at hand].’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead to life again, ·heal [^Lcleanse] ·those who have skin diseases [^Tthe lepers; see 8:2], and ·force demons out of people [^Lcast out demons]. ·I give you these powers freely, so help other people freely [^LFreely you have received, freely give]. ⁹ Don’t ·carry [or acquire] any money ·with you [^Lin your belts]—gold or silver or copper. ¹⁰ Don’t carry a ·bag [traveler’s bag; or beggar’s purse] or ·extra clothes [^Ltwo tunics] or sandals or a ·walking stick [staff]. Workers ·should be given what they need [deserve to be supported; ^Ldeserve their food/sustenance].

¹¹ “When you enter a city or town, ·find [seek out] some ·worthy [honorable; respected] person there and stay in that home until you leave. ¹² When you enter that home, ·give it your blessing [^Lgreet it; ^Ctypically, “Peace be with you”; see Luke 10:5]. ¹³ If the ·people there welcome you [^Lhouse is worthy], let your peace ·stay there [^Lcome upon it]. But if ·they don’t welcome you [^Lit is not worthy], ·take back the peace you wished for them [^Llet your peace return to you]. ¹⁴ And if ·a home or town [^Lanyone] refuses to welcome you or ·listen to you [heed your words/message], leave that ·place [^Lhome or town] and shake its dust off your feet [^Cin protest and as a warning of judgment]. ¹⁵ I tell you the truth, on the judgment day it will be ·better [more bearable/tolerable] for the ·towns [^Lland] of Sodom and Gomorrah [^Cevil cities destroyed by God; Gen. 19] than for the people of that town. {Matthew 10:5-15 EXB}

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Preceding

To proclaim the day of vengeance

Not all christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture

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Additional reading

1. The Nazarene master teacher learning people how they should behave
2. As Christ’s slaves doing the Will of God in gratitude
3. Back from gone #2 Aim of godly people
4. Breathing to teach
5. Blogging in the world for Jesus and his Father
6. Sharing thoughts and philosophical writings
7. Going deep into cultures to reach lost people
8. Engaging the culture without losing the gospel
9. How do I know if I’m called to ministry?
10. Priest, scribes and others with authority
11. Learn how to go out into the world and proclaim the Good News of the coming Kingdom
12. Oratory Style
13. What Should I Preach ?

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Further reading

1. 1. What Does the Lord Require? :: Prayers of the People
   2. A Day in Capernaum: Proclaiming Release to the Prisoners
   3. Send us Out
   4. Evangelize: Downtown Boise With Love
   5. Feed on His Faithfulness
   6. Attitude is Everything
   7. When Does Grace Run Out?

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Related articles

• Sunday reflection: Matthew 28:16-20 and John 17:1 – 11
• Synagogue Church Attack: Christian youths demand probe, compensation for T.B Joshua
• Women Who Work for the Mormon Church Can Now Wear Pants
• Southern Baptists vote overwhelmingly to condemn ‘alt-right white supremacy’

The Sensual World – Mission & Vision

Though humankind is daily confronted with people around each other, man often does not manage to communicate. In this world were everything has to go so fast and where every one expects to receive something for something, real communication does not always go so fluently and easy as it should be.
Our capitalist system made it that sharing ideas, knowledge and wisdom are not real goals of many. What is shared on social media is not really of consistent value and not many are really willing to show their own ideas.

To have people sharing ideas and helping each other to know more proves not so easy. On the lifestyle magazine From Guestwriters we promote a peaceful world where people will love to share with each other.

Since 2014, when we started the site we are looking for different writers in different fields to share their knowledge and to build up a positive thought lifestyle magazine.
I must confess this does not goes easily. Not many acted positively on our call. Most of the people contacted wanted to get paid, something we cannot afford. (In case many would contribute and make something successful of it it could become lucrative. But that demands energy and patience.)

We can only hope many pore people would come to see that not always money should be given in return to bring something positive to the world and to the benefit of future generations.

Hopefully there are enough positivists and world loving people who can see that with the advent of Capitalism, the human spirit of mutual sharing began its slow decline and erosion, but that when we fight against it there is still hope for a better world.

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Preceding article

People of different cultures, beliefs and political convictions fraternal together

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Related

1. Communication, Technology and Existential Crises
2. Love Those “Defining The Relationship” Convos
3. Online Interaction and Collaboration
4. Mlm Recruiting Secrets:How To Communicate Effectively – Dereco Cherry
5. What a horse taught me today about conflict resolution, communication, and relationships
6. Striving for Simplicity
7. Teaching Children Across Cultures
8. Racial Inequality: It is Real, and It Needs to be Stopped
9. Engagement or just plain meddling?
10. Chopra Center: How to Communicate Your Opinion Peacefully.

It’s time to build a new system

In certain developed countries they are still far of the idea of helping each other to create a new society.

Great to hear from Chicago in the U.S.A.that institutes are willing to offer an intriguing and loving way to re-design custom things for other people, and that there they are on the verge of inventing free heat, electricity, wifi, and distribution systems for a new way to run cities off of.

Trying to use the energy which is for free around us, Sun, wind, we can avoid nuclear energy and safe on dioxin exits also by trying to selectively manage our waste.

To come to such different lifestyle people have to change their selfish attitude and have to take on a more loving attitude respecting each other and willing to share with those around them.

Would it not be lovely to find a communal place where we can find books, vinyl records, compact disks, magneto-phone tapes, video tapes, clothes we can use for some time and then place them back for others to use as well?

The movement has to grow and perhaps it goes very very slowly, but in Europe we see a lots of experiments and some interesting groups succeeding with the idea in their community.

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Preceding article: A charter for a truly free world and why we need it

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Additional reading:

1. Inequality, Injustice, Sustainability and the Free World Charter
2. Not everything has to be reciprocated with money

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Related articles

• 30 Years After Chernobyl, Where Does Nuclear Energy Stand?
• No Obstacles Prevent China from Rapidly Building Floating Nuclear Power Plants
• Flipbin Vinyl Storage
• Africa Tapping Nuclear Power For Energy Needs
• Flemish government’s approval of €150,000 funding for emergency aid to Syria
• Christadelphian Samaritan Fund Refugee Crisis Appeal

A Global Organic Mindset

At this time, it’s time to leverage a more loving humanity and really start bending and subverting rules to do things for the other people. This means a more loving humanity in which money is not a factor.

