Dovestar

November 24, 2010

Blessings, Curses and Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving coming up, I thought I should write about thankfulness. To be thankful for all that you have is to realize that you are blessed even if your life is a mess. Look at me for example, I am 800 miles away from family and friends in several directions and lead a pretty dull life. Yet I am thankful for the family that I still have and for having the friends I do even though they are so far away. Age is catching up to me and my health isn’t as good as I would like I am still generally healthy and thankfully I have awoke to see another day.

Too many of us focus on what is bad or causes us ill in our life way too much and rarely look at the blessings that are in our life. No matter how big or small a blessing may seem they all are equally important and should be equally cherished. Life is way to short not to focus on the blessings we have and defiantly too short to ponder on our curses.

So on this Thanksgiving take a good look at all the things that are blessings in your life and give thanks for them.

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving

R. Barbier

Mike Robbins: How to Have a Great Thanksgiving (huffingtonpost.com)
Prayers of thanks (heraldnet.com)
Being Thankful (caregiving.com)
The Sun is Still Shining! (caregiving.com)
Thanksgiving, Aging Parents and Your Happiness Quotient (blogs.forbes.com)

November 23, 2010November 23, 2010

Honor and Chivalry

Giotto - Scrovegni - -44- - Faith — Image via Wikipedia

In modern times honor has became rare in our society and almost nothing but a historical footnote.
Below is a Basic Version of the Knights Code of Honor A.K.A. Chivalry

A Code of honor (Based on the knights code of honor)

Faith: Trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures

Charity: Benevolent feeling, especially toward those in need or in disfavor

Justice: The moral principle determining just conduct and the conformity to this principle, as manifested in conduct; just conduct, dealing, or treatment

Sagacity: To Have keen perception and or the ability to make good judgments.

Prudence: Caution with regard to practical matters; discretion

Temperance: Moderation or self-restraint in action, statement, etc.; self-control.

Resolution: The mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.

Truth: Honesty; integrity; truthfulness

Liberality: The quality or condition of being liberal in giving; generosity; bounty.

Diligence: Constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind.

Hope: To believe, desire, or trust

Valor: Boldness or determination in facing great danger, esp. in battle; heroic courage; bravery

Just think if we taught this code to our children, what impact it could have on society and on the childrens view of the world.

Just a Interesting thought is all.

Peace to all

R. Barbier

Three cheers for conservative men and chivalry: Todd Palin, Marcus Bachmann, and Gov. Christie (riehlworldview.com)
Todd Sampson: international man of chivalry (mumbrella.com.au)
Heroism (socyberty.com)
You: Manvotional: Robert E. Lee’s Chivalry (artofmanliness.com)

November 23, 2010

Pleasure in the suffering of others is Childish and Cruel

I often wondered why some people find the misfortunes of others either funny or entertaining. What could drive a person to find enjoyment in such things is beyond my own understanding. I myself could not find any enjoyment or entertainment in the suffering even in my worst enemy. It is cruel minded to find joy or pleasure in the sufferings of others, regardless if they be friend or foe. I guess it boils down to what one defines as just and or justice, If one believes that justice is to see the suffering of the villain or criminal rather than the putting right of which is wrong then maybe that makes it seem ok to find pleasure in the suffering of another.

I believe that the sufferings of others is not to be pleasured in, it is to be abhorred and found a sad or terrible sight. To find pleasure in such things is either madness or a cruel and evil way of thinking. I only hope one day mankind can grow out of such childish thinking and become more compassionate, caring and peaceful.

Peace and Happiness to all
R. Barbier

Matthieu Ricard: Why Pleasure Is Not Happiness (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
Cynics, Stoics, Epicureans, Neoplatonists, and Mystics (socyberty.com)
Compassion and Suffering (babypickel.wordpress.com)
My Perspectivist, Teleological Account Of The Relative Values Of Pleasure And Pain (camelswithhammers.com)
What is Happiness, and How to be Happy (socyberty.com)
The Goodly Life (xeniagreekmuslimah.wordpress.com)
Childish vs. childlike . [Zahir shamsery] (ecademy.com)

November 23, 2010

Honesty, Definitely a virtue we need.

Honesty, Definitely a virtue which we need more of. Honesty is the best policy, even if there are things you think best untold. To live in truth and not in illusion is the way in which one is to truly live.

To be dishonest is to mark your own soul and to destroy a part of both the dishonest and the one being deceived. We are responsible for every action, thought and word we have in our lifetime. Everything we do, think and or say effects not only ourselves but those around us. Sometimes our actions, thoughts and words effects can travel great distances to effect even those we do not know.

Be careful of what you do,think and say for it will effect you and others in one way or another.

