There does seem to be a one man/ one woman versus a group think divide within in our society between those who are willing to connect one particular human beings to their singular actions or set of actions and those who believe that the best way to view people is as members of a group, cohort or a part of a segment of society.
The people who feel that we must think in terms of categories, groups, classes and cohorts in order to deal with problems that are held in common with large number of people are inclined to think in terms of societal justice and societal reform..When people problem solve problems in this way we are asked to consider race, sex, language, national origin and sexual orientation. People who think in terms of group membership tend to see this as a past way to address the way peoples within The US society have been neglected, discriminated against, belittled or mistreated.
This way of resolving injustice , inequities and struggle is measured by statistics. It is measured by history, " Look at the advantages that Your group has enjoyed at the expense of others. We now must act to make sure that all is done so that all are treated equally and all benefit fairly. Sometimes this mindset will inspire people to declare that for justice's sake we must reduce the comforts and advantages of members of one societal segment to make sure that others are not discriminated against.Shared suffering and shared sacrifice is a popular societal paradigm. Yet, People will point to the idea that some groups must be asked to give up and accept far more in the way of limitations than others in order for the concept to be acceptably equitable.
People who focus on individuals believe that a just society and an intelligently caring society will seek to say how well or poorly each individual within the society is living. No one in any group believes the same things, works as hard or lives the exact same way that everyone that they have something or many things.Values, motivations, ethics, standards, satisfaction and joy are classical values that have long been used to measure how people live. It tells us what motivates and impels people as separate individuals endowed with thinking capacity who possess free will.
I do staunchly believe that the best way to change the world is by strategies that motivate, strengthen and empower separate and distinct men and women and separate people who have not yet reached the age of majority.We also then are able to specifically hold people accountable for how they choose to live and not live. It also allows us to provide the specific support that individuals need to achieve conditions that are beyond their ability to PRESENTLY overcome and get beyond!
One problem is that no one knows all and can see any and every possibility. We seek darkly and in shadows, as a classical writer recorded , because not all is visible to us, our awareness, no matter how hard we study and think is obvious to any of us. Yet, The best way, I believe, to help people is to invest in lives. The best way to know that we are being appropriate, consistent and the best possible observer, listener, analyst and respondent is by working with individuals as partners to help them to build a life that allows Peter or Maria to live life to the fullest that they have the potiential to live it!
- Johnny -
Friday, March 4, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Saying Thank You
It shows that you know that you need others, that you enriched by others and that you need to be connected to others. God made us to belong to Him. We work best when we are in committed to to serve Him as pleases Him and connected in that service to others who, as we, are called according to His purpose!
Revitalization
There is an old Cat Stevens song that comes to mind, " Morning Has Broken". I've long been attracted to analogies between the night- especially the phrase ' The dark night of the soul" and ones about the arrival of the new day.
I was working on a project that was going slowly and that I found myself fretting over- that seemed to be tedious. Yet, I decided that I was tired oi being down, hostile and defeated today and I pushed my way through it and I am most proud of myself for coming up with a 5 to 7 minute report that I expect that I will be proud to deliver!
Revitalization , to me, is another way to say " freshness and newness" . I know it is a choice and I am most pleased that I made that choice today!
- Johnny -
I was working on a project that was going slowly and that I found myself fretting over- that seemed to be tedious. Yet, I decided that I was tired oi being down, hostile and defeated today and I pushed my way through it and I am most proud of myself for coming up with a 5 to 7 minute report that I expect that I will be proud to deliver!
Revitalization , to me, is another way to say " freshness and newness" . I know it is a choice and I am most pleased that I made that choice today!
- Johnny -
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Living within Limits- Sometimes practicality must rule.
I started making my physical exercise regimen more demanding last week. I want to get stronger and be in overall MUCH better physical condition.
I realized now that the "ow" I uttered during one period of exercise was due to severely over straining myself. The limping I've done since then is my 'bill" for NOT stopping when I needed to.
Sanity and Patience will become my watch words when I resume my exercise routine.
I realized now that the "ow" I uttered during one period of exercise was due to severely over straining myself. The limping I've done since then is my 'bill" for NOT stopping when I needed to.
Sanity and Patience will become my watch words when I resume my exercise routine.
Gaining Freedom and The Abilty to Smile more easily through Service!
