Tag Archives: Social media

by Guestspeaker | 2023/06/07 · 11:29 am

To maintain a healthy relationship with technology

Today, lots of youngsters are glued with their faces onto the little screen of their smartphones.

Daily writing prompt

Do you remember life before the internet?

Since the introduction of the personal computer ways are opened to all sorts of knowledge. One could say that is a very good thing. And it would be if people would properly make use of it. But instead of going to dig in all the available material, a majority used the internet to share ridiculous messages and little film with absurd content.

Instead of making full use of the numerous advantages of Internet, the majority of people, mostly youngsters, decided to give it another role than the education role. Now many uses it for entertainment and just good fun. For them, it is not important to find a healthy balance between the virtual and real worlds.

… the internet has facilitated the sharing and dissemination of information on an unprecedented scale, providing access to a vast array of resources that have contributed significantly to education, commerce, and entertainment. The internet has transformed how we learn, collaborate, and develop, making it an indispensable tool for personal growth and development. {The Internet Age: Reflecting on Life Before and Its Impact on Society}

Looking around us, on the street, we see several internet addicts hanging on their phones. It is clear to see that they cannot live without that little connection device where they subscribe to multiple social media.

Some decades ago you could find children playing outdoors, but now they are gone out the parks, or in case you find them there, they are sitting on the grass, they pluck at that little screen all the time without paying attention to what is happening outside them. Nobody climbs trees anymore.

Previously people left their houses to socialise, but now they make contact with the PC, iPad, tablet or smartphone and have forgotten the quality time of real-life gatherings. Meeting new people or making advantages was an adventure. Paper for letters or cards where the connection tools.

Tinder in real life was a piece of paper

When there was someone you were interested in, in order to ask them out, you needed to either pluck up the courage to ask them out in person, or else pass them a piece of paper with three boxes: check yes, no, or maybe. {How was life before internet}

But the internet not only facilitated searching and making contacts, it also became a sort of weapon for many.

Internet is both a boon and bane depending on its usage. It is similar to a weapon which if used properly could save lives but if dealt with carelessness then could lead to destruction of masses.

Geniuswords {Internet: A weapon of modern world}

In today’s warfare, we also see how internet technology has found its way to do great damage and a lot of killing without using many people, with unmanned flying bombs (with drones).

The internet seems to have become a tinderbox where the biggest lies take the crown and where a lot of people seek pleasure in slandering others or in all kinds of cartoons or lewd videos.

The internet may be cracking our world wide open, but in its relatively nascent state, most people haven’t yet found their ways to effectively police what goes on in the cyber community. New ways to distract and distort teenage minds are invented online every day.

Many get carried away by influencers or popular figures, without seriously considering for themselves what these guys actually preach.

People’s thinking these days stays on the surface of things, more than it did a few centuries ago. The present young generation does not bother much about far away places and does not bother to penetrate very deeply into things. They do not see how thinner the concepts are – and on the surface of things all concepts are thin and abstract – the better these concepts seem to provide arguments for what people want to believe and accept from completely different substrates, from very unconscious substrates, from feelings, from wills and the like.

Instead of making it an indispensable tool for personal growth and development, many use the internet more for their pleasure and entertainment.

Not many do take steps to maintain a healthy relationship with technology and prevent it from dominating their lives. For most of the younger population, everything turns around their little internet tool. Lots of people have still to become aware that by consciously incorporating offline experiences, nurturing real-life relationships, and embracing digital literacy, they can ensure that the internet remains a tool for empowerment rather than a detriment to our social fabric.

As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of the internet, it is essential to reflect on the lessons learned from life before its omnipresence. Encouraging young individuals to engage in offline activities, emphasising the importance of genuine human connections, and teaching digital literacy and responsible internet usage can shape a better future. By harnessing the benefits of the internet while preserving the essence of authentic human experiences, we can foster a socially connected society, emotionally intelligent and capable of responsibly navigating the digital realm. {The Internet Age: Reflecting on Life Before and Its Impact on Society}

Let us not forget:

Through a harmonious integration of the virtual and the physical, we can build a better future that combines the benefits of technology with the inherent value of genuine human interactions. {The Internet Age: Reflecting on Life Before and Its Impact on Society}

Preceding

Internet has made our job harder everybody watching

Americans their stars, pretension, God, Allah and end of times signs #3 Cyberwars and prophesy

Fake News Goes Back to the Garden of Eden says Pope Francis I

Confrontation by people telling lies to force others to avoid the targetted groups

We should all be writing

“Our World” Moving from Blogspot to WordPress

Messages from a distance not belonging to the past

From the old box: Free Speech, but Not for All?

Available information for the youngsters and readers of my websites

Blogging into the New Year

To Blog or Not to Blog?

Additional reading

Are you a newsflash nightingale?

There are some of those people who reach for their smartphones as soon as they wake up to see if someone has sent them a message and to see what their news apps have to say for news.

Do you turn to your news apps as soon as you wake up, or do you prefer a leisurely read of the papers over Sunday brunch?

Or are you someone who still wishes to peruse the paper newspaper over breakfast?

Do you feel overwhelmed by news in the digital age, or do you relish the chance to sample a variety of news and features throughout the day?

So much is happening in this world that we cannot follow it all closely. But it is almost impossible to go through all the news sources to get a clear picture of the main issues that should concern us. It is also not possible to have our own news aggregator, though such online platform or software device that collects news stories and other information as that information is published and would organise that information for us in a specific manner, would be very practical.

Gathering news from all over the world is not a cheap business. It would also become too costly to have subscriptions to a multitude of daily and weekly newspapers and magazines.

But do you know, that for those who are curious about what is happening in the world, we provide a news platform so that everyone can freely get an overview of the day’s events. We try to present some views from all sorts of ‘political’ directions and from different newspapers to give a broad aspect of information that can be compared with the different ideas. The editor in charge of this blog and of Some View on the World, Marcus Ampe, is convinced that one should be able to juxtapose several opinions, thus creating a dialogue but also allowing everyone to form their own opinion.

With Some view on the World, a variety of news reports are presented, with some reports perhaps being reported a little later, because we feel it is necessary to be able to check them for truth each time, so that no false reporting would be sent further into the world through our fault. So do not expect to find regular “Breaking News”, because such news can not always be directly verified. We also do not look to social media to stay up with breaking news, and have a critical and suspicious eye for such social media. You will be able to notice on Some View on the World, that it calls on a whole team of reporters to uncover news events and present them to you.
Furthermore, we will not shy away from putting forward our personal views on certain events. Here we then admit that this will be from a Christian point of view, which we also inform our readers about. Regularly, therefore, we will make room to approach or address some spiritual aspects more deeply.
The difference with our other spiritual or religious websites, like our Ecclesial website, is that on Some View on the World, we are rather more responsive to current events and will further provide responses to church articles that are out there at the time published on other channels and brought forward by other denominations, a.o. shedding light on people their religious life.

We further admit that for news coverage, a choice is made from what touched us during the course of the day as we recorded talking points, watched news broadcasts on television, had conversations, and so on.

We may be of the old breed and therefore not followers of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or Picodash as they are also very time-consuming, this is while we are convinced that instead of engaging with social media, we can use our time more usefully. Because our time is very limited – provided, we experience every day that we lack time.

Instead of continuing to publish on the slow opening Blogspot, “Our World” has been transferred (at the end of 2021) to WordPress so that a person now can easily access the website through Firefox, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer or Edge, hoping that now a faster loading site shall attract more visitors because no one wants a page that takes more than 30 seconds loading.

Whatever your style of gathering news, we hope we can charm you into signing up to follow our news blog Some view on the World.

°°°

To be honest, we are convinced that our work can still be a useful contribution to getting people thinking here and there.

If you also appreciate what we are doing here and on our other websites, it shall always be appreciated by us when you would not mind letting others know about our existence.

Furthermore, you can also always indicate your appreciation of texts and mark them with the “Like” button.

Gossip is free and anyone can create it. There is no talent required other than to have no respect for facts and truth. Quality content is usually more costly because it takes time and expertise to create. A lot of time and energy is invested in publishing our articles here and on our other websites. Both time and expertise however cost money.

To cover our costs, you can also help us move forward. Indeed, financial contributions are also always welcome.
Deposits can be made to the Belgian bank account, for example, BE37 9730 6618 2528, BIC ARSPBE 22

Preceding

Additional reading

+++

Four reasons game dynamics are vital for networked journalism
Toward A Free and Accurate Media
The economics of news – a critique
Google for Media Day: Using the internet for news gathering and storytelling
University Newsgathering
Networking and newsgathering: Breaking stories via social media.
BBC News Moves to Broadcasting House After Dramatic Over Spend
Why Twitter is essential for Journalists
“Why Journalism?”
Newsgathering: The Inside Story
Print Publishing: Yesterday’s News?
Finding myself with Immersion Journalism
Making the News: Behind the Scenes
Network News Anchors: Please quit commenting on stories…
Press Coverage of DOJ Lacks in Analysis and Objectivity
Online newsgathering, Illuminati, Media and Truth
Why (basically) unlimited Twitter lists are amazing
Free press? The problem with the DOJ’s ‘new’ rules
LUTV Reporter Log VI
News Gathering.
Why amateur corporate newsletters generally fail
Mobile Newsgathering and News Consumption
Journalism and Politics
The Journalist as a Hunter-Gatherer
Patch me in
10 News Outlets to Test Drones for Journalism – Bloomberg
Journo tips: Newsgathering
Winning the Internet
The three most effective things to tweet
Where News Comes From
Supporting Writers & Readers on Giving Tuesday
Use your Eyes!
When spurious ‘hacking’ claims chill journalism
Story Sources
The Case for DailyMe
Twitter is a taxi (and newspapers are Metro Transit)
All About the Buzz
New Newsrooms
There have been some very interesting initiatives to bring news events in the picture and to inform the public in a serious way > Hash Internship > Back in 2014, two driving factors led to us creating Hash – firstly, Twitter’s lack of a logged-out experience left a vast amount of awesome content inaccessible to a large audience. Secondly, the online news industry had long been an overwhelming and frustrating place – we wanted to create something that would let people catch up on important events quickly. Hash was our answer: aggregating tweets about the day’s most topical stories in a simple, visual way.
Follow The Leaders: Mozilla, New York Times And Washington Post Collaborate

2 Comments

Filed under Announcement, Cultural affairs, Headlines - News, Lifestyle, World affairs

Tagged as Daily Newspapers, Facebook, False message, False reports, Instagram, Marcus Ampe, News aggregator, News app(s), News platform, Newspapers, Picodash, Smartphone(s), Social media, Some view on the World (website), Twitter, Weekly newspapers

by Guestspeaker | 2023/01/02 · 6:50 pm

To Taboo Or Not To

Freeman Poet

Election denying is taboo,
holocaust denying too.