Well enough Babbling for now
Peace to all
R. Barbier

Call for Papers – Reviving Tradition: Virtue and the Common Good in Business and Management (kauffman.org)
Honesty: A Dying Virtue? (socyberty.com)
Honesty, The Only Worthwhile Virtue (socyberty.com)
Negative Behaviour, You Can Get Over It (socyberty.com)
DealBase shows real honesty: displays worst hotel deals (gadling.com)

October 26, 2010

Just Another Political Rant

Power, greed and deception are the rules and conditions of politics. Almost every single politician is concerned with their own wealth and the power that comes with their elected position. Campaign promises created to get votes and bills filled with hidden earmarks and agendas fill the congress. Healthcare is only affordable by the rich and pharmaceutical companies push the medical industry to use pharmaceuticals to manage diseases instead of educating the patients or surgery.

There is far more money in selling overpriced pharmaceuticals to manage a health problem than to come up with an actual cure. This is not to say there isn’t anyone out there looking for cures, just that funding and priority for finding a cure for a disease is lower than the research for drugs that help manage a disease. Though I will give the present administration a thumbs up for the fact they are pushing the idea of better diet and physical fitness as a preventative measure in keeping good health.

It still gets me quite upset that there are some congress officials and hopefuls looking for a way to increase the retirement age and or diminish the social security plan. For one thing even if the average life expectancy is like 80 it does not mean the majority of humans will survive to that age. The percentage that are lucky enough to live to see retirement are usually not as healthy due to having to work so hard and long. With the fact that it takes the lower and below middleclass citizen 2 to 3 jobs to maintain a decent standard of living only puts more strain on the health of those individuals.

For as Medicare/Medicaid and any federal or state funded health care , it should be limited to legal citizens who have and will contribute to the tax systems both at state and federal levels. The only way illegal aliens could be a part of the system is if the government went to a national sales tax to replace the current income tax. This would insure every individual living in the united states would and could contribute their fair share to the government funds. Of course this federal sales tax should not be on food or necessities of life such as utilities only on luxuries.

One thing I have learned is if it makes sense the government will either ignore the idea or take it and load it down with so many earmarks or amendments it becomes a useless idea and bill/law. Once in a while one might actually slip through with little change but that is becoming a very rare occasion in recent years.

Well enough rambling on about politics and such.
Peace to all Raymond Barbier.

Kenneth Thorpe: Hold True to Health Care Reform Commitments to Fight Chronic Disease (huffingtonpost.com)
Conflict of Regulation of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (blogs.forbes.com)
Does Obamacare really cut Medicare Benefits to Senior Citizens? (blogs.forbes.com)
All Talk No Answers: Another Reason Man Cannot Rule Himself (socyberty.com)
Opinion: Health Care, It’s Still Neither (lillslist.com)
Fiorina: Health reform must make insurers compete (sfgate.com)

October 21, 2010October 21, 2010

Look in the mirror, For Better Or Worse

We should always be mature and choose to respect others when speaking to and about them. To Gossip or ridicule others is immature and will bring one consequences they may not want to face. Why can’t we just accept each others as who and what we are, To love each other as brothers and sisters in the same house called earth. To Show courtesy and respect towards others is to show respect to ones own self. Honor not only your own, honor that of all others whom you meet. A person with honor, respect and integrity is a rare but wonderful sight to see.

Look in the mirror and make who you see someone you could love and respect. Look at those around you and see a part of your own self within each and every one of them. We are all much more alike than most people would like to face. One choice or one circumstance is all it takes to make a rich man poor, a lonely man loved and a respected man loathed. One action or circumstance is all it takes to change ones whole life for the better or the worse.

So the homeless man on the corner begging for change could have been me or you if we had made a wrong choice or circumstances had forced us in that direction. I have met a few of them that were quite successful at one time in their life and lost everything due to unforeseen circumstances. Some actually choose to remain homeless, but most would gladly work and move back up if opportunity were to come knocking.

I guess what I am getting to is that we should respect and care about all our fellow humans regardless of their situation and see that we are all basically the same. Well, we all have to choose the path we follow and how we treat each other, so hopefully we all can choose to have compassion and understanding.

Well Enough of my Babbling for now
Peace and Love to All
Raymond Barbier

Running in the Face of Traditional Solutions (homelessness.change.org)
Robber Gives Stuff Back To Homeless Victim (huffingtonpost.com)
Trina Hayes: Surrounded by Addiction: An Opportunity to Open Your Heart to Unconditional Love (huffingtonpost.com)
Crimes Against the Homeless Are Increasing. Compassion? Not So Much. (homelessness.change.org)
Hey Homeless Services, First Do No Harm (homelessness.change.org)
Crisis of ‘hidden homeless’ children comes to light (chron.com)

October 16, 2010

A Day of Birth and Reflections of Years Past.