You may have heard by now about “the inventions,” as I’m designing them in real time in Chicago. Chicago is providing me with a bit more capacity to finish the parts together that will apply for a lot of houses. We are on the verge of inventing free heat, electricity, wifi, and distribution systems for a new way to run cities off of. This will ideally give a way to live a lifestyle which is not scarcity or different much from what you know.

The institutes supply the storefronts. If it’s something that is important to folks in the area, it will be staffed and made and done for the others. If…

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Sensitive trees for insensitive man

even, dense and old stand of beech trees (Fagus sylvatica) prepared to be regenerated (watch the young trees underneath the old ones) in the Brussels part of the Sonian Forest (Forêt de Soignes – Zoniënwoud) in Belgium (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For years already, I claim we should treat plants and animals as subjects but also as living beings created by the Divine Creator, who has given them for our use but not mis-use or maltreatment. I always claimed they too have feelings and ways of communicating. In the 1970ies I followed many scientists who tried to proof and did proof how plants also have feelings and communicate with each other.

Though at regular times people seem to be reminded of it. Because too often man forgets that he is not alone having feelings and able to communicate with others of their own sort properly.

It is long known to biologists that trees in the forest are social beings. They can count, learn and remember; nurse sick neighbours; warn each other of danger by sending electrical signals across a fungal network known as the “Wood Wide Web”; and, for reasons unknown, keep the ancient stumps of long-felled companions alive for centuries by feeding them a sugar solution through their roots.

The German Peter Wohlleben studied forestry and spent over twenty years as a civil servant in the forestry commission. For him trees are his life and for that reason he also gave up his job by the state forestry because he wanted to put his ideas of ecology into practice. He now runs an environmentally friendly municipal piece of woodland in the village of Huemmel, holds lectures and seminars and has written books on subjects pertaining to woodlands and nature protection so those interested can accompany him through the forests of his homeland and the whole world.

The Hidden Life of Trees describes how trees are like human families. We as human beings only think of ourselves being able to make a nice family, though many make a mess of it, and when watching Danish television series I even wonder if there are normal Danish people walking around in the North, who can have a normal family life. In the series we come to see they all seem to be unfaithful.

In nature we see better build ups. Tree parents living together with their children, communicating with them, and supporting them as they grow, sharing nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warning each other of impending dangers. With their newfound understanding of the delightfully complex life of trees, readers will never be able to look at a walk.

The deep dark forest One of the tracks through Pantmaenog Forest. There are prehistoric tumuli marked on the map here but they are difficult to find among the dense conifers. The trees here were planted after Bellstone quarry closed in 1908 and some of the old quarry workings are also concealed by the forest: human beings making their mark on the landscape in a variety of ways. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Since it first topped best-seller lists last year, Mr. Wohlleben has been spending more time on the media trail and less on the forest variety, making the case for a popular reimagination of trees, which, he says, contemporary society tends to look at as “organic robots” designed to produce oxygen and wood.

Though duly impressed with Mr. Wohlleben’s ability to capture the public’s attention, some German biologists question his use of words, like “talk” rather than the more standard “communicate,” to describe what goes on between trees in the forest. But no matter how you want to call that communication we should come to understand that it is really communicating, no matter if you want to call it talking or something else.

It is also different with human beings who think they communicate and are on social media, thinking they have so many friends, but in reality do not have many friends nor comrades and do not really have any real communication going on between all those people. We did not mind to run around in that what God had created us and did not have to hide anything for others, always able to keep faithful to the one we loved and where we choose for. But to day they want to shine and glitter in fashion clothes but are fast to take those cloths of in the hidden to do things we would have found inappropriate when there was not a strong connection with each other. But to day they seem to change of girl like they change of underpants, and often there is not much conversation going on and lots of time it is just a one night stand with no further communication at all. They have become worse than animals. (Are am I looking at it too pessimistic?)

Whilst I do believe those trees have much more communication going on than their human counterparts who are not afraid to kill more and more of those air-cleaners, not seeing that they are polluting more and more their own environment, making it poorer and poorer. Even those Germans who are reputed to have a special relationship with the forest are a kind of a cliché and it can well be that those Germans do not love their forest more than Swedes or Norwegians or Finns.

When I lived and worked in Germany, for relaxation I went into the woods around Köln and went swimming in open air. Then I could encounter many like minded nature lovers who wanted to be one with it and, like me searched for ways to respect it and to make properly use of feeding us in a clean and appropriate way. No chemicals, no additives, all pure whole grain and pure natural food.

Young musicians living in a shared community in Amsterdam.

Though when I look at how enthusiast we where in the 1960–70ies and had so many dreams, being called ‘flower power‘ people, many not understanding our idea of sharing and love and making a collective community, kibbutz or commune, many of them have gone far away from their idealism and the last few months we see many things we fought for, being undone in a very short time.

Though might we see somewhere some light shining in the dark, perhaps getting back some younger ones again being interested in nature and how we should behave in it? Can it be that there are again seeds planted for people willing to reconsider our human behaviour in the big universe?

For sure it is high time that people are going to understand the need of forests and green spaces around our busy roads and living estates. Yesterday it was again on the news that in the Kempen 122 ha of woods has to be offered for sand-winning, as if it is nothing. Man also thinks it is alright to artificially space out trees, but forget that shall not give the same intensification as wooded areas. The plantation forests that make up most of West Europe’s woods ensure that trees get more sunlight and grow faster. But, naturalists say, creating too much space between trees can disconnect them from their networks, stymieing some of their inborn resilience mechanisms.

Intrigued, Mr. Wohlleben began investigating alternate approaches to forestry. Visiting a handful of private forests in Switzerland and Germany, he was impressed.

“They had really thick, old trees,”

he said.

“They treated their forest much more lovingly, and the wood they produced was more valuable. In one forest, they said, when they wanted to buy a car, they cut two trees. For us, at the time, two trees would buy you a pizza.”

But where are all those very thick trees gone, I wonder. In Belgium some years ago you could find also many places where you could enjoy the view of masterly or kingly majestic trees. The last two years , in the region where I live now (Leefdaal, Flemish Brabant), we have seen hundreds of trees being cut and not replaced.