Antisemitism is taboo,
nazi sympathizing too.

Neo-fascism is taboo,
christian nationalism too.

White supremacy is taboo,
minority discrimination too.

Belonging to a cult is taboo,
supporting dark mega too.

Gangster rap is taboo,
gangster capitalism too.

Public intoxication is taboo,
drug paraphernalia too.

Public indecency is taboo,
immoral behavior too.

There’s a reason why these are taboo,
it’s so that you don’t forget
what a decent society expects from you.

Didn’t your mother teach you:
if you don’t have anything nice to say,
don’t say anything at all?

See Power of Positive Words Experiment video

“Rejecting ideals is a fair first amendment right, but purposely using language that is seen as outdated and offensive towards already marginalized groups is socially not appropriate.
Professionalism is important and standards exist equally amongst all sides, and these standards exist for a reason…

View original post 613 more words

Blogging into the New Year

Blogging into the New Year, in a certain way as bloggers we might feel connected with other bloggers from all over the world. Its the magic of the internet that catches us.

How many bloggers are not on the internet willing to shine a light, not wanting to hide, hoping to bring some nice reading and some positive vibes to others, somewhere in the world. Some target a specific public, others do not mind sharing their diary with the world. Whatever reason they blog, is that what they write would be read by ‘some one’.

Janie Leeds writes

I happen to think that there’s a teensy bit of fear in all of us from time to time that squelches our ability to shine our heartlights and I’m choosing to figure out how to allow my heartlight to shine without fear! {This Little Light o’ Mine}

Many therefore just let the words roll over the screen, without fear. Perhaps they too think like J. Leeds that

we have to build our confidence and find someone trustworthy to shine with when we feel that desire to shine and to brilliantly explode our special brand of light into the universe. {This Little Light o’ Mine}

Though many might feel

It’s scary when we choose to be our authentic selves without fear. It’s being vulnerable which sometimes makes people feel uncomfortable. {This Little Light o’ Mine}

We always can wonder why or for whom those bloggers write. For themself? For their community/friends? For the world at large?

Judgy Young Pessimist or Jewish Young(-ish) Professional has the same question as us on her lips:

Maybe we write for different people at different times or maybe we write for all of them. {For Whom Do You Write?}

New Year’s Day finds one reflecting on some of their past resolutions and their outcomes. Bloggers might then perhaps think about what they wrote in the past year or how many blogposts they managed to create.

Lots of bloggers shall express and live by the hope that this fresh year will bring us something better than we had for the last years. So many want to forget Covid (though it is still not finished) and want to see an end to ‘that war‘ going on in Ukraine. Many bloggers leave that war in the fridge, only writing about other and hopefully also better things. Good tidings.

Let’s hope for the best and do our level best to make this year a memorable one for the people around us. Let’s resolve to spread happiness, empathy and goodness in the world. Let’s be humane and humble. {Happy New Year 2023}

writes a freelance writer who finds he is doing fine and has a lot to be thankful for, because “Allah, the Almighty” has been so kind to him. He is also aware we do not know much about the future. He thinks we can not predict the days ahead.

Can we not rid ourselves of unfounded fears? Can we not enjoy this precious MOMENT (present), instead of living in the past or worrying about the future? {Why Do We Worry About The Future? Why Don’t We Enjoy The Present Moment?}

Those who believe in God can find enough advice in the Book of books, the Bible, where the ‘bloggers’ of ancient times wrote down what we should know. In those books is enough said about times still to come, and as such do we know what to expect. Concerning those end times there are several bloggers on the net talking about how we can prepare for those times.

Many other subjects gain much more attention. Many blogging platforms are being used, but also many disappeared and bloggers had to change platforms again last year. The greatest change last year was the leaving Blogger and Blogspot by many bloggers, because those blog systems had become too slow and unworkable. This could be an asset to WordPress, but it was also discussed last year, due to its introduction of the less practical Gutenberg Block editor system.

Several bloggers let themselves be guided by prompts or requested tasks by other bloggers.

sometimes, prompts provide that inspiration for a piece that may have been ruminating,

writes JYP. We also admit some blogposts find their origin in something we notice on the net or some event that reached the news. In any case, the main reason to write such a post is for many to share something they find interesting or has something to do with their community or faith. As such, JYP for example wanted to share about Jewish community prompted by one of Fandango‘s Provocative Questions

– and it’s since become the basis for the whole pond/community/housing search tortured analogy saga. Prompts can provide both the inspiration for something I never expected to write and the necessary nudge to write something that were already ruminating. {For Whom Do You Write?}

Some bloggers like to tell the world about their very private things, whilst others prefer to stay in the anonymity or would not dare to talk about something personal. For some personal self-expression is the primary motivator for writing their blog and wanting to get an audience.

These are the posts that arguably could have been written in a private diary. These are the posts that might have less “polish” because sharing a message with an external audience isn’t the primary goal. These are the blog posts that feel less like public speaking, and more like casual conversation, or even just venting. {Blogging About Judaism: Promotional vs. Personal}

These posts are the casual conversation, maybe even the therapy sessions, of blogging – intimacy, sweats, and all. Photo by Ekaterina Bolovtsova: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-women-talking-to-each-other-4051134/

The problem with some of those blogs is that we feel more like in a café, catching up on some conversations. Others have a message they want to promote like we too have some good new to tell.

According to JYP promotional blog posts are those that:

Have a message that the author wants to share externally. (eg. This is not a post that the author could have written in their private diary)
Because the author wants to share this message, the post tends to have some “polish”. {Blogging About Judaism: Promotional vs. Personal}

she rightly compares this to public speaking

– the most heartfelt, sincere, genuine speaker is going to make a point of revising and editing, practicing, and putting on more professional attire/ hygiene/ grooming/ makeup etc. (vs. brain dump whilst looking disheveled) to look more presentable to an external audience so the message comes across better. {Blogging About Judaism: Promotional vs. Personal}

For her

the promotional vs. personal classification applies to all kinds of blogging {Blogging About Judaism: Promotional vs. Personal}

What we notice, looking at the Blogosphere and social media, is that lots of people want to be part of a community.

JYP thinks

the sense of community is probably the greatest strength of a well-run prompt. {For Whom Do You Write?}

In our globalising industrialist capitalist world, where there are so many people walking around, most people are just lost in the mass. Several people hope to escape their loneliness, but on the internet, they also find such an empty space. By blogging they do hope to have some reactions by which they would not feel so on their own. By writing a blog they want to break the silence and their loneliness.

Look, the internet is a big, lonely place. Blogging helps build community. Prompts can create a sense of community rituals and norms. It’s been fascinating to see the way bloggers will show up for each other, even within the simple forum of a prompt response. And it’s incredible to see how a prompt “ritual” goes beyond that, like when fellow bloggers share sad news with other prompt participants who respond with tributes and memories. {For Whom Do You Write?}

It is by such reactions the blogger may feel his or her work is appreciated and worthwhile doing. Responses on blogs also may trigger curiosity to go and look at that blogger his pages. If answers are given to a blog post, those comments may prompt the blogger to check his or her blog with that responding person. In this way, an exchange of ideas can arise among certain people who eventually become part of a small or larger group of regularly exchanging people.

To be clear, I think blogging without prompts can build community as well. But if you imagine the blog world as a religious community (bear with me), while you absolutely can and should socialize with fellow congregants outside of regularly scheduled services, some members will really appreciate the regular weekly meeting times to connect with their fellow congregants. {For Whom Do You Write?}

writes JYP. As such we can find bloggers who make it a custom to publish every week on a certain day an article. They even go to apologize when they did not. Or certain bloggers want to see for every day another sort of blog, be it a poetry day, haiku day, tanka day, garden day, short story day, thriller day, relaxation or meditation day …. Some even want to have days for an amount of words.

We may not forget

Not all of our followers will care about everything we say. And even in blogging where we create more community through prompts, not all of our fellow prompt participants are going to be interested in our other writings. {For Whom Do You Write?}

Another aspect we may not forget or overlook

The reality is that almost none of us will become famous or make any real money from blogging, so you might as well write for yourself in addition to whomever else you’re writing for.

If, in the course of blogging and responding to prompts, you don’t feel like you’re writing for yourself, it might be a sign to take a step back and figure out how to incorporate prompts in a way that feels more authentic to you. {For Whom Do You Write?}

In our busy world, we have limited time to do certain things for ourselves, like reading. On the net there is so much to read, it is impossible to read everything or to follow every blog full-time. Even when we are following a blog or others are following our blog, we can not expect that they read every blog, and certainly not that they notice or look at every blog on the day it is written.

we’re not necessarily interested in every post that another blogger writes. {For Whom Do You Write?}

It is logical that everyone has their own preferences for certain subjects and will look for interesting literature in this area. In that respect, it is not bad that the internet offers such a variety of subjects so that everyone can find something to their own liking.