Another year has past and one more year closer to growing old
Another year gone and with it the world grows even more cold

Cold the world might be but that does not phase the love i feel
The world grows more selfish and that is something that is real.

The light is growing dimmer each day as life slowly slips away from us all.
The source of love still remains strong and we should answer its call.

God is the light that will never burn out and we are mere reflections of his undying love.
His son came to teach us compassion and forgiveness with the gentleness of a dove.

Unfortunately mankind grows arrogant and their hearts are full of a very selfish pride.
Greed and corruption rules over most and from the aftermath there may be nowhere to hide.

With age comes wisdom, experience and hind sight is always 20/20 as we all know.
The piece of wisdom I try to share is to always let your love and compassion show.

Mistakes we may all make in the life we are granted and to learn from them is the key.
Anger is quick to destroy the love and compassion that resides in both you and me.

If you take anything from all the things i write I hope it is to love one another both freely and unconditionally.
For life is too short to hold grudges, place/carry blame for mistakes intentionally done or unintentionally.

Live life to the fullest and don’t allow fear to rule your world for it will only stop you from truly living life.
Don’t hang on to regrets or anger for all that will do is fill your world with unneeded and undeserved strife.

Peace to all
R. Barbier

Self Compassion [Margit "Success" Jones-Hochstrasser,] (ecademy.com)
Charter For Compassion (namaste-land.blogspot.com)
Dr. Manoj Jain: Compassion can move us to break cycle of violence (commercialappeal.com)
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: A Time of Forgiveness (huffingtonpost.com)
Is Forgiveness Manly? (artofmanliness.com)
A day for reconciliation and the compassion we need (lookatvietnam.com)
Matthieu Ricard: Is Compassion Meditation the Key to Better Caregiving? (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)

October 6, 2010

Insecurity, Acceptance and Fear

What is insecurity and why do most people suffer with it in one form or another? Insecurity is usually caused by the lack of acceptance by our peers or the lack of confidence in our own selves. When we are not accepted by our peers we tend to see ourselves as dysfunctional or inferior in one way or another. We tend to value the opinions of others over our own. We allow the opinions of others to control our own self perception and that can create a very negative self image. Though other peoples opinions will always play a part in our lives we must realize that they are opinions not facts. I have watched so many good people be held down or back from their full potential by the opinions and actions of others. Being popular or accepted may have its emotional and social rewards but the popularity can and most of the time usually is short lived.

One should not look outward for acceptance and validation , you should look inward for if you do not accept and embrace who you are then you will never become the person that you truly can be. Each one of us has the potential for greatness within us and each of us has our unique qualities that makes us grand. Some of us have exterior beauty as a gift but that fades with time and age, but all of us have a unique inner quality that will remain with us till our time to leave this world. I guess we all strive for physical appearance and social ranking because we live in a time where everything is so temporary and disposable. We get bombarded with images of how we should look and how our life should be in the many forms of visual media available in this modern age that it makes us feel inferior or lacking in one way or another. Most of the people we see in visual media have been altered by make up, soft filters on the cameras and air brushing on the photo images. This gives the illusion of perfection and beauty that very rarely exists if at all in nature.

There is also the victim mentality that seems to be a mainstream theme in modern society, So many people feel they have been a victim in one way or another in their life. Not saying we haven’t been victimized but to hold on to the mentality of being a victim only keeps one from moving on and living life. Why waste the time we have here on earth worrying about what has happened when we could be celebrating what is now and is yet to come. Fear is another factor that seems to be a road block to happiness if it is held on to and allowed to be a daily occurrence. Fear has its place but is meant to be short lived, when we allow it to stay for too long it grows and takes control of our daily life. Living in constant fear keeps us from enjoying life the way we are meant to. As one of our presidents said the only thing we have to fear is fear itself and he was 100% right. I always like the line from the movie Dune that was Fear is the mind killer and if you really think about it that is true. Fear seems to consume ones every waking moment and thought when it is present. It makes us only focus on that which caused the fear and keeps us from thinking of the greater things in life.

Well enough of my babbling for today
Peace
R. Barbier

Why We Judge (windandheart.blogspot.com)
The Secret Reason Why Your Life Is Boring (rejectiontherapy.com)
The Importance of Acknowledging Your Strengths (prinyourpajamas.com)
Dr. Cara Barker: How Are You Keeping Fear Alive? 3 Steps You Can Take to Build Self-Confidence (huffingtonpost.com)
Insecure: Get Over it and Be Happy Part III (lesbiandating.net)
Douglas LaBier: Redirect Your Life Towards Sanity in Today’s Turbulent World (huffingtonpost.com)

October 2, 2010

Fresh Produce and a Healthier Diet

I have noticed in the news they have been pushing the fresh fruits and vegetable thing again and I think it is a good idea. Unfortunately most fresh fruits and vegetables are quite expensive compared to the unhealthy foods most of us like and eat. There is one way to cut costs on fresh produce and that is to grow your own and can them yourself. What you don’t eat during the season is still healthier as home canned than store bought canned. Frozen produce has been proven also to be as healthy if not sometimes healthier than the fresh produce at the grocery store. This is due to the fact the produce is frozen close to the harvest time that retains the nutritional levels unlike produce that is shipped and stored which makes it less nutritional due to the time between harvest and consumption. Fresh picked produce is better especially if you were the one to grow it because the fact you would use less pesticides if none during the growing process.