Deep in the forest something stirred Go Ape, a series of aerial walkways, swings and zip slides in the forestry land north of Aberfoyle. Note – human beings included for a sense of scale. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mr Wohlleben had also difficulties with the ministry of forestry but it turned out that Mr. Wohlleben had won over the forest’s municipal owners. 10 years ago, the municipality took a chance. It ended its contract with the state forestry administration, and hired Mr. Wohlleben directly. He brought in horses, eliminated insecticides and began experimenting with letting the woods grow wilder. Within two years, the forest went from loss to profit, in part by eliminating expensive machinery and chemicals.

We should enjoy those trees going to grow in all sorts of shapes, creating all sorts of designs in the air. When we look at ourselves, we should see that we also do not have a life going in straight lines. We also not all grow up straight. Why should trees have to grow up in those particular straight lines indicated by people in the office. The same as the right 25 cm cucumbers, the bananas with the drawn out moon shape, the tomatoes and apples which may not be too big or flat… everything should be according to the book and numbers indicated,  … but life is not according the book of man … but should be according the Book of life …. with not everything exactly the same, and not always according to the books of man….

When is man going to see we should come back to being close to nature and to be part of nature again? And when is he going to understand we do need much more green around us … to have a colourful life full of health and joy?

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Please also find to read:

1. World Agenda for Sustainability
2. Welfare state and Poverty in Flanders #1 Up to 21st century
3. 2nd Half 20th Century Generations pressure to achieve

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Where are the female writers

When research shows that women, who are more than half of the population, write only a third of the stories, how does it come that not more women are taking up the pen and sharing their thoughts?

“Bon Ton Burlesquers – 365 days ahead of them all.” Poster of U.S. burlesque show, 1898, showing a woman in outfit with low neckline and short skirts holding a number of upper-class men “On the string”. Color lithograph (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Did women still not become confident enough to have their voice sounding in the air? Or is the human world still being influenced by macho male world?

Media tells us our roles in society — it tells us who we are and what we can be.

The Women’s Media Center (WMC) released its yearly report on the status of women in U.S. media on July the 15th. This new report shows us who people think matters and what is important to media — and clearly, as of right now, for the American citizen it is not women.

Taken together, the 49 studies are a snapshot of women in media platforms as diverse as news, literature, broadcast, film, television, radio, online, tech, gaming, and social media.

In evening broadcast news, women are on-camera 32% of the time; in print news, women report 37% of the stories; on the Internet, women write 42% of the news; and on the wires, women garner only 38% of the bylines.

“We face the same issue here,” Women in Media (www.womeninmedia.net) National Patron Caroline Jones said. “While more than half of the graduates in our sector are women, women hold around 7% of management roles. That’s got to change.” {Media executives to tackle gender equality in Women in Media panel}

In my ecclesia and for my websites I also ask the female part of our society to contribute to our society, but it seems that they, like human male, keep quiet.

We may perhaps know that men do less than they ought (unless they do all that they can), but what about women?

The list of notable female writers may be huge and many ladies could get me carried away. It were not only story tellers or historicist but also article writers who got me tantalised.

Also looking at several followers of my different sites I am pleased to find several female writers and photographers who offer very nice articles or beautiful series of visual postings. Pity none of them offered them yet to join us and use the opportunity to get more readers to know them and to bring them also to their nice articles.

If you are writing on the net, why would you not share some of your ideas here and share some readings you encountered, when scrolling the many articles available on the net. It would be strange if you would not be able to find at least one article in a year worth sharing with others.  In case that would be the case, not able to find more interesting articles on the net, that others also should read, it would mean that too much rubbish is presented and that by the overload serious articles do not find a chance to be noticed.

When I see on social media, like Facebook and on Youtube what gets most interest and most likes, it either says a lot of the present generation and gives an impression that non-serious and shocking material gets most interest by the present viewers.

Why not distance us form all that under-the-belt material and from the voyeuristic articles, focusing on things which are important for our society?

I am perhaps very conservative and have some old fashioned ideas and gender role ideas, but that does not mean that people can not be conform or of total different vision and would not able to present opposites over here. the nicest thing would be when different visions can stand next to each other (in peace).

I may think women should be best at presenting articles about the female role in our society, and could bring articles on the household but also on women at work or the role of women in our community or in our ecclesia or church. but they also could bring ideas about living and arranging our living quarters, sharing architectural and interior design ideas.

Naturally also men could write articles about those subjects, and they are invited too.

I am still waiting for writers to present themselves? Please when you do feel called do not hesitate, but contact me straight ahead.

I welcome any interested serious writer, who is willing to share his thoughts and interesting thoughts he or she finds on the net.

Do not wait until tomorrow but act today.

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  The current numbers are bleak and going nowhere fast. And although there is a real and clear business imperative for diversity at the top of business in this country and globally — with compelling statistics to match, we can’t wait and hope for it to be worked out by those whose current self interests are tied to things remaining more or less the same. Quotas are the only certain pathway to gender equity.
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Away with it oh no! – Weg er mee, oh neen

In sommige landen, als België en Frankrijk, zijn er grootwarenhuizen die er voor zorgen dat er niet aan ‘dumpster diving” wordt gedaan. Schandalig stellen zij alles in het werk om te verhinderen dat mensen nog iets bruikbaars uit hun vuilbakken zouden halen.

On the Flemish television we could see in a few documentaries where also hidden camera’s were used, how In some countries such as Belgium and France, there are supermarkets that ensure that is not to “dumpster diving” can be done in their trash-bins. Scandalously they make sure that nobody shall be able to retrieve something from their dustbins.

> Voor de Nederlandse versie: ga verder naar beneden a.u.b.

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Aanvullend tot: Met minder is … nog genoeg

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Culinien Nienemin

Away with it oh no! (English version)

Day 1038.. there you throw away another meal again. The leftovers, which are superfluous because it was to much. I hear it a lot around me and sometime in the news they come with a new message about dumpster diving people who go looking for edible food in the garbage. Last year I talked on my blog about the recycling of food. Here I mentioned Damn Food waste. This is a day in Amsterdam where they make dinners from waste. The waste of food is enormous. Luckily, there are new initiatives for the proper handling of food.

Last Sunday I was watching 24 kitchen, there was a program about recycling food forward. I immediately got inspired and went to look for some interesting developments in the field of food recycling.