We from our site are happy you came to read this post, and honestly do hope you’ll have also got a taste for reading here a bit more than just this article.

Welcome to From Guestwriters in 2023, and hope to see you more.

Preceding

Asking for a Re-Blog

When you think you have nothing to say or to show

Readers, likes and comments

Additional reading

+++

5 Comments

Filed under Announcement, Being and Feeling, Educational affairs, Knowledge & Wisdom, Lifestyle, Publications, Questions asked, Quotations or Citations, Re-Blogs and Great Blogs, Religious affairs, Social affairs, Welfare matters

Tagged as Anonymity, being Part of a community, Believe in God, Blogger, Bloggers, Blogosphere, Blogspot (Blogger CMS), Community, Diary, Fellow congregant(s), Future, Gutenberg Block editor, Internet, Janie Leeds, JYP = Judgy Young Pessimist or Jewish Young(-ish) Professional, Loneliness, Preparation for endtimes, Prompt(s), Religious community, Sense of community, Sharing a message, Social media, to Blog, to Socialise, Weekly meeting(s), WordPress, WordPress users, Writing, Writing articles

by Guestspeaker | 2022/11/02 · 12:25 pm

With the ear shut off from the world

Foto door Marcelo Chagas op Pexels.com

Walking down the street or in shops, one encounters many young people who have earphones on or wear earbuds and seem to be far from the world. On the street, it is noticeable because their attention is more on what is entering their heads through the speakers than what is happening around them.

There has been much talk of late about how the streetscape of our towns and cities, not to mention our workplaces, have drastically changed since lockdown. But the biggest change, despite footfall finally starting to rise and working from home slowly tailing off, is the silence.

Peter Stanford, from England, writes in the Telegraph

It is not that we have suddenly become a more reserved country, or even that we have been struck dumb by the slew of problems that are confronting the nation and the world right now. No, it is the ubiquity of a generation of digital natives listening to devices in their ears that put them at one step removed for everyone else around them.

Foto door Marcelo Chagas op Pexels.com

One could say that, as it were, the young have decided not to be too confronted with the real world. Even down to the restrooms or canteen(s) in companies, one finds a large proportion of workers glued to their smartphones, either following up with their digital friends or playing games but making no effort to make friends at work or in real life.

At the beginning of the smartphone, it was mainly the very young, but during the Corona period, many older people joined the younger generation.

Whether it be on public transport, in a shopping centre or in the middle of a bank of desks in the office, a sizeable slice of the 25 to 40-year-old working population is, thanks to their headphones, with us but not with us: no chatter in the sandwich queue; no rows over pushing in; not even a flicker of recognition and a meeting of eyes. For those like me whose heads are unadorned by any tech, it can feel like walking on to the set of some dystopian sci-fi drama.

Strangely enough, many of those youngsters are not aware of their asocial behaviour. Those millennials looking for flexible working opportunities in such cases do not see all the time the same faces, so they could have contact with different people all the time. Hot-desking and shared spaces with work benches, touchdown points or social hubs, where staff can work in a group or on their own in a more informal setting, are more attractive to millennials and generation X than old-fashioned rows of desks with fixed computers and telephones.

For those businesses that prefer to stick with a more traditional office layout, flexibility comes outside the building, by allowing staff to work from home or remotely. Such remote work gives even less opportunity to socialise with work colleagues. However, it should not be forgotten that social interaction is a very important element in being human and in providing well-being for the individual. Social interaction is something that gets pushed aside completely by those earbuds, earphones or headphones.

You may say a big start to that evolution was given by Apple’s chief executive officer, Steve Jobs, who recognised potential in the nascent personal media player market and commissioned Apple engineer Jon Rubinstein to create a product in keeping with Apple’s minimalist, user-friendly style. Small white earbud headphones became an iconic trademark of the product in Apple’s pervasive and award-winning advertising campaigns.

Those youngsters are not interested in older phones the workplaces offers. Millennials will expect to use high-quality, reliable and covetable products at work to match their home devices and choose to bring in their own favoured, newer and higher performing smartphones and laptops to use at work. Top-notch Wi-Fi is also a must for millennials, who will expect high-speed connectivity anywhere they choose to work, whether that’s at a set workstation, from a hot desk, outside in the grounds or in a meeting room.
With a very high connection speed, the younger generation hopes to be in touch with ‘them’ and what interests them directly all the time. Time does not play much of a role here, which is why we see several young people walking down the street while all the time we hear them talking on the air to someone unseen.

Alison DaSilva, executive vice-president of CSR Research & Insights at Cone says about the Millenials

“Millennials view social media as a place to curate and share content that reflects their values – and this generation is enthusiastic about showing how their work is making an impact in the world,”

Foto door Jess Bailey Designs op Pexels.com

Danger lurks – from the millennials cycling or e-scooting along with the headphones on, eyes open but minds firmly in another reality; or for the pedestrians halfway through a conversation relayed through pods or headphones and prone to stepping into the traffic at any moment because they are blanking out those finetuned skills an older generation has developed to listen out for traffic approaching from your blindside.

Looking at these young people, it seems as if we may assume that they have chosen to dwell in their own chosen lifestyle. Cristina Odone, head of the family policy unit at the Centre for Social Justice confirms

“When millennials spend so much time with these big headphones over their ears, it sends out a clear message that they are choosing to be in a world of their own.”

And that, she adds,

excludes everyone else, including their own families.

It is predicted that by 2027 half of the UK will own headphones, with current trends seeing half of that ownership concentrated in the 25 to 45-year-old age groups and just 12 per cent in the 55-plus demographic.

None of the users seem to think about the dangers of neither distraction nor hearing damage. The NHS offers official advice that such headphones used too much or with too much volume have the potential to damage hearing.

We each are born with around 15,000 auditory hair cells in each of our ears that are all we will have for the rest of our lifetime to transmit sound to our brains. And they don’t like being blasted out by headphones any more than they do being assaulted by massive banks of speakers at pop festivals.

If you follow NHS guidelines, you will wear your headphones for no more than an hour at a time, followed by at least a five-minute interval before putting them back on again. Yet with current research showing that the younger group of users in their late teens and 20s often have them on for up to seven hours a day.

Foto door Ju00c9SHOOTS op Pexels.com

Most important, though, the experts say, is selecting the right volume. It should not be above 60 per cent. Some models, aimed at cautious parents of younger children, have a built-in volume lock switch.

But we are convinced that a very different danger is also totally overlooked, namely the element of socialising. It is not just the physical damage to ears that should be worrying us.

It’s the less obvious cost of the social and human obstacles they are creating,

says Julia Samuel, psychotherapist, bestselling author and presenter of the Therapy Works podcast.

Headphones, she believes, have the potential to damage the emotional growth of those whose daily ritual as they leave the house is to put them on precisely at the moment when they could be engaging with the world.

“They are placing a barrier in the whole interactive and interweaving between mind and body,”

she says,

“because they limit the amount of input wearers are getting from outside.”

They can cause, she worries,

“a deficit of connection with those around you and leave you a little emptier and a little chillier”.

Please find to read:

How millennials in the workplace are shaping today’s businesses

How headphone dependency is widening the generation gap

1 Comment

Filed under Health affairs, Lifestyle, Social affairs, Welfare matters

Tagged as Alison DaSilva, Apple Inc., Asocial behaviour, Canteen(s), Centre for Social Justice, Cristina Odone, Digital friend(s), Earbud(s), Earphone(s), Emotional growth, Engaging with the world, Flexibility, Friends, Headphone(s), Hearing damage, High-speed connectivity, Hot-desking, Jon Rubinstein, Julia Samuel, Lockdown, Lockdown period, Millennials, Office, Peter Stanford, Public transport, Restroom(s), Shared spaces, Shopping centre(s), Smartphone(s), Social hub(s), Social interaction, Social media, Steve Jobs, Streetscape, Therapy Works podcast, to Socialise, Wi-Fi, Work from home, Work remotely

by Guestspeaker | 2022/06/12 · 4:51 pm

Young Christian pastors achieving superstar status through the magic of social media

Now, thanks to the wonders of social media,
many young Christian pastors are achieving superstar status through the magic of Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and the like.
Many of them are using their influence to spread (what they call) the ‘good news’ of the Gospel
— or at least their particular spin on it.

1 Comment

Filed under Lifestyle, Reflection Texts, Religious affairs

Tagged as Instagram, Social media, Spreading Good News, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube

by Guestspeaker | 2022/05/18 · 9:18 pm

Nicola Sturgeon on the problems of sexism and misogyny in politics

Quote of the day

“I don’t think there is a woman alive, not just in politics but in any walk of life, who will not have experienced, somewhere on the spectrum of misogyny and sexism, behaviour that is unacceptable.
In some ways, I think it is worse today than it was when I was a young woman starting out in politics.”

– Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon tells ITV’s Good Morning Britain she believes the problems of sexism and misogyny in politics are getting worse, arguing that social media is partly responsible.

From the old box: Free Speech, but Not for All?

Free Speech, but Not for All?

By Ted Gup

Just over a century ago, the president of a distinguished college barred the suffragette and human-rights activist Jane Addams from speaking on campus, and suspended a student named Inez Milholland for organizing others in support of women’s rights. Milholland would go on to become influential in the women’s movement, and the college president, James Monroe Taylor, would become yet another example of an overly protective and historically myopic educator. He believed that women should be “not leaders, but good wives and mothers” — the prevailing view of the day.

Ulrich Baer cites the philosopher Jean-François Lyotard, who “shifted attention away from the content of free speech to the way certain topics restrict speech as a public good.