Even Meat sources that are raised by the consumer would be healthier due to the absence of hormones and antibiotics that commercial farms use. Plus fresh meat tastes better or at least it does to me. Just remember the old saying you are what you eat so when you eat chemicals and additives in processed food your body either has to work hard to remove the toxins or it is storing it in your body fat. Do not always listen to what the media and government tries to say is or isn’t healthy just follow the rule if it is not natural then more and likely it isn’t healthy to eat. And if it is natural is is safe to eat if not healthy. Some natural things are not as healthy as others but if you balance your good with not as good then you can have a enjoyable and healthy diet.

Peace and happiness to you all

Ray Barbier

Whey Protein Diet Supplement: A Healthier Choice (justslimming.com)
Diet Tips for Anti-oxidant Rich Foods (justslimming.com)
Tosca Reno: The 5 worst nutrition habits – healthzone.ca (news.google.com)
In Praise of Frozen Vegetables (theatlantic.com)
The 5 worst nutrition habits (healthzone.ca)
Say NO To Aging With Healthy Diets (justslimming.com)
Getting the Most Bang Out of Your Produce Buck (1-2-3getorganized.blogspot.com)
Letters: Why America Isn’t Eating Its Veggies (nytimes.com)
Will Cheaper Fruits and Veggies Fix America’s Obesity Epidemic? (food.change.org)

September 30, 2010

Limits, Boundaries and Habits

Do we limit our own selves? Is one of the main reasons we do not succeed and can not be happy the fact we don’t allow our selves to do so? I always wondered if this is a fact or just another random thought we all get that helps fuel our guilt complexes. I do believe in some cases we do set our own boundaries and limit ourselves in order to keep within our comfort zone. Some people do not like change and rather stay in a unhappy but yet comfortable life then to risk it getting worse or taking on new challenges they fear they will be unable to handle.

When we are children we set our limits and goals by the standards and expectations of both our peers and our family. We take the opinions of those around us and give them the power of authority because when we are children we take everything at face value and as true. By the time we start realizing not everything we see and hear is always true we already have set up a behavior pattern and set many of the boundaries or limits we will live by for the rest of our lives. Though some may and can change by influential experiences and by the influence of others basically they will not change much.

Alas there is always hope because the human brain is reprogrammable and so is the limits and boundaries we have set or accepted. To change both your limits and boundaries is not an easy task because you have to basically ignore the programming long enough to set new boundaries and limits. It is kind of like a bad habit you’ve been doing for years, though difficult to break the habit it is not impossible. Look at people who smoked for over 20 to 30 years and quit. They had to not only break the habit of wanting to put a cigarette in their mouth but the addiction of nicotine. Many have succeeded in quitting smoking and so many have also failed. This shows how difficult it may be to face a habit and addiction but it also shows you can beat both if you are determined enough.

Most of our negative thoughts and the boundaries / limits we have are basically habitual behaviors that can be overcome through time and determination. We have to want to change our limits and boundaries in order to succeed, just like one must really want to quit smoking in order to do so. We also must realize we can achieve much more than we presently believe we can and see that we are only limited by our own thoughts and beliefs. This makes me remember a line from a song I had to sing back in a elementary choir “Nothing is impossible until you try” it was from a Thomas Edison themed school function.

Allot of the times when I feel that I can not do more or better I look at all those in the history of mankind who overcame great odds to achieve wondrous things. People like the early colonial Americans who challenged one of the greatest military powers of the time to achieve freedom and the creation of both the constitution and the great nation of the United States. So many historical examples of men and women who broke through their limits and boundaries to challenge the odds and win. They are proof that anything is possible if you allow yourself to be limitless and break through the boundaries set by society, peers and your own self.

Get out of your comfort zone and discard those limits and boundaries that keep you from being all you can and should be. Be who you want to be and beyond, bring the uniqueness of your individuality to the table of life and be proud of who and what you are. Let no one tell you you are anything but great and wonderful for we all are a par of a wonderful and extraordinary species called the human race.

Well enough of my ramblings for now
Peace and Love to you all
Ray Barbier