Last year, in besides the Damn Food waste festival also Restival was organized…

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Hang On!

Too many are afraid for what or Whom is mocked by the majority of society. Therefore they often miss the boat which can bring them to a safe-haven.
Mankind is given answers to their many questions, but not many do want to go looking into those old books which provides enough answers to get going again, to see the ‘upside of things’ again, and to find renewed strength to conquer this world.
When we dare look up and see in the wonders of nature the Might Hand of the Most High we shall find consolation and help. Let us not be blind for the free given solace and the empowerment which is lying in front of us in the Bible. It is by sharing that Word that we should help others also to find the Way to the better life.

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To remember:

1. safe-haven: only God gives inward peace
2. depend on Him.
3. God = mighty rock that keeps safe
4. = fortress where you can feel secure.
5. God saves and honours
6. Trust God
7. success is never defined nor determined by people
8. People are frail, fickle, selfish and unreliable
9. God never changes
10. God will remain faithful to the cause and you
11. realize value of growth and maturity
12. God His Spirit = Guide
13. Faith demands we look forward but fear will keep us frozen, unwilling and unbending.
14. Keep your eyes on the King and follow His lead.

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Find also:

Human Nature: What does the Bible teach?

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Perks

“Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on him. God alone is the mighty rock that keeps me safe, and he is the fortress where I feel secure. God saves me and honors me. He is that mighty rock where I find safety. Trust God, my friends, and always tell him each one of your concerns. God is our place of safety.” Ps 62:5-8

Maybe today you feel like giving up. May be you feel like a frog hanging on the side of a gator’s mouth. It could go either way : ) Hang on friend. God didn’t bring you this far to leave you high and dry. Here’s some things you need to remember. One, success is never defined nor determined by people. God is the one who defines what success is so get your eyes off of the opinions of people 😉 People are frail, fickle, selfish and unreliable…

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Sharing for pleasure and for love

Do you have something on your mind? Do you have something to tell? Are you convinced someone would like to listen to you? are you willing to share your knowledge to others?

We do have a give-away. It does not cost you any dime. It will cost you only some time.

Will it bring in money for you? We can only tell you not everything turns around money. We believe there are higher values in live.

Why not share something with others just for fun, for love?

We are still looking for interested writers, who want to tell their end of the story. Those who feel inspired by what is going on in the world, enjoy seeing things in nature, capturing the beauties of this world, are welcome to share their positive experience.

Are you the one we are looking for?

Two young girls sharing a plate of spaghetti. Original caption: “I’m not sure Mina knew what she was in for when Viola wanted to share.” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Why not becoming one of the peace bloggers, sharing positive thoughts and sending out Good News to the world?

Become a Peaceblogger
Click on the picture to know more

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Do you have a writer or presenter in you?

It is incredible how computer technology evolved and how much easier internet became. Lots of people are not any more surprised they can find the world at their fingertip. People go online for a number of reasons. They go online to research a potential purchase, to seek solutions for a problem they’re having and to be entertained.

The old way to get thoughts from one mind to the other, by writing it down, getting it brought to someone else by a courier, and waiting for sometime to get a reply or feedback. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many say that if the blog provides all three; products, information, and entertainment then it is in tip top shape.To be honest; we do not want to sell the loved articles or present the newest assets. We only want to sell ‘positive news‘, ‘love‘ and the ‘Word of God‘. That last bit most often frightens people so much they turn it off straight ahead. Us using the Name of God and mentioning about His Works makes us less beloved. Not being ashamed to openly tell people Who we love and worship makes it even more difficult to get people working together with us or willing to come along with us on this project of bringing the positive Good News.

On the 26th of March we wrote our first message: Guestwriters for you and did send a message in the world inviting writers to join us. Up till now we did not get many answers, no negative and no positive ones.

At the beginning of the new year, we would like to repeat our invitation. In case you as reader do find you may contribute something positive and would not mind sharing your thoughts to uplift others, you are welcome. This site has no intention to become a religious blog, so you do not have to talk always about God. But you may not mind He will be mentioned now and then, because this blog wants to present to the reader the important things in life. We would like to offer those things which can make life easier, more bearable, giving more joy to people around us. We agree also that we intend also to present stories of people which can give an impression of how they see life, their relation to others, their relation to nature. We also are convinced we are part of the universe and should be in a good relation with nature; Therefore we would love to find writers who also can tell about the urgency of taking care of that precious nature.

Living in this world of thriving economy, hard labour and harsh reality we have to find ways to survive, to feel ourselves good, to find ways to succeed but also to find ways to relax. When you have some good ideas which can help others with it, why not sharing it? If you can write about ways to meditate, relax, to find the self, why not offering your help to those who come along the internet to find answers for making their life easier?

Fashion Blogger, Marquis of Fashion for Fashion Blog. http://www.fashionblogblogger.com/ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We would love to find more authors who can bring some articles at regular time about ‘lifestyle‘, ‘fashion’, ‘culture‘, ‘entertainment‘, ‘parenting’, ‘family matters’, ‘relationships’, ‘marriage’, ‘environment’, ‘crafts’, ‘arts’, ‘food’, ‘economics’ and also visual elements like cartoons, drawings and photographs. If you are good in one of them, why not react and act! Why not present yourself and let your work be seen to many more people. Together on one platform you can reach much more people than each can reach on his or her own personal blog. Having a say over here you as co-author also shall be able to promote your own personal blog and be able to guide those who are willing to find more of your work, also coming to look at your personal site. It is a win-win situation. Having your work presented over here you can get more people to know your work.

At the beginning of this new year we would love to send out our call for writers. In case you do not feel ready for it, but perhaps do know somebody who might be interested, why not speak to him or her and get him or her in contact with us?

‘‘Various Selections,’’ a packet of news articles culled from the Internet by the ‘‘Qaeda Media Committee.’’ Original caption: :The cover page of ‘‘Various Selections,’’ a packet of news articles culled from the Internet by the ‘‘Qaeda Media Committee.’’ The March 2001 cover page promotes articles with headlines like ‘‘Barak Kills a Muslim,’’ ‘‘Taliban Halt Production of Opium,’’ and ‘‘Russian and Indian Weapons Go to Opposition.’’ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Everybody who has something to tell or who finds something worth reading is welcome. The contributor, if he or she is not really a writer does not have to write all the articles him or herself. We also look for people who come across interesting articles and do find it worthwhile to share them with others. Our intention is to bring a readers digest, offering our readers a selection of interesting reading material which was/is published on the worldwide internet. Anybody who spend time reading and looking at several websites, who think he or she found something interesting for others, might share it with our readers. Be it a poem, a story, a study, review or article of interest, why not reblog it on this site? We are convinced it should be possible for you to find at least two or three article a year which you find interesting enough that others should read it. In case ten volunteers present themselves and would reblog two articles in a year, we would be able to present nearly every week an article to get us and our visitors a good taste.