Some topics, such as claims that some human beings are by definition inferior to others, or illegal or unworthy of legal standing, are not open to debate because such people cannot debate them on the same terms.”

…

Baer suggests that denying controversial speakers a forum still leaves them with the internet, disregarding that the internet also provides a powerful forum for groups whose voices were long suppressed. The internet and social media have removed many of the barriers to entry and provided accessibility to even the most splintered and historically marginalized of groups. To ignore this or to suggest otherwise is to infantilize such groups or imply that their messages are not competitive or compelling in the marketplace of ideas. To shield minorities from such speech is to disrespect them and assign them a fragility that many would not welcome.

“To protest free speech in the name of protecting women is dangerous and wrong,”

said Betty Friedan.

..
Abolitionists, gay and lesbian people, civil-rights activists, feminists, and others on the cutting edge of social change were all, in their day, barred from one university podium or another. Educators argued that their remarks might cause a disturbance, might undermine moral teachings, discomfort students, and offend the wider community.

…

Baer suggests that the free-speech argument is overly simplistic and static

“The parameters of public speech must be continually redrawn to accommodate those who previously had no standing,”

he says. Yet the idea of an organic and flexible standard of free speech, appealing as it may be, would strip it of the consistency that is the bulwark that stands between all controversial speakers and the despots who would silence them. It is not difficult in some far-left and far-right schemes to imagine the likes of Professor Baer himself being silenced. And his advocacy of a dynamic line between protected and unprotected speech grants a license to those in power to smother dissent of all sorts, particularly that of minorities and outliers.

The absolutist approach to free speech, to be sure, has its flaws. But for all its offenses, for all the broken china, for all the divisiveness and trauma it has caused, it remains the best and only instrument for insuring a free intellect and a more just society. It is not a matter of equality versus liberty, but as Owen Fiss, the Yale scholar of the First Amendment and outspoken champion of free speech, has argued, equality through liberty. Fiss observes that when speech has been curtailed, it has historically been the unheard, the underrepresented, and the deprived who have paid the steepest price. The lesson then is not to turn the quest for equality into a cudgel to be wielded against those whose values or positions one does not share.

…

Free speech is the greatest single ally of social justice and, even at its most noxious and repulsive, is often a catalyst for reflection and remediation. It is easy to mistake it for a tool of repression when, in fact, it is the antidote. Racism, homophobia, xenophobia, sexism do not respond to verbal anodynes. They must be addressed at their roots. Argument, reason, confrontation, and direct exposure to the psyche of bigotry remain the best hope.

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Filed under Activism and Peace Work, Quotations or Citations, Reflection Texts, Social affairs

Tagged as Abolitionist(s), ames Monroe Taylor, Betty Friedan, Civil-rights activist(s), Feminists, Free speech, Homophobia, Inez Milholland, Internet, Jane Addams, Racism, Sexism, Social justice, Social media, Suffragette campaigns, Suffragettes, Ted Gup, Ulrich Baer, Women’s movement, Women’s rights

by Belgian Biblestudents - Belgische Bijbelstudenten | 2021/12/16 · 2:55 pm

My perspective: Virtual v Physical church attendance

After several months having the churches being closed, people now allowed again to meet in small circles (with the Covid Safe Ticket or Pass) every individual should check for himself or herself and should examine for the family if it would already be safe to go to gatherings, be it for relaxation, Bible study or church service.

Going to “the grocery store, the restaurants, the beauty shop, the office, the classroom, the gym, and the doctor” is something totally different than going to a church, where people are sitting close together and normally also would sing and say prayers together in an enclosed space making it very easy for a virus to spread.

When people go to the supermarket, they are only limited by the amount of people allowed per square metre, and as such have to follow the red and green light indications or the stewards allowing only the right amount of people entering the wide space. To enter the shops only a regulated amount of people per square metre is allowed and often only two at a time, plus always with a mouth mask.

To go to a café, snackbar or restaurant a person has to have the Covid Safe Ticket or Pass and the same regulation is there for other places (as churches) and events.

For going to a gp or doctor one must make an appointment and maximum two people are allowed in the waiting room, which should be ventilated and normally is spacey enough to receive much more people than two.

For going to church there is in many cases no controlling system, though there should be someone at the door asking and checking your CST.

Worship and Bible class are not simply about our being fed spiritually and matters that can be done on our own or via online meetings. Such online meetings can never take in the place of an actual real-life meeting. But we must be fully aware of the present conditions and dangers for each other when coming together in real life.
For every follower of Christ and every lover of God the gathering between all members of the faith community should be very important and not negligible. But, and a great But, we should be fully aware of the situation.

We must consider one another to stimulate unto love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24), and that the best way to do that would be in connection with assembling together (Heb. 10:25), but this also can be done by going in conversation online by the present technical progress. There are Zoom, Jitsi a.o. to have interaction when meeting online.

That people would stay away from the assembly in present times does not mean that they would be less religious or would have abandoned their faith. It is essential to protect the own health as well as the health of others. This can mean that we still have to wait sometime before coming together in real-time and/or real life.

Our relationship with God and with His beloved son shall not be less or of less value. It is from the depth of our heart that the love for God should rise above all our present limitations.

+

Preceding

Ideas about Religiosity

May we have doubts

Religious Resistance against vaccination

Covid-19 update | Covid Safe Ticket

New rules in Belgium to stop the spread of coronavirus

++

Additional reading

Christian in Christendom or in Christianity

Daily thought for July the 8th and the Summer months

Not created to be on our own

No time yet to relax the CoViD-19 restriction measures

Fourth wave of COVID-19 a pandemic of the unvaccinated

According to Pew Most White Evangelicals Don’t Think COVID-19 is a Medical Crisis

Did the first followers of Jesus have ‘church’

Priorities for our Christadelphian community and for the spreading of Good News

Worship

+++

Related

Get Back to Church

Is church attendance linked to higher rates of coronavirus?

Enjoying Christian Fellowship

Church attendance is often a distraction from biblical Christianity

Normal Christian Doctrine Explained: Church Attendance

Three good reasons to come back to church

Millions skipped church during pandemic; will they return?

No Family Is Too Busy for Church by Desiring God

Why are people attending church less frequently?

Why We’re Not Going Back to Church

OMT's Digest

This post is dedicated to all the virtual churchgoers like myself and those who are still unsure about whether it is best to worship virtually or physically in a church every Sunday. If this is the first time reading any of my blog posts and you want a straight answer, then please don’t proceed because this post is meant to get you thinking to find the answer within yourself.

Prior to COVID, I wouldn’t say I was a consistent church goer. If there was an attendance register, I am sure I would be called to ask why I get in late or why I have been absenting myself from church. COVID however resulted in a lot of churches going online because of physical safety restrictions so I guess I found it very convenient to wake up and have church right in the comfort of my living room.

Afterall, we learn…

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Tagged as Attending church services, Bible class, Church attendance, Church service, Covid restriction(s), Covid Safe Ticket (CST), CoViD-19, CoViD-19 pandemic, Family gathering, Gathering, Going to church, Going to the doctor, Going to the supermarket, Interaction, Mensa Otabil, Online meeting(s), Personal relationship with God, Physical church attendance, Real-life meeting, Relationship with God, Relationship with Jesus Christ, Relationship with parents, Social media, Supermarket, to Feel right, to Make time to meet others, Video call, Virtual church, Virtual church attendance, WhatsApp, Worship

by Guestspeaker | 2021/12/06 · 3:12 pm

Don’t Get Vaccinated, It’s Dangerous

+

Preceding

Pan 1- Past Pandemics

Mountains of information, disinformation and breaking away

Vaccinations and anti-vaxers

Consequences of our digital environment

Facts: Why they matter and how to check them

Too Many People Are Dying Right Now

++

Additional reading

More care needed for older getting population

Disinformation evolving threat

Here is the truth or the lie

Conspiracy theories in plenty-fold

💬 Misquotation Pandemic and Disinformation Polemic: 🧠 Mind Pollution by Viral Falsity

Fact-Checking: Information Today

Media Literacy

Fourth wave of COVID-19 a pandemic of the unvaccinated

+++

Related

Difficult Conversations – Open Letter to the Anti-Vaxxers

Anti-Coders (#SegregationInAction)

Anti-vaxxers are undermining our success at curbing virus

Predictable Outcomes and Other Things

Pro-COVID Republicans Help USA Stay Viral

Pricing of choice

Covid ‘protest’ straight from agitation playbook

Former ‘The View’ Co-Host Jedediah Bila Returns For Virtual Debate Over Vaccines

Subvert the dominant paradigm

Orban: It’ll Be ‘Jab or Death’ for Anti-Vaxxers

ABC Amplifies Anti-vaxxers

Kelly, GOP leadership on the wrong side of good public health

The fourth wave: how can Australia avoid another Covid outbreak as it reopens to the world? | Health | The Guardian

COVID misinformation spreading about Aboriginal community lockdown

Truly Cold

My Body My Choice: Polarization and Outrage, But Who Is Pulling The Strings?

Truly Stupid

Trump stoked Covid in red states – but there are blue anti-vaxxers too | Robert Reich | The Guardian

Freedom for whom?

Dispatch from the slaughterhouse

November 29, 2021 Set an Example

An Amped Up Don Jr. Thinks Americans Should Be Rioting Against Vaccine Mandates

Calling bluffs by Susan Grimsdell

Ocean of Disinformation: Afghan Refugees in North Macedonia

Red States, It’s Time to Get Vaccinated

A Pandemic Worst Practices and Declaring War on Fauci Limerick 1.1

Getting the needle!