"I'm tired, I'm annoyed, I don't have what I want and I'm not please with God, My life and any other human being right now!", If this is what you are thinking or feeling then you are likely to have a self-centered, prickly and rather tough day to navigate through.
Many Organizations, Churches and Alcoholic Anonymous certainly being two of them, will offer SERVICE to others to navigate through and beyond such times. Today, I worked on somethings that are connected to a Toastmaster Leadership team that I am a member of. This exercise, preparing myself to work with a team has help to brighten my day and to feel a lot lighter in mood and spirit.
When we serve others, We become a part of a chain that helps make greater blessings available to others. We are also reminded that life is not just about us. Service is a form of liberty, it works best when we willingly choose to invest in it.
- Johnny-
Many Organizations, Churches and Alcoholic Anonymous certainly being two of them, will offer SERVICE to others to navigate through and beyond such times. Today, I worked on somethings that are connected to a Toastmaster Leadership team that I am a member of. This exercise, preparing myself to work with a team has help to brighten my day and to feel a lot lighter in mood and spirit.
When we serve others, We become a part of a chain that helps make greater blessings available to others. We are also reminded that life is not just about us. Service is a form of liberty, it works best when we willingly choose to invest in it.
- Johnny-
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
When you Pray....
I do pray and I believe very much in the power of prayer. I do also believe that I should ask for God to reveal what His will is for me and ask for the power to accept that, be governed by it and ask for the power to live according to what I am directed to do.
I believe it is folly and obnoxious to pray for direction and guidance and then reject it because it doesn't seem comfortable to me or seem like something that I really want to do.That seems like a very childish and me centered form of spirituality.
I think that I need to challenge myself to be real with prayer. If I believein it and think it has power, then I need to pray and to adjust how I live according to the answers that I am provided!
- Johnny -
I believe it is folly and obnoxious to pray for direction and guidance and then reject it because it doesn't seem comfortable to me or seem like something that I really want to do.That seems like a very childish and me centered form of spirituality.
I think that I need to challenge myself to be real with prayer. If I believein it and think it has power, then I need to pray and to adjust how I live according to the answers that I am provided!
- Johnny -
ADD, The Math Class and Playing Center for My Basketball Team- Busted!!??
Adam LaRoche, The First Basemen for The Washington Nationals just MIGHT have made life easier for Principals and Teachers and for more difficult for 9 and 10 year olds.
Laroche, who has been skewered in the past for being inattentive, stated that he expects to play MUCH better in 2011 NOW that he has been diagnosed as having ADD and is being treated for it. SO WHAT, You say, Well, Here is what I find fascinating about this.
10 Year old Sheila has trouble focusing in class, she can't seem to listen to her teacher's instructions and battles mightily to stay on task. The school advises her parents to have her tested for ADD- she is tested and that is what she is diagnosed as being hampered by. Months later, she is working with a special needs teacher as well because the school deems that she needs the EXTRA assistance in order to function well academically.
Yet, On Saturdays the Athletic and agile Sheila plays on a Basketball team. The competition in her league is excellent and played at a rather impressive level for 10 year olds. Shiela concentrates and focus on Basketball for One Hour and 30 minutes anytime she plays a game in her league. She also attends a very intense, demanding and highly structured 90 minute practice one a week.. Arnold Brinkley is her coach. he feels that having Sheila Arkman oh her team is one of the biggest blessings he's had in the 12 years that he as coached basketball.
If you asked him about Ms. Arkman as a Basketball player here is what he'd tell you, "I have never seen a more disciplined, alert and heady basketball player. She watches the court carefully and is always in the game, It is fun to watch her as a Field general as she directs her teammates. She will always tell me what she observes is going on during the game and has made suggestion that has helped me be a more effective in- game," We know that Sheila has ADD and takes medication for it and even with that needs some special ed support to succeed in school. Yet, She is alert, observant, easily able to adjust and follow complex instruction, even when tired in the midst of a highly competitive basketball game.
Tammy Watson is Sheila's 5Th Grade Math Teacher sees Sheila struggle in her class 5 days a week. If you ask her about Sheila , she will tell you, " It is really hard for her to listen to me, she has a difficult time focusing so I try to explain the lesson as carefully and as slowly as I can, Even with that, She struggles to keep up. Brad, The Special Needs Math Assistant, seems to help her be somewhat more effective but still it is a real struggle to keep up.