It should not be so difficult to find something interesting once or twice a year. Writing just a few thoughts once or twice a year is perhaps more difficult, but when you consider it like writing a letter to some one you like, it becomes perhaps easier.

We love to find more stories and poems which can inspire people or take their mind of the daily problems. In case you feel you might give your itchy fingers the opportunity to try out it scribbles, why not take the chance to present your first poetic adventures here?

The good news is your content can provide both the information and the entertainment and when written well, can also inspire purchases or clicks to your newsletter, your personal blog, or affiliate links.

Do you have to tell a story, are able to talk about general shared human experiences, perhaps do have a sense of enlightenment and humour, have reason to believe you may give good advice and know how to solve some problems, when you have something to write which can change the reader’s life, you should contact us and be ready to help others by presenting your thoughts on the internet on this site.

Here are a few ideas to provide value for ‘your customers’ and prospects:

* How to articles, videos, and audio
* Tips articles, videos, and audio
* Case studies
* Workbooks and reports
* Interviews with experts
* Product reviews

A Love Story, painting, oil on canvas, 101.8 x 152.7 cm, by E. Phillips Fox (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“From Guestwriters“, as the name indicates wants to bring several guest-writers together. It wants to be an online human concious community and resource committed to helping Christian but also other and non-religious bloggers finding their place online with faith in humanity as their foundation. We want to bring the Good News of a world where it shall be possible to live in peace with many people from different nations and cultures. If you can bring such a peace message you are the one we are looking for.

If you are not afraid to direct your voice so as to be heard clearly at a distance, not afraid for undertaking requiring concerted effort, and to  convey an impression of to an audience or to others, you are the man or woman we need.

Do not hesitate, come out, do the step forward, take up the courage to write and to share your ideas with others.

Join us and share positive thoughts with the world.- Click on the image to connect with other Bloggers for peace. – 

Find out our aims for this lifestyle magazine and how you too can be one of the Helping Ones with Helping Words.

When you are convinced more people should be more positive and enjoy more the beauty of this world, find out how you too can contribute to build more gateways and to find more pleasure in life achieving fulfilment and success: Spark of Positivism.

When you think you have nothing to say or to show read this.

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Related articles:

1. Asking for a Re-Blog
2. Blogger Applications Are Open!
3. Oh Bye, Ohio: Top 10 Blogging Lessons from Content Marketing World 2012
4. Putting your feelings into words and sharing them

Additional reading:

1. Blogging and Readability: Writing for the Web
2. 40 Little Changes to Your Business Blog (For Big Results)
3. 20 Ways to Skyrocket Your Reader Engagement
4. Blogger Applications Are Open!

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• How to Create Clickable Headlines (getresponse.com)
  No one writes in a vacuum and when your content is posted and shared it’ll appear in amongst loads of other headlines. Yours must stand out regardless of where it ends up. Online readers have a vast library at their fingertips, so ensure that your headline is convincing and pulls them in.
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  This is obviously subjective but if you’re honest with your writing you’ll find that you have a unique voice. Use it and devise headlines that stand out and make online denizens want to read more. Make sure that your piece has a clear goal and relate everything to that. Add your article keyword (usually frontloaded) to your headline and you’ll make it more easily searchable.Whatever subject you’re writing about you’ll find that many other writers have been there before. This is why the headline is so important. Everyone writes lists online and regardless of the niche the format often remains the same.
• Copywriting 101: How to Create Words That Persuade and Sell (getresponse.com)
  Write every single sentence with the intent of getting the next one read, and the one after, and so on .. That’s the job of your headline. To get your readers to read the first sentence. Your headlines don’t have to be sleazy.Remember you are writing headlines for a people who are most likely to be interested in what you have to say. When you are writing to a warm traffic, you don’t have to worry about converting that extra 0.01% of your traffic. It won’t make or break you. Your headline’s job is to get your first sentence read. It doesn’t have to scream in your reader’s face.
• Happiness (magdalenaperks.wordpress.com)
  Joy is not just happiness. Happiness can be as fleeting as eating an ice cream cone on a hot, sunny day. Happiness can be the mere moments we lose our concerns and worry while watching a comedy or reading an exciting book. There is nothing wrong with that kind of happiness, as long as we don’t think that is all the happiness we need. That kind of happiness becomes addictive, and we need more and more to even begin to feel happy in it. True happiness never takes from others, or puts our own pleasure above theirs. Mere pleasurable happiness is not going to lead to joy.
• Keeping Your Audience Reading with Breathless Anticipation (getresponse.com)
  Good writing begins with a question: what are you really writing about? Without a clear answer, your writing will wander around, and your readers will wander away.So define a premise — a guiding idea. The thriller Jurassic Park pits the smartest animals ever (human beings) in a battle against the biggest (dinosaurs). Can brains compete with brawn…  and wicked teeth?Your business story may not have the mass appeal of a dinosaur attack. But readers who need you most will be spellbound. After all, it’s about them: a problem that keeps them awake at night, a problem you can solve.
• How Non-Writers Can Craft Business Blogs (kissmetrics.com)
  Knowing what to write about is just as important as how you write it. Posting to a business blog every day is possible but not worth the effort if no one reads it. Luckily, hunting down topics isn’t too difficult:
  • Stay up to date on what competitors are blogging about. Write a response or approach the subject from your own perspective.
  • Search through comments your readers leave on social media and blogs. These “clues” can lead to increased interaction with followers and help you leverage the content that works.
  • Research trending subjects on Google and news outlets. Is there some industry trend or social event in progress that can be recycled as a topic?

  Not every topic needs to cover a major controversy or explore groundbreaking research. Business bloggers should take the “one for me, one for them” approach. This means that some topics can be focused on you, your business, and new things you’re doing and how they apply to readers.