Vaccine: The Battle and the Lesson

Social Media@ NYUPraha

The COVID-19 pandemic. It has been almost two years since the death toll has started to surge millions of people around the world. With the uncertainty around the emergence of a new virus, the demand for information naturally increased. There was not only a rapid exchange of information that allowed citizens to make informed decisions, but also a widespread of disinformation and misinformation – about the virus, its origins, effective prevention and treatment measures, and the legitimacy of the vaccines – both intended and unintended to harm. In this shift from the public to the digital sphere were social media and its paramount role in creating an “infodemic.”

During the pandemic (and the infodemic), there has been government control over surveillance, censorship, and the free flow of information. In addition to this, the value of social media has been highlighted by political leaders, who have strategically…

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Tagged as Anti-vaxxers, Conspiracy theories, CoViD-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccine(s), Croatia, Croatian media, Croatian(s), Death toll, Disinformation, European Medicines Agency (EMA), Facebook, False information, Hoax(es), Infodemic, Ivan Vilibor Sinčić, Manipulation, Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Misinformation, Pfizer, Pfizer vaccine, Prevention measures, Social media, Source of news, Spread of misinformation, Treatment measures, Vaccination measures, Vaccination(s), Vaccine(s), Zoran Milanović

by Guestspeaker | 2021/12/03 · 8:00 am

Consequences of our digital environment

On “Some View on the World” there is given some attention to “fake news”.

It looks like we have arrived in the age of populism and of authoritarian tendencies, cultural backlash, economic anxiety, ideological polarisation, and widespread conspiracy theories, democratic malaise, support for own gain and popularity.

Concerning religious matters “fake news” and untrue messages is nothing new. Already many decades non-religious groups and trinitarian groups do everything to keep people away from non-trinitarian groups. But concerning the way of living we got a new era with the treatment of the Corona virus.

The problem with all the news which gets to us is that it is not always easy to recognise a message is a valuable correct informative article versus misinformative or mendacious reporting.

For a few years we have had the blessing of the personal computer and by the years several groups and bloggers offering news and comments on the events of the day. The digital environment became huge and today can mostly come unfiltered in millions of houses. At the beginning people where pleased with the new medium and were loving to spread new serious articles and thoughts about many matters. After a few years, others saw in the internet a very good means to disinform or misinform people. Today this misinformation threatens real news that allows us to become informed citizens.

Today there is also a lot of sharing on social media which brings press releases but also frequent human fabrications up to our daily plate. Disinformation spread via messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal are becoming more difficult to track and intercept because of end-to-end encryption. We can call it a blessing but it can also be a curse how social media allows space for uncensored opinions/ concerns as well as a space for mass groups to convene to address these opinions/concerns. It is incredible how many youngsters receive fake news through private messaging apps regularly and do not mind checking the article but just goes by the title or just believes what is multiplied or liked the most. For lots of people, it has become really very difficult to recognise the truth and false messages. We are unable to determine falsehoods from the truth, and some are quick to believe anything that looks credible. When messages align with their held opinions or views, people much easier shall consider them trustworthy.

While it is definitely worth allocating resources to combating disinformation using AI, caution and transparency are necessary given the potential ramifications. New technological solutions, unfortunately, may not be a silver bullet. (The Conversation)

To remember

A free society depends on the free exchange of ideas and honestly, the most important issues are the ones that are most controversial.

+

Please find to read:

A busy 2017 #3 Fake, gossip and real news

To protect our democratic system #1 Danger of fake and malicious social media accounts

Defeating populism in the EU by education of the young people

2019 was #3 a Year of much deceit in the News World

Manipulated content on social media

Hollowness of democracy

Undermining security and democracy via the Internet

Safeguarding freedom of expression

Gossip and fake news, opposite fact checking and facts presenting

Conspiracy theories in plenty-fold

Media Literacy

++

Additional reading

Here is the truth or the lie

Gates to different belief systems in this world

Non-religious opposing religious people

A convinced voice to debunk false allegations

+++

Related

The Age of Disinformation

Barnum Circus or European Parliament?Between Freedom of Speech and Stigma

Interview #15 – Going Negative: Causes and Consequences of Attack Politics

Populism in Power: Law & Justice vs liberal democracy

Interview #14 – The Strange Case of Dr. Populist and Mr. Corruption

Robert Fisk on journalism, fake news and truth

Dealing with Fake News: The Social Responsibility of Big Tech and Possible Solutions

Media Literacy

Can AI help in stopping the spread of fake news? May be not

New York Times Complains That Cat Videos Are Being Used to Spread “Misinformation”
Fake news, zombie papers and fabricated evidence: A thoroughly modern pandemic?

Share This Now! How Conspiracy Theories Swamped North Macedonia

Two-thirds in North Macedonia believe COVID was created to control humans: study

Breaking: Marjorie Taylor Greene To Introduce Legislation That Would Hold Fake News Accountable – “The freedom of press is not the freedom to lie. And that is the biggest thing we have to focus on. There needs to be accountability, and I think that’s something we really need to look at.”

Ali's Almanac

Truth and lies: newspaper headline about fake news

The digital environment today allows a voice for all. While this gives us the opportunity to be agents of change, emerging from it are fake news, cancel culture, and outrage culture.

If you weren’t living under a rock during the years 2016-2020, you might’ve heard the term fake news. This misinformation threatens real news that allows us to become informed citizens. NPR names this time as a “post-truth era.” We are unable to determine falsehoods from the truth and some are quick to believe anything that looks credible because 1. sources take time to verify and it’s easier to believe what you see/hear without fact-checking 2. people will believe something right away if it aligns with their held opinions or views. This is problematic especially in such a polarized political landscape and a time where social media is an outlet for so much misinformation. Being skeptical is so important…

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Tagged as Age of information, Being skeptical, Cancel culture, Corona virus, Digital environment, Disinformation, Fake News, Falsehood, Free society, Free speech, Impacting others, Information, Mendacious reporting, Messaging app(s), Misinformation, Outrage culture, Populism, Signal (instant messaging service), Social media, to Censor, Uncensored concerns, Uncensored opinions, WhatsApp

by Guestspeaker | 2021/10/12 · 4:18 pm

The Social Media Kindness Project

Talin Orfali Ghazarian

The Social Media Kindness Project
by: Talin Orfali Ghazarian

Social media has become a big part in today’s society and some people use it for goodness, positive and inspiration, but others not so much. Some people tend to use social media in a negative and toxic way to spread hate, bullying, rudeness, and sending terrible comments to anyone. As previous generations have taught “If you have nothing nice to say or do, do not say or do anything at all”. That is the golden rule.

So, with that I have come up with the social media kindness project. You have no idea what someone is going through in their lives. It is always a good idea to be kind and use social media in empowering and positive ways. This is going to take a village to do. Social media needs a big makeover and we need to start somewhere.

I…

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Tagged as Acts of unkindness, Behaviour, being Rude, being Unkind, Bullying, Community, Golden rule, Inappropriate posts, MySpace days, Online community, Positive empowerment, Prevention, Profanity, Proper behaviour, Racism, Respect, Respect for others, Rudeness, Screenshot(s), Silence, Social media, Social Media Kindness Project, Talin Orfali Ghazarian, to be Kind, to Spread hate, Tolerance, Vulgar language

by Guestspeaker | 2021/10/06 · 10:49 am

“Our World” Moving from Blogspot to WordPress

On April the 2nd 2005, Marcus Ampe, after having commented on several MSN Groups created his own chat group on MSN which would grow into the website “Christadelphian world” on Multiply. Like so many Microsoft users at that time, he too, had his Space on MSN. When Microsoft discontinued the MSN Groups, Mr. Ampe followed their suggestion to switch to Multiply, presenting its Multiply Groups and Multiply Spaces. Several groups did not do this, quit or switched to other systems such as Yuku, of Ezboard, Inc.‘s internet forums (Yuku Message Boards), or the content management system (CMS) WordPress. Both were also considered by us, but unfortunately not chosen at that time. But a few years later Multiply stopped with providing room for bloggers. This made that all the material had to be exported when one wanted to keep the material.

The hierarchy of labels in a fully qualified domain name

For that reason, Marcus Ampe wanted to save his writings and placed them temporarily on the other American online content management system (CMS) Blogspot, enabling multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. Though that, what seemed just for a “waiting time” to find a new place, came to run its own life on Blogger. From that time onwards online journals or Blogs could also be accessed from a user-owned custom domain, an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control within the Internet, (such as http://www.example.com) by using DNS facilities to direct a domain to Google’s servers.

Christadelphian World

The Blogspot “Christadelphian World” received some further new messages and having received a new birth in 2014, having its name changed in “Our World“ it grew out, becoming an ‘adult’ presenting more than 4 000 messages in 2020. Google, that year, made several changes in its sites as well as in Blogger. From then onwards connections with the older blogs on Blogspot did not seem to work so well. The system became very slow to load down. In earlier computer days that would not have been such an abnormality, nor problem, but in present times the consumer does not like some time-consuming websites and leave them alone.

The World Wide Web had become a place where lots of lots home pages, functioning as a table of contents or index, with links to other sections of the site, called for the attention of the reader. Many companies also wanted to play host to present websites to the worldwide public. The public became also more interested in blogs that operate mainly as news filters, collecting various online sources and adding short comments and Internet links. “Our World” its intention was also to do that and to show the public the connection of this world with the Highest Divine Source of this all.

Other blogs concentrate on presenting original material and wanted to go deeper into certain topics. Marcus Ampe for that reason brought his MSN Space over to a Multiply Space, and when Multiply stopped its service, transferred it to WordPress, with as title Marcus Ampe’s Space to present his own personal views and offer a look in his personal diary.

In addition, many blogs provided a forum to allow visitors to leave comments and interact with the publisher. Such interaction became the most important target and this provide a new ground for several platforms bringing social media as a new driver of the convergent media sector, into their core business.