I think it is fair to say there is a difference between 11 AM Monday through Friday at Ronald Reagan Elementary School and at 11 AM on a Saturday on the basketball court of Hubert Humphrey Middle School. The basketball coach does not have a special coach who keep reexplaining the plays to Sheila. In the Midst of the swirling action of the game, Sheila is able to be intensely focused and aware. She succeeds quite well on the court.
Please note that I am not saying that ADD does not exist. I am also not stating that some people, even on medication, do not find ADD and conditions akin to it, even with medication, difficult to deal with. Yet, I'm asking if ADD has an easy to access on and off switch. Why, in this case, does it seem just about impossible to deactivate during a math class? Why does this ADD seem impossible to activate in the midst of a basketball game?
Are some young people misdiagnosed when it comes to ADD? Are they prescribed medications that that there truly is not a justification for them to take? Do some children/ youth CHOOSE to not cooperate and behave and cooperate with a diagnosis that makes it tougher for them to be held accountable and responsible?
I don't know the proper answer to those questions- but I DO have my suspicions! I do wonder- When it works for me / you/ or someone else to be limited- then I /they have ADD but when it would get in the way and limit me they when I /they do not want to be limited- it doesn't???
- Johnny -
Laroche, who has been skewered in the past for being inattentive, stated that he expects to play MUCH better in 2011 NOW that he has been diagnosed as having ADD and is being treated for it. SO WHAT, You say, Well, Here is what I find fascinating about this.
10 Year old Sheila has trouble focusing in class, she can't seem to listen to her teacher's instructions and battles mightily to stay on task. The school advises her parents to have her tested for ADD- she is tested and that is what she is diagnosed as being hampered by. Months later, she is working with a special needs teacher as well because the school deems that she needs the EXTRA assistance in order to function well academically.
Yet, On Saturdays the Athletic and agile Sheila plays on a Basketball team. The competition in her league is excellent and played at a rather impressive level for 10 year olds. Shiela concentrates and focus on Basketball for One Hour and 30 minutes anytime she plays a game in her league. She also attends a very intense, demanding and highly structured 90 minute practice one a week.. Arnold Brinkley is her coach. he feels that having Sheila Arkman oh her team is one of the biggest blessings he's had in the 12 years that he as coached basketball.
If you asked him about Ms. Arkman as a Basketball player here is what he'd tell you, "I have never seen a more disciplined, alert and heady basketball player. She watches the court carefully and is always in the game, It is fun to watch her as a Field general as she directs her teammates. She will always tell me what she observes is going on during the game and has made suggestion that has helped me be a more effective in- game," We know that Sheila has ADD and takes medication for it and even with that needs some special ed support to succeed in school. Yet, She is alert, observant, easily able to adjust and follow complex instruction, even when tired in the midst of a highly competitive basketball game.
Tammy Watson is Sheila's 5Th Grade Math Teacher sees Sheila struggle in her class 5 days a week. If you ask her about Sheila , she will tell you, " It is really hard for her to listen to me, she has a difficult time focusing so I try to explain the lesson as carefully and as slowly as I can, Even with that, She struggles to keep up. Brad, The Special Needs Math Assistant, seems to help her be somewhat more effective but still it is a real struggle to keep up.
I think it is fair to say there is a difference between 11 AM Monday through Friday at Ronald Reagan Elementary School and at 11 AM on a Saturday on the basketball court of Hubert Humphrey Middle School. The basketball coach does not have a special coach who keep reexplaining the plays to Sheila. In the Midst of the swirling action of the game, Sheila is able to be intensely focused and aware. She succeeds quite well on the court.
Please note that I am not saying that ADD does not exist. I am also not stating that some people, even on medication, do not find ADD and conditions akin to it, even with medication, difficult to deal with. Yet, I'm asking if ADD has an easy to access on and off switch. Why, in this case, does it seem just about impossible to deactivate during a math class? Why does this ADD seem impossible to activate in the midst of a basketball game?
Are some young people misdiagnosed when it comes to ADD? Are they prescribed medications that that there truly is not a justification for them to take? Do some children/ youth CHOOSE to not cooperate and behave and cooperate with a diagnosis that makes it tougher for them to be held accountable and responsible?
I don't know the proper answer to those questions- but I DO have my suspicions! I do wonder- When it works for me / you/ or someone else to be limited- then I /they have ADD but when it would get in the way and limit me they when I /they do not want to be limited- it doesn't???
- Johnny -
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