• Drawn to the Dark Side (psychologytoday.com)
  No one would describe me as all doom and gloom. I’m hyper-social. I laugh a lot. I practice yoga and believe in brightening a stranger’s day with a small act of kindness. But if you put me in the vicinity of someone preternaturally happy, I’m suspicious. What are they hiding? What’s really going on? What do they have to convince themselves is true in order to maintain this constant cheeriness? I believe you can be extremely self-aware and cheerful. But “happiness” as behavior in our culture is often a shield against truths we don’t want to admit.
• The 7 Golden Rules of Blogging (cristianmihai.net)
  I was quite sure that I would never become a successful blogger. I created some blogs on various platforms, but I never had the patience to build an audience. The thing is that I never asked myself whether I had something worth writing about on an almost daily basis. I think this is something a lot of bloggers struggle with. What’s worth sharing? What’s considered useful information? Also, I believe that a lot of writers simply focus too much on trying to come up with an original idea for a blog, a new approach, a new angle.I believe passion is the key element in any creative endeavor.
• The Empathy Library (kasiajames.wordpress.com)
  Founded by School of Life member Roman Krznaric, it’s a fabulous new on-line resource to help us to walk in mile in someone elses shoes. It seems an idea very much in the footsteps of what the School of Life has been pioneering: a new and more considered way of thinking about the big issues of life, free from the traditional ways of teaching. If you’ve read any of the books by the philosophers and writers involved, you’ll know just what I mean. In an increasingly ‘blip-vert’ society (extra points if you get the reference! 🙂 ), their work is refreshingly well considered.

Luxury

In the Holiday time we may think of all those travelling in a world of fantasy and magic, but we must also remember those who can only have such travels in their dreams and imagination.
In this world full of contrast we can find many who are not aware of what a luxury they really have. They are blinded by all the material stuff around them and do not see the real richness of life, what it has to offer and where it can bring us.
Many of them, find their death still frustrated they could not have this or that. they assembled so much only for themselves, so that they could not see others around them. They have forgotten they can not do anything with all that material stuff when they die, and how there are much more important matters in life to give a better life money cannot buy.
Those who seem poor perhaps are much richer in spirit and shall find a better and endless life in the future. Bless their souls.

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Related articles

• Don’t Be Afraid to Die (924jeremiah.wordpress.com)
  You have no idea how long you are going to be on this planet. You might think you can make a reasonable estimate based on your current health status and your age. But the reality is that God could kill you at any moment. Now if you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then this should scare the daylights out of you.
• The Cover-Up (kingskidneal.wordpress.com)
  As women, we love to shop for shoes, clothing, and make-up, not to mention the latest trend….hair! We get so caught up in our appearance and the material things that we have forgotten to tend to our emotional soul and dying spirit. A spirit that is dying is usually depressed, angry, sinful, unsatisfied, unashamed (of their actions or words) and without restraint.
• Acedia: The Noonday Demon (afkimel.wordpress.com)
  St Gregory the Great identified the capital sins as superbia (pride), invidia (envy), ira (anger), avaritia (avarice), tristia (sadness), gula (gluttony), and luxuria (disordered desire or lust). Over time tristia was replaced by otiositas or dēsidia (sloth, indolence). In Dante’s Divine Comedy, for example, sloth is described as tepid love, the failure to love God with all of one’s being (lento amore).
• Depression (thispathcalledlife.wordpress.com)
  When you saw Robin Williams you felt happy, you laughed until you cried with cramps in your stomach and there was always joy because God blessed him with the ability to make others laugh despite what was internally going on with him. I don’t remember when he bravely came out and admitted he suffered from manic depression but he did. A person that can make you laugh and feel good despite having inner turmoil is truly talented and gifte
• Why I believe Everyone is, or should be, a Traveler. ~ Olivia Wood (elephantjournal.com)
  I believe that this need for stability, security and comfort is largely down to social conditioning and the culture of fear that it arises from.

  I refer in particular to modern-day Western society that dictates that we must endeavour to own property, get a full-time job and start paying toward a pension, health insurance et al from the moment we become an adult (in most countries, age 18).

• Has Europe lost its soul? (mercatornet.com)
  As the political leaders of Europe come together to try to save the euro, and with it the very project of European Union, I believe the time has come for religious leaders to do likewise,
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  If Europe loses the Judaeo-Christian heritage that gave it its historic identity and its greatest achievements in literature, art, music, education, politics, and as we will see, economics, it will lose its identity and its greatness, not immediately, but before this century reaches its end.

  When a civilisation loses its faith, it loses its future. When it recovers its faith, it recovers its future. For the sake of our children, and their children not yet born, we – Jews and Christians, side-by-side – must renew our faith and its prophetic voice. We must help Europe recover its soul.

• Self-made or Self-lost (bygstyck30.wordpress.com)
  A man who lives in a shack, which he built with his own hands, working the streets by the sweat of his brow collecting cans has gained the whole world in his pride of proficiency, however the man who is a lawyer, bilking the poor by the necessity of his knowledge in a corrupt system and world, has done the same things. The houses they live in are different, the amount of wages are contrastive expressed in the variance between one who rides a bike and the other who drives a BMW, yet the worldly gain that they have set over the virtue of growing one’s spirit is the gain of their world and the prescribed loss of the soul.
• On Selfishness and Stuff (gardenvarietyneurosisredux.com)
  There is a virtue to being selfish. I think there is a certain amount of soul-care that everyone needs, and it requires that we engage in a certain amount of selfish thinking and activity in order to provide our souls with the nourishment they need. I think it’s fairly easy to fall into a pattern of being so completely unselfish with our time that we neglect the vital work of soul-care, just as it is easy to fall into such a pattern of selfishness that we neglect everyone else. There is a need for balance.
• How Awake is Your Heart? (lifevesting.com)
  They had the best of everything… the latest technology, the coolest gadgets, the nicest stuff. God had obviously blessed them with material prosperity.
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  God speaks through dreams, but not every dream. Actually the thing I think He does the most beautifully for us while we sleep is simply to press the “Reset” button to our spirits. But only an awakened heart can see that.
  +
  Maybe it’s time to re-think your ambition or your loneliness. Maybe it’s time to re-examine that restless feeling that nags you, and this time use a little discernment.  Maybe what you’re restless for, lonely for, or ambitious for is God. Awakened hearts can discern that.
• The Dark Sides of Thing-driven Life, By Omozuwa Gabriel Osamwonyi (@omozuwaspeaks) (naijaobserver.wordpress.com)
  The ongoing effort by some religious leaders to idealise the opulent lifestyle has done society more harm than good. It indicates a failure to appreciate the fact that idealism and materialism hardly coexist. Anyone engaged in the single-minded pursuit of material prosperity can hardly live by high ideals. Where materialism rules, awe-inspiring pietism is bound to be sacrificed on the altar of hedonism. The core values of Good Samaritans will be thrown into the bin of exploitative capitalism, and hawk-like dispositions will be Christianised.