The growth of the blogosphere has been nothing short of remarkable. By October 2005 there were 19.6 million blogs, a number that has been doubling roughly every five months, according to Technorati, Inc., a Web site and organisation dedicated to mapping and searching the blogosphere. You can imagine how by this growth of approximately 70,000 new blogs being created each day — or, more vividly, nearly one every second, how difficult it has become to find the most interesting or complete one. Due to the abundance of material on the internet and the fact that people often cannot see the wood for the trees anymore, Marcus Ampe created in 2014 (03/26) “From Guestwriters” on WordPress as a platform where a selection of interesting websites could be presented. He also wanted to offer a platform for writers themselves to present their own website articles and to introduce people to more in-depth articles. But until now he does not seem to succeed getting enough writers willing to offer their services to talk about such subjects as history, nature, a.o..

From blogging is (in a way) expected that it might also be a conversational activity seeking to create a community or reflect an existing community. With “From Guestwriters” Marcus Ampe hoped to do so, but also with “Our World“, he wanted to open a view on the world, tough from a Christian viewpoint. He is still convinced such a viewpoint should have a place in our world, though he does not expect a lot of followers or interested people, because he is fully aware that there is not such an interest in Jehovah God.

As a Christian Marcus Ampe is convinced that it is part of the tasks given by God and by His son Jesus Christ, to go out into the world to preach the coming Kingdom of God. In many of his websites Mr. Ampe wants to bring some positive notes and want to show people that when things don’t work well, or are not working at all, although there’s plenty of sun, and when it’s starting to get annoying, there are ways to get out of that black or dark mood and to find sunshine in heaven. “From Guestwriters” want to contribute in such a way, and now you also may find “Some view on the world” bringing such a positive view on the world.

Please come to find this renewed website by Marcus Ampe:

Some view on the world (WordPress site by Marcus Ampe)

Where you shall be able to find some news updates, thoughts and reflections by different people (inclusive reblogs) and articles about man, history, faith, religions (in particular Christian religion), God, His world and His Word, the Bible and quotations from it.

Blog of Some view on the world

Find also to read:

Additional

+++

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Filed under Announcement, Cultural affairs, Headlines - News, History, Lifestyle, Publications, World affairs

Tagged as 2005, Abundance, Blog, Blogger, Bloggers, Blogging, Blogging world, Blogosphere, Blogspot (Blogger CMS), Christadelphian world (website), Content management system (CMS), DNS facilities, Google (Am. Inc.), Google Sites, Interaction, Internet, Internet Forum, Marcus Ampe, Microsoft, Microsoft Network (MSN), Microsoft user(s), MSN Groups, MSN Space, Multiply (CMS service), Multiply Groups, Multiply Spaces, Online journal(s), Platform for writers, Social media, Technorati (Am. Web org.), to Preach, View on the world, Virtual community, World Wide Web (www), Writers, Yuku (Ezboard CMS), Yuku Message Boards

by Guestspeaker | 2021/08/09 · 12:36 pm

Disconnecting to reconnect

In those times of many lockdowns and distance rules many sought a means to connect with others on social media.

Some felt very isolated or even felt like having become an emotional punchbag for, not just one person but two. Several people by the corona measures felt that they were left alone, having no support out there.

No help. The whole time you are trying to hold it together. Because although you don’t tell anybody, you are suffering too. You won’t admit it, not because you don’t want to be perceived as weak but because for them you need to be seen as strong. {You’re tired, so very tired. Almost numb now}

The last few months we could clearly see how specific events were felt, understood and experienced very differently between people.

Even exactly the same event, will be experienced differently between the people that attend, for instance. {TripAdvisor for humans}

As humans, it is instinctive to want to be liked and have people around us. “Safety in numbers” and all that. But we no longer live in caveman days where we have to worry about predators. So groups of people are not around to physically save our lives. But of course, friends and family do serve vital purposes still. And it might be that these group of people may save your life in other ways. So this desire to “fit in” and be included is natural. But when does this need become detrimental to our wellbeing, rather than protective? {TripAdvisor for humans}

Last few months, lots of people have had to cut themselves off from life for a long period. Contacts with family and friends got reduced. Children, adults, colleagues and friends all had felt it too. Even when many got to social media took some time on Zoom or other contact platforms, the distance and the unnaturalness were felt.

Though spending so much time on social media did not seem to have been so good for many, because of them feeling even more isolated or feeling as an exception, thinking differently.

A mum to two not-so-little boys and more recently, a little girl, midwife-ing and health visiting, finds reaching a place of being happy with who you are is priceless,

so a certain amount of discomfort is to be expected, no? {TripAdvisor for humans}

She thinks

another part of trying to place less importance in the opinions of others is learning to be ok with being the villain in someone else’s story. It might not be factually accurate, and it may not sit well with you (especially if the person has arrived at the conclusion in a somewhat ignorant and closed-off manner), but does it matter? Maybe that is what they need to be ok with themselves or what happened.

Perhaps another element is disconnecting to reconnect. Come off social media for a while; it’s good for the soul. Reconnect with the people and places around you instead. Spend more time in nature, and less time in the virtual world of unsolicited advice and opinions.{TripAdvisor for humans}

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Filed under Being and Feeling, Health affairs, Lifestyle, Social affairs, Welfare matters

Tagged as Colleague(s), Contact(s), Covid-19 restriction(s), Disconnecting, Human beings, Human wellbeing, Opinion making, Opinion of others, Reconnecting, Social media, Social media friends, Spending time in nature, Spending time in virtual world, to Fit in

by Marcus Ampe | 2021/08/04 · 12:54 pm

Vaccinations and anti-vaxers

Ex-president Donald Trump was against vaccinations and even did want Americans to believe the “Chinese disease would soon be over”. This ego tripper managed lots of Americans not to believe in the dangers of the Coronavirus.

By his misleading words he got many Republicans, evangelicals, but also poor blacks, and Hispanics to believe it are foreign forces and socialists or, worse, communists, trying to undermine the American society. Today many are suspicious of the government which would have become in power by a fraud election. Conservative evangelicals are among the quickest to share all those absurd stories about a.o. coronavirus-related conspiracy reaching to the highest levels of government. In many countries we can see that it is the Religious Right which is a hothouse of anti-vax activism and health fads.

Fools will readily believe a case without closely seeking out and attending to the criticisms of it (Proverbs 18:17). They routinely judge before hearing. They also attend to and spread rumours, inaccurate reports, and unreliable tales, while failing diligently to pursue the truth of a matter. The wise, by contrast, examine things carefully before moving to judgment or passing on a report. {Wisdom and Folly in Christian Responses to Coronavirus}

a lot of youngsters only go be the headings on their Social Media. Titles on You Tube or on Facebook, without going to read the article, let withstand to think about it and to examine what is said in it.

They do not follow up closely on viewpoints that they have advanced, seeking criticism and cross-examination to ascertain their truth or falsity. And when anything is proven wrong, they do not return to correct it. {Wisdom and Folly in Christian Responses to Coronavirus}

You would think, in the U.S.A., after the new president tried to get some order again, the American citizens would get back to their senses. The number of new Covid-19 cases per day has increased dramatically in the United States in the past month. New, dangerous variants have spread widely. At first Trump could convince people not to wear masks, but luckily now they show up in many parts of the country. Artists, often looked at as being “left”, went to get their vaccination as soon as they could. CEO’s also did not wait to long before getting vaccinated. But for the lowest-income groups, we can see it is more difficult to get people over the line. In the U.S.A. only 1.1 percent of the population of poor countries has received a single shot. Some people have surrendered to a sense of doom because they formed unreasonable expectations that the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines would miraculously obliterate the virus.

You would expect after the 2020 lockdowns, the 2.4 million Americans hospitalised and the 610,000 killed, more Americans would hurry to get the vaccinations over and done with. But the unmistakable fact is that they’ve made great progress in recent months to smother the virus and steer national life back toward normal. Where 5,463 people died from Covid-19 on one day at the beginning of the year, the daily death count is now bouncing in the low hundreds. One good thing may be that already an undetermined number of people have acquired some immunity from Covid-19 by exposure to it.

Today in America, severe Covid-19 infections and death are almost entirely in unvaccinated people. And the vaccines are still remarkably effective — of the 163 million fully vaccinated in the United States, only 1,141 have died from the virus.

It is known that the older you are, the greater the chance of getting seriously ill or dying from CoViD, and the younger you are, the less likely you are to have serious symptoms. This makes a lot of youngsters not worrying or not afraid of getting infected. For them there are many reasons not to receive an injection. Though lots of those reasons are based on absurd messages on Social Media. Social Media is doing a lot of damage and undermining national safety. One would expect them to see now, that because of the success of the vaccination in the older population, that the infection rate from the Delta variant has sent the number of infections soaring, the number of deaths, at least right now, is surprisingly low.

Young and old should come to recognise this virus is not an ordinary virus, like we have seen previously several viruses coming over the lands. It is not a virus that shall allow us to cry victory soon. No matter who might be president or in power, all shall have to start with acknowledging that it’s not within our power to eliminate Covid-19 from our shores the way we have polio, or to vaccinate every American against the virus. If we’re willing to agree on an end goal of dramatically reducing the severe illness and deaths from the virus, however, we might begin to see what winning is about.

According to Anthony Fauci the vaccines are even effective against the new variants that people fret so much about.

“A higher percentage of Americans have taken a Covid-19 vaccine in the past seven months than took a flu vaccine during the catastrophic 2017-18 flu season (37 percent of adults). Only 54 percent of the American population had taken the Salk polio vaccine six years after its introduction. Viewed from these angles, Americans in 2021 have not been particularly “vaccine hesitant.”

he says. But when we see news coverage and some documentaries about the handling of CoViD in the United States we got another view, with a lot of people between the age of 20-40 coming up with a lot of reasonable and sometime idiotic fantasies why they do not want to be vaccinated.