Source of Inspiration

Ocean liner sails the seas
people wallowing in luxury
while others are dying
of hunger and war
still others are buying
more and more

There’s great wealth
to be had
but its not shared
and that is sad

There is a simple solution, folks.
If you have more than you need,
share it with others!

View original post

Watch out

Expectations have to be build on hope, believe and faith. Without believe in him or herself a person shall not be able to get somewhere hoped so easily.

Believing in yourself is the first requirement to get forwards. Having a positive attitude and willingness to dream is the second requirement to get somewhere. Every human being shall have to face difficulties. It is how he or she can cope with it which is going to influence his or her life in the positive or negative way. Going through quite a lot of struggles even can make somebody stronger, more resistant. What is important then is ‘to never give up!’

Others may consider you to be a clown, a swaggerer, a dreamer, or a loony or stupid one. Let no negative reactions stand in the way and go for what you want to achieve. Without dreams nothing can be build up.

If things would not go how you want it, you should try to adjust them so that they can work for you. No matter what you try, how it works out, how negative reactions may be, keep trying, keep going forward trying to pursuing your dream.
Whatever happens try to see the positive in it and always be ready to pursue your happiness. That is the positive lesson in our life where we should keep at.

There always have to be motivation to may the dreams work, but some kind of realism is also necessary to not fall to deep in a well. We always should be careful not pursuing our goal out of greed or lechery. Leering at something materialistic can bring us in a spiral where we do not have an eye for the human thing and spiritual matter. A person can become overtaken by the power of money by the desire to have financial gain, more than spiritual gain.The desires of the flesh can break a person instead of building him up to become a better person. We always have to be careful where we want to set our priorities in life.

Today we can find more people who love wealth and modern gadgets? Wealth has become their biggest motivation. when they are young it may be working very well, and they can love it to swim in their fulfilling dreams of material wealth. But what about their spiritual wealth? Are they interested in that also?

It is not by going to have the latest model of phone or pc tablet a person is going to find the real luck and staying happiness. Soon the phone shall be an old model and the person shall be feeling again not so happy because he has not the newest model any more.

It is good to see and to know you need your “best friends” for ever, around you, because they will be there at the more difficult times and they shall be ready to catch you when you fall down. Because each person has to grow up and learn things by falling and standing up again. And that last bit is very important. Never to get so frustrated that you do not want to get up any more. Everybody can mess up things. To start over again is what you have to dare. Do not stand still by what happened, but get up to try again and go every-time in a new adventure.
You have to keep believing in your dreams and aspirations, no matter what negative things may happen or others may say. But never forget also to be realistic and be taken in account others around you. Never go over death bodies to reach your goal and always stay honest to make it come true.

The biggest difficulty to conquer when trying to build up a financial wealthy life, shall be the ‘sharing bit’. Without willing to give also to others, without allowing others also to have part of what you have, no real happiness shall come into your life. Around the corner shall always be the material egoism and the avarice, which by some even can turn in the acquisitive and stingy. We always should be careful not to become so greedy or money-grubbing. That is not going to bring happiness, though it may be very attractive at a young age. the jealousy of others can also bring bullying with it, making you feeling so alone, being cast out. And people do need other people.

By changing yourself to fit in for others it never is going to work. A person has to stay his Own. You have to believe in yourself, accept yourself for who and what you are. Without the love for yourself you can not give the right love for the other. Also be sure that in case the others only would become your friend because you changed yourself to their way of thinking, than they would not be the right friends. Good friends are those who are willing you for what you are and respect your own personality, your real ‘I’.
Adapting to people is not the right way and shall not bring the solution. Trying to impress people is what many today try, with their gadgets, their capital gain, their way of clothing and their loose way of living. Presenting their world better than it really is. Look at so many Facebook postings which try to present ‘the would like to be’ people and would like to be ‘friends‘. Always try to stay your own self, being honest to yourself and being honest to others, respecting them, also if they do not fit your plan or dreams, or would not agree with your personality. By time they will turn by and get to know your true self and shall come to respect you too.

Without dreams, hopes and aspirations no new worlds can be build, so keep dreaming, keep going forwards, and above all always stay positive.

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Please do find also:

1. Greed more common than generosity
2. Misleading world, stress, technique, superficiality, past, future and positivism
3. Intellectual servility a curse of mankind
4. Gender connections
5. Within despair
6. Preparedness to change
7. Getting fate in your change to positiveness
8. Helping to create a Positive Attitude
9. With Positive Attitude
10. Not holding back and getting out of darkness
11. Your struggles develop your strengths
12. Pain and Suffering is inevitable but Misery is optional
13. Your struggles develop your strengths
14. When discouraged facing opposition
15. Begin your day by, Living your positive attitude
16. Science, scepticism, doubts and beliefs
17. How we think shows through in how we act
18. Don’t be the weakest link
19. Be a ready giver
20. 30 things to start doing for yourself – #6 is vital.
21. Count your blessings
22. God should be your hope
23. Always set a place in your life for the unexpected guest

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Other articles of interest:

1. Celebrating diversity by looking the same?
2. Gender Roles & Self Sacrifice
3. If you can dream it, you can achieve it.
4. Positivism and The Quantity Theory of Money
5. If you’re afraid to do it, do it afraid.
6. Positivism for Millennium 3

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Related articles

• Global education and the ‘American Dream’ (universityworldnews.com)
  Put most simply, the ‘American Dream’ is the belief that everyone has a reasonable chance – although not a guarantee – of achieving success through means under their own control. It is the assurance that personal qualities such as hard work, frugality, honesty and self-discipline can make for a good life, however you (or I) may define that.
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  Poorly conceived, however, global education, like the American Dream itself, can overemphasise the pursuit of material wealth and leave learners ignorant of how systemic and structural inequalities in most, if not all, societies frustrate so many dreamers and so many of their dreams.
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  The recent movement by some scholars to calculate the gross domestic happiness of a country, in contrast with a simple financial measure, both expands the universe of goods constituting success and allows for cultural variety within this expanded universe.Other cogent criticisms of the American Dream focus on the socio-economic and institutional obstacles to the achievement of success by disadvantaged or disenfranchised groups, which may include women, racial, ethnic or religious minorities, the poor or their children.