All over the world people should become convinced that it is a matter of not only protecting yourself, but out of love for the other, protecting those around you. The more people we vaccinate, the safer we all are today and how sooner we can go back to a normal life. We need everybody to be able to go to work, to have all the shops, pubs and event centres open again. Trying to get everything working properly again, we should safeguard ourselves by taking enough precautions that the illness can not spread. The less opportunity dangerous variants will have to emerge and spread tomorrow the better our life shall be and the better our economy shall be able to recover from those two years ‘disaster’.

So many in France and Germany shout about their freedom being taken, but do they ever think about what freedom really might be? Freedom is also respecting the freedom of others!

The age factor helps to explain why the rate of vaccination has stalled and is unlikely to accelerate, especially among the 19-to-49 crowd, many of whom feel immortal. We also hear that several of that age group in Europe went only to get their vaccination to be able to travel or to go to music festivals.

Some people also point to the fact that lots of people die in car accidents or find their death by having cancer. They say the older generation reacted to strongly on a disease which perhaps should be regarded like any other flu variant or a disease that comes over our countries once in a while to bring a clean brush against overpopulation.

Jack Shafer, Politico’s senior media writer, agrees that everybody who can access a Covid-19 vaccine should line up and get the shot. Right now. But he also points out that we need to determine our “tolerance level” for the disease, realising that we are unlikely to eradicate it completely but that we cannot keep shutting down our society in an effort to eliminate all risk. According to him we also don’t do that with other diseases. He points out that in the 2017-2018 flu season, influenza put 810,000 Americans in the hospital and killed 61,000. Those are terrible numbers, but we didn’t panic, mandate masks, or lock down the economy.

Also interesting to read

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Filed under Headlines - News, Health affairs, Lifestyle, Political affairs, Religious affairs, Welfare matters

Tagged as 2020, 2021, Anthony Fauci, Anti-vax activism, Conservative evangelical(s), Coronavirus, CoViD-19, CoViD-19 pandemic, Delta variant, Donald Trump, Immunity, Infection rate, Influenza, Jack Shafer, Lockdown, Religious Right, Social media, Vaccine(s)

by Guestspeaker | 2021/01/15 · 2:29 pm

2020 Talking Points – Stuck with polemics, histrionics, and ad hominem denunciation

Continually the world turns around and time goes on. But it will not go on for ever with man being able to bring bad things to others.
There shall come a time that with a roar and fire, believers and non-believers still alive shall come to see the beginning of the Day of the Lord. The Great Tribulation will come bringing great sufferings, but it shall bring us our waiting to an end, making our hope coming into fulfilment, Jesus, the Prince of Peace and the great Reconciler of humanity with the Creator, coming back to judge the living and the dead, to allow the righteous to enter the gates of God’s Kingdom to live there forever without pain or sorrows.

*

The retired High School teacher and an ordained Christian minister in Ontario, Canada, Vincent finds that

No one who has lived through and is old enough to remember it will forget 2020 – the “Plague Year” of a century. We tend to forget that there have been many plague years in human history, and many far worse both in absolute numbers of victims and in proportion. {2020-2021 and Hope}

He was not without hope as we ended 2020 and began 2021 and writes:

Even in dark times like 2020, and there have been many much darker in many ways over the centuries, the Creator has not departed. He remains anchored among us through the presence of a living Redeemer, a presence shared far and wide wherever those who know Him bring His light. {2020-2021 and Hope}

He is also aware that we might be coming closer to the prophesised days of the end.

It may prove true that we are quite close to or even in the last, Last Days and on the verge of the Great Tribulation. I am aware that quite a few believe that we are now seeing such signs, and they may be right. My generation thought this back in 1973. People thought it in World War 1, and in WW2 called Hitler the Antichrist.

World.V.You

Like many I know, I have been paying less attention to the swirling morass of the news these days. Most of it is glum and discouraging anyway, and, here in the “Great White North”, summer is all too brief to waste on keeping up with the latest blasts in the present mockery of “discussion and dialogue” in uber-confused Western culture. Besides, between true news (??) and the boundless volume of the less reliable variety, it is often hard to draw a firm line in the midst of all the spin and vehement opinion masquerading as considered point of view.

Everyone has a point of view, of course. But the problem is that it is now uncommon to find any serious attempt to talk about an issue. Most of what passes for commentary consists of dismissing the writer-commentator’s submission as mere strong bias or even some sort of incipient “Communism”…

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Filed under Crimes & Atrocities, Headlines - News, History, Political affairs, Re-Blogs and Great Blogs, Religious affairs, World affairs

Tagged as 2020, Canada, Communism, Counterreformation, Day of Jehovah God, Dialogue, Fascism, Genocide(s), Great tribulation, Human behaviour, Human nature, Ideology, Jesus Prince of Peace, Last Days, Polarisation, Polemic(s), Political parties, Social media

by Guestspeaker | 2021/01/03 · 4:56 pm

Let’s change

THE SEMPILL THINGS

The worst year yet? A lot of people would say so: “I’m glad to leave 2020 behind”, or “F*ck you 2020”, or whatever the trending caption of the moment is. 2020 has been a difficult year, but without it we wouldn’t be where are now. It’s shaken up all of us. And sometimes we need a shake-up. 2020 changed be me for the better in many ways –some good things, some great things, and some painful things that I wish would have panned out in a different way. I haven’t even come to the pandemic thing yet.

I’m hopeful for 2021, just as hopeful as I was at the start of last year. 2020 delivered in many ways and I’m pushing for ’21 to do the same. The attitude of wishing last year to go to hell is beyond me; the shift from one day to another makes no difference……

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Filed under Lifestyle, Positive thoughts, Re-Blogs and Great Blogs

Tagged as 2020, 2021, Being thankful, CoViD-19 pandemic, Energy, Finding purpose, New Year, Shake-up, Simple things of mankind, Social media

by Guestspeaker | 2020/12/31 · 9:00 am

2020 a year of having more idols but also more personal problems

The Spring of 2020 brought something new to the world which made everyone and everything coming to a standstill but brought also many to having psychological problems. At first, it seemed incredible to hear certain churches calling for their members to come to church, even when the governments asked people to avoid contact with many. Some pastors dared to go so far as telling people that if they would become infected with Corona that would be because they had not enough faith. Such saying we can only call “criminal”. Several Christian groups, mainly in Holland wanted people to believe that as faithful people would come to the service they would not be harmed because they would do what God expected from them.

Lots of people got in problem with their mind, having become pulled away from their social contacts by the lockdown. Depression, bipolar episodes, and anxiety attacks were hindermost in the running.

Because depression isn’t often discussed in churches, a great deal of misunderstanding has popped up in this year when there were so many more people with a lot of psychological problems, who could not be helped by medical staff.

We want people to believe that the first step is realising what this disorder isn’t:

“It’s not a character defect, a spiritual disorder or an emotional dysfunction. And chief of all, it’s not a choice.”

Also we want Christians to be aware that it is not, like some Trinitarian preachers wanted their flock to believe

a penalty from God.

When you do not feel well in your skin it is not that God would be punishing you because you would have done something wrong or that you would not have enough faith in Him.

We also must be aware that just because someone seems “happy,” that doesn’t mean they’re healthy or that they really would be happy. Look at the very popular Flemish influencer. Social media seemed to take more people in its ban this year. The advertising flow is drying up, so professional users of social media tell more about their concerns and they seemed for many to provide some good information. After the death of that 21 year old boy more than ever, several influencers came to understand their role in the youthgroups and to realise that good mental health is important.

This way NokNok wants to teach young people that it is normal to not always feel perfect. Staff member Eline De Decker:

“Nobody walks on clouds every day. Sometimes you get up and immediately feel that it is going to be a terrible day. Sometimes you doubt yourself or feel insecure. Or are you stressed or disappointed with friends or family. That is normal.
And that’s all okay. ”

NokNok wants to convey that message clearly and shows young people between the ages of 12 and 16 what they can do to gain more self-confidence, have less stress and go through life as positivo.

Instagram has been around for ten years, and what the app has perhaps achieved best during that period is creating the illusion that users can “work independently” via the platform. Certainly influencers, people who live off sponsored photos on their Instagram profile, are an example of this bogus self-employment.
They live off Instagram, but much more for Instagram – they tweak their entire lives to create the best photos and videos. And once their Instagram goes down, they have nothing to fall back on.

With the rise of social media, the phenomenon of fanship has changed drastically. About ten or twenty years ago, an idol was someone you idolized by hanging posters on the wall, playing CDs, maybe watching movies or TV shows. The relationship fan-
Idol was pretty one-sided: the fan was occasionally thrown a treat – a new song, a TV appearance, a message about a wedding in a gossip magazine – and he or she had to settle for that.

But with digitization, the relationship between fans and idols has turned inside out,
British sociology professor Ellis Cashmore writes in his book Kardashian Kulture, in which he examines how celebrity culture has changed in the 21st century. No longer are fans from outside looking at the world in which their idol lives – they are right in the thick of it.

Certain churches used those idols also in church and wanted to attire people to their meetings by using a lot of music and disco settings. In 2020 we saw a continuation of the pulpits shrinking and even disappearing while bands and lighting have grown. But faith does not come from music, dynamic experiences, or supposed encounters with God. Faith is birthed through the proclamation of God’s Word (Rom 10:17).

Our assurance is threatened.
Whilst certain churches kept calling their flock to the church building, others tried to bring entertaining video presentations. All that attention or focussing on those idols and entertainement made many youngsters feeling even more alone, when there was no such church meeting any more. If we associate God’s presence with a particular experience or emotion, you can ask what happens when we no longer feel it.

We search for churches whose praise band, orchestra, or pipe organ produce in us the feelings we are chasing. But the reality of God in our lives depends on the mediation of Christ not on subjective experiences.

Musicians are given priestly status.
When music is seen as a means to encounter God, worship leaders and musicians are vested with a priestly role. They become the ones who bring us into the presence of God rather than Jesus Christ who alone has already fulfilled that role. Understandably, when a worship leader or band doesn’t help me experience God they have failed and must be replaced. On the other hand, when we believe that they have successfully moved us into God’s presence they will attain in our minds a status that is far too high for their own good.

Division is increased.
If we identify a feeling as an encounter with God, and only a particular kind of music produces that feeling, then we will insist that same music be played regularly in our church or gatherings. As long as everyone else shares our taste then there is no problem. But if others depend upon a different kind of music to produce the feeling that is important to them then division is cultivated. And because we routinely classify particular feelings as encounters with God our demands for what produce those feelings become very rigid. This is why so many churches succumb to offering multiple styles of worship services. By doing so, they unwittingly sanction division and self-centeredness among the people of God.

Scripture is full of exhortations to God’s people to sing and make music to Him. Our God has been gracious to give us this means to worship Him. But it is important to understand that music in our worship is for two specific purposes: to honour God and to edify our fellow believers. Unfortunately, many Christians tend to grant music a sacramental power which Scripture never bestows upon it.

Intense relationship
Those churches who by the years focused more on the show element of their services brought their members now in a situation where the lockdown is felt more as a restriction and limitation. Some even came to find that they could not serve God any more or did not give Him the full worship they had to offer Him. The fact they felt they could not serve their God any more made them feeling very bad. Instead of making them to understand they also could worship God in their own house in their own small bubble, some churches gave them even more a feeling of guilt by keeping to tell them they should not stop coming to the church building.

Against the lonely feeling they said what’s needed was the gathering and coming to feast again for God. But what is really needed is a loving community where people are encouraged to speak up and get help. And that speaking can be done by internet meetings and help can be giving by phone calls as well as by sending material by land mail.

People should know that when fear comes into their heart, they themselves can call to God. They not only should trust on the entertaining sessions of their church.

God Loves You

The fundamental message of the Gospel is that God loves you.
Do you understand?
God loves you. No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been, God will always love you. Dr. Kenneth Hutcherson describes it like this,

“No matter what kind of situation you may find yourself facing, don’t be afraid, because God will always be with you and have your best interests in mind since He loves you. Whenever feelings of fear creep into your life, turn to God for the help you need to overcome them and successfully navigate your circumstances. Whenever you sense God calling you to do something that requires taking a risk, move forward without fear because God will empower you to do whatever He calls you to do.”

It’s Alright to Feel Sad

No one likes to feel sad. We frequently try to avoid feelings of pain, or bury them under the weight of our daily routines. But sorrow cannot and should not be ignored. Accepting our sorrow doesn’t mean we’re weak, or a failure, it means we’re human. Just look what Ethan McCarthy of Christianity Today had to say,

“Our faith is predicated on sadness. As we grow in Christ’s service, we begin to recognize ourselves in Christ’s sad gaze in the icons. The sadness of Jesus exemplifies the sadness of Christians everywhere, and through it the whole world is redeemed. For the sadness of Jesus is not an ultimate sadness: the Bible also promises the end of sadness, and the wiping away of all tears: ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted’ (Matt. 5:4).”

After bad times better times

2020 may not have been an ideal year, but we should know there have been lots more worse years in the past. When looking at those horrible years of illnesses, pains, horrible situations and wars, we should see that we did not have it as bad as some want us to believe.

Hope is a frail thing, but it’s hard to kill. If you’ve found yourself struggling in the valleys of life, please don’t give up. Surround yourself with friends who will comfort you and mourn with you. If you’re suffering from depression, have courage and make an appointment with a doctor. Above all, remember that God loves you, and that will never change.

2020 has been a year where a lot more people had psychological difficulties. The helplines got a lot more calls. Lots of people were struggling with depression. More than 1 in 5 youngsters this year had difficulties with the isolation brought unto them. Christians should see signs and then should come to help.

Every suicide is a tragic end to a life that’s precious to God. If you’re willing, God can empower you to help save the lives of people he loves from ending their lives before they’ve completed the lifetimes he intends for them. Here’s how you can help prevent suicide by reaching out to struggling people you know:

Recognize warning signs.

The American Association of Suicidology says that people who are at risk of committing suicide often display warning signs such as: communicating a desire to kill themselves, looking for ways to kill themselves (like seeking access to guns or medications), expressing a lack of purpose or hope in life, demonstrating dramatic mood changes, behaving in significantly anxious or angry ways, sleeping too much or not sleeping enough, feeling trapped in a challenging situation, taking reckless risks, abusing alcohol or drugs, and withdrawing from relationships with family and friends.

Listen well and offer unconditional love, like God does.

Pay attention to the troubling thoughts and feelings that people share with you. Listen carefully to what they express, and ask them questions to clarify and seek more information. If suicidal people know that you’re genuinely interested in them and that they can trust you not to judge them, gossip about them, or avoid them when they tell you something disturbing, they’ll likely open up to you. Ask God to help you love suicidal people unconditionally – like He does – and that will give them hope they desperately need while struggling with embarrassment and shame.

Pray specifically.

Let people know that they can count on you to pray for them about every specific issue they’ve shared with you. Ask God to bring them the help and healing they need, and pray in Jesus’ name against any form of evil that may be attacking them spiritually.

Give people a fresh perspective on themselves and their problems.

Suicidal people often become so preoccupied with their own failures and the problems in their lives that they blow them out of proportion. When that happens, they feel overwhelmed and can’t see how they can ever find solutions to their problems or find relief from their suffering. Mistakenly thinking that there’s no hope for them to experience better lives, they then may choose to simply end their lives. If someone tells you that she hates herself or feels like a burden on others, you can encourage her by pointing out specific ways she has enriched your life. When someone you know is distraught about a problem that seems insurmountable, you can gently and respectfully point out other aspects of her life that are positive to help her gain a better perspective. Refrain from giving unsolicited advice, which can seem judgmental to someone who is struggling. But remind your friend that there’s plenty of good in her, and in her life, despite the bad aspects that trouble her. You can also point out that every problem – no matter how severe – is temporary, but suicide is permanent. Encourage suicidal people to give themselves time to see how their problems can resolve in unexpected ways, rather than prematurely ending their lives.

Strong churches don’t “fix” depression.

Even large churches may not have the framework currently in place to deal with mental disorders. So, what’s needed?

“Healing comes from a prayerful, loving community that seeks to truly understand major depressive disorder and related conditions, and one that develops a positive response.”

Depression can feel like a huge weight that keeps pulling a Christian down again and again. Breaking free from the clutches of this disorder may seem impossible, but Margaret Ashmore (of the Association of Biblical Counselors) says that one of the most important things a sufferer can do is “the next thing”:

“So ‘doing the next thing’ might mean getting right with someone you’ve wronged, making restitution on outstanding payments, putting away once for all that website or magazine which feeds a monstrous, lustful appetite, taking back a purchase of self indulgence whose only outcome was more debt – you will have your own list. I certainly have mine. But be assured, this principle alone can take you from a shrugging Atlas with the weight of the world on your shoulders to that of renewed vigor and reviving refreshment….”

“The choices we make to obey despite our feelings or to give in to the downward pull of a fallen world filled with fallen people – mean everything.”

If you suffer from anxiety of depression, you’re not alone.

The one true source of freedom: Jesus.

People who kill themselves are trying to break free from their pain. But suicide just makes people dead, not free, and it actually causes more pain by spreading grief around to deceased people’s loved ones. Tell struggling people you know that while suicide can’t make them free, Jesus Christ can. Jesus is the way to God. He is the mediator between God and man, and having been here on earth as a man of flesh and blood, he very well knows the pains man can have to face.

No matter how difficult, certain things may look for us, when we pray to God we may find solutions to get over those difficult situations.

(With parts of articles by a.o. Todd Pruitt, John UpChurch, Ryan Duncan, Whitney Hopler of Crosswalk.com)

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Filed under Being and Feeling, Health affairs, Lifestyle, Religious affairs, Social affairs, Welfare matters

Tagged as 2020, American Association of Suicidology, Anxiety, Anxiety disorder, Bipolar disorder, Corona-measures, Coronacrisis, Coronavirus, Depression, Division, Eline De Decker, Ellis Cashmore, Encounter with God, Ethan McCarthy, Faith, Gathering, Having doubts, Hope, Idol, Idols, Instagram, John UpChurch, Kardashian Culture, Kenneth Hutcherson, Lockdown, Margaret Ashmore, Meeting, Mental Health, Music, Musician(s), NokNok, Penalty from God, Psychological problem(s), Sadness, Self-centeredness, Self-confidence, Self-employment, Social contacts, Social distancing, Social media, Standstill, Suicidal people, Suicide, to feel Sad, to Honour God, Todd Pruitt, Whitney Hopler, Worship leader(s)

by Guestspeaker | 2020/12/26 · 6:34 pm

Mens of Consumens: Wat is tegenwoordig nog sociaal?

Wie kan er de verantwoordelijkheid dragen voor het asociaal gedrag van velen van vandaag? Is de hele samenleving daar verantwoordelijk voor, waarbij men nu de weerslag vindt van de kinderjuffen en leerkrachten die de laatste twintig jaar geen opmerkingen meer mochten maken naar de kinderen of hen niet meer mochten berispen als die kinderen iets fout deden?

In een tijd van social media en een egocentrische levensstijl hoe sociaal zijn mensen dan nog? Dit vraag ik mij dagelijks af als ik zie hoe de kloof tussen mensen groeit door het overmatig labelen.

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