  From this perspective, the American Dream offers a false promise of fair and equal opportunity to achieve success by ignoring the many ways in which the social order fails to recognise and reward merit.

• What is your dream job ? (beautiful69.wordpress.com)

  Most people I know have a dream. In fact, I’ve asked hundreds, if not thousands, of people about their dream. Some willingly describe it with great detail and enthusiasm.
  Others are reluctant to talk about it. They seem embarrassed to say it out loud. These people have never tested their dream. They don’t know if others will laugh at them. They’re not sure if they’re aiming too high or too low. They don’t know if their dream is something they can really achieve or if they’re destined to fail.

• A Journey Toward Your Goals (robertjrgraham.blogspot.com)
  Too many of us assume if we just have a larger goal in mind and work towards it then success will follow. Well, guess what?! This rarely works in practice. All of us have dreams, but to be truly effective at goal achievement we need to focus on the path toward the goal and let the ultimate dream be our motivation.
  +
  Set realistic goals. This doesn’t mean that you should not aim for the stars. However, keep a realistic state of mind, taking into account your level of talent and capabilities, as well as, your individual situation. If you presently don’t possess the talents or qualifications to reach your goal, make sure that one of your short-term goals is to acquire some of those skills so that you can reach your long-term goal.
• Sebastiano Serafini 030 – Dream a little every day – (sebastianoserafini.wordpress.com)
  In order to live our lives without limits we must be willing to never let our imaginations die, and we must never forbid ourselves from dreaming at least a little bit every day. Without our dreams we have nothing in our lives to reach for or to go after.
• 10 Habits Of People Who Follow Their Dreams (theunboundedspirit.com)
  People who are true to their purpose and are really successful didn’t always get there because they had the financial means to do so or were just lucky enough to have been brought up in a confidence boosting environment. There are actually a few common habits that have helped them get to where they are.
  People who are true to their purpose and are really successful didn’t always get there because they had the financial means to do so or were just lucky enough to have been brought up in a confidence boosting environment. There are actually a few common habits that have helped them get to where they are. The best part is that these are habits that anyone can attain! – See more at: http://theunboundedspirit.com/10-habits-of-people-who-follow-their-dreams/#sthash.lfFd7SzI.dpuf
• Greed is Wrong, But What About Wealth Itself? (palamas.info)
  Is it morally wrong to pursue wealth? The question was asked because both of my conversation partners had heard from different priests that in fact, yes, the pursuit of wealth is wrong. Christians especially, we are frequently told, should not seek to become wealthy but focus our lives on more noble goals.  On the one hand I agree with this. Wealth is not an end in itself and to make becoming wealthy the sole, or even central, goal of one’s life is not compatible with a wholesome human life much less the Gospel. While granting that working to become wealthy simply for the sake of becoming wealthy is immoral, does this mean that is it morally wrong to pursue wealth? In other words, it is sinful to want—and so to work to become—wealthy?
• Virtuous egoism (profitableandmoral.com)
  Egoism is virtuous because it makes possible the achievement our long-term well-being and happiness without initiating physical force on others. The moral justification of egoism is that it makes it possible for us—who don’t have automatic knowledge about the goals we should pursue and about the means to reach them—to achieve our values in the long-term: to survive and to be happy. It is a moral code for living and flourishing.
  Starting from the premise that the pursuit of self-interest is moral and necessary for our well-being and happiness, Ayn Rand identified seven egoist virtues—principles that define the actions required to achieve long-term self-interest: rationality, independence, integrity, honesty, justice, productiveness, and pride. Rand and others have written much about these virtues, so here I focus only on rationality, the primary virtue on which the others rest. Rationality guides us to use reason—to adhere to reality through observation and logic—as “our only means of knowledge, our only judge of values, and our only guide to action.”
• Chasing Your Dreams (landeniv.wordpress.com)
  

  “Go after your dream, no matter how unattainable others think it is.”

  “Every morning you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams or wake up and chase them.”

  “It’s not enough to dream your dreams. You’ve got to pursue your dreams.”

• Don’t Give Up On Your Dreams (sarahcolevaondemand.wordpress.com)
  Every day you are faced with a choice and that is, do you pursue your dream with determination and zeal or do you sit and wait for that dream to materialize by itself?  I believe in taking action steps every day in order to be a participant in the realization of our dreams.
• Pursuing the Guyanese dream (guyanatimesgy.com)
  Hundreds of Guyanese are now in a position where it is possible for them to pursue the Guyanese dream, regardless of their socio-economic circumstances, ethnicity or political beliefs.The Guyanese dream refers to a situation in which nationals possess the ability to access equal opportunities to work and recreation. It also refers to the ability to achieve prosperity and a higher standard of living through hard work and determination.

  The Guyanese dream is founded on the principle of a realistic society where there are high levels of religious, political and social tolerance. It contemplates a situation where a largely mixed, plural and diverse cultural and ethnic society can co-exist with little or no conflict.

Anthony's au pair experience

I realized something.
It came to me rather slow.
I was pursuing a thing,
I barely even know.

Living up to people’s expectations.
Doing what others think is best.
Handling a lot of limitations.
Maybe this was all a test?

I must say, by all means,
Realizing this is not the way.
Living other peoples dreams,
While mine are slowly fading away.

Missing out on opportunities.
Missing my life because others take it away.
Being part of all those communities.
Being part of something where I have nothing to say.

Time to step up my game and live my life.
Not the one other’s tell me to live.
Time to step it up and go all in on my thrive.
Believe me, I have a lot to give.

My motivation is enormous,
My dedication is grand.
Watch out for my performance,
‘Cause everything is going as planned.

You can be…

View original post 128 more words