Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Think of a time when you were told that you were not old enough to do something. How did you feel? Did you feel you had any power, control or say in that decision? Did you agree or disagree with the decision and the reasoning behind it? Why?


When I was younger on certain occasions my parents informed me that I could not or rather should not go about doing certain things I at first felt a tad bit angry however as time passed I soon made the realization that what they had said and what they were doing was for the better of me. I felt (at the time) angry and many times confused as to why I was told to stop. However many times my parents would soon after informed me of their reasoning and logic... as they say logic is undeniable! As you may imply that I quickly followed suit any directives that were given to me this is because as I have sated earlier parents (whether or not the children are aware) are always going to make the best choices for their children. When I children are restricted I believe that it is a natural "instinct" to retaliate however the parent knows what is right for the child to be productive in the long term.















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Monday, October 15, 2012

A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don‘t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.‖ _Rosalynn CarterDaily



You may be asking yourself what this quote means, I mean are leaders not supposed to take their people where the people want to go? This is true however this quote shows that it is easy to make people who are willing to go somewhere go, however it takes real leadership to make a group of people follow you to the end of the earth.  A great leader makes people overcome their darkest most well concealed fears so that they can preform at their best! Occasionally those who are under the leader do to their fear feel that this might not necessarily be the best course of action… However the leader knows in the long run it shall be beneficial for the individual and the group.  Their are many famous examples for instance the great American president FDR did not want to go to war with Germany initially nor did his people however when time called his called the nation to plunge into the great abyss of war that would cost many lives however the result of that war is our free and equal society today. Risk must be made to earn gains....













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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

WHAT I WOULD DO IF I AM MAROONED ON AN ISLAND


While I hope that I never have to be stranded on an island, however if I had the luxury of packing, I would bring with me 3 things with me and they would be as follows:
1:    THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
2:    THE POPE
3:    HOLY WATER


My survival plan would be very simple - on the island with the Pope and the President - I would bow before the Pope and ask for his blessing and then ask the President if his Blackberry had signal - we all hoped it would :-) IF not, well then I would look around for a nice place to sit and relax on the beach (preferably in the shade as we may get into some heated discussions). Once we were all comfortable and relaxed I would have a nice long conversation on various topics with the president including but no limited to: socioeconomic status of the USA, foreign policy of the USA, current political campaign, future outlook for Americas growth, USA reliance on foreign oil, turmoil in the middle east, Arab Spring, etc. I would ask the president all of these questions because it would allow me further insight into the thought process of the most power full man on earth! As soon as the President would finish answering each of the question - I would turn to the Pope and ask for his reverend opinion. These enlightened conversations would enhance my  knowledge also it would expand my horizons (such irony) and enable me to understand and view topics from the mindset of the great leaders.

  I would start a new round of questions by turning my attention to the Pope to whom
 I would also ask a series of questions primarily on some social issues, his view  on the legitimacy of Israel as a nation, how should nations that hate Israel be dealt with etc. I would then ask the Pope and the President some personal question such as: POPE: Is it hard wearing that hat all day? Do you want to live in another place besides the Vatican? OBAMA: Do you really think 4 more years in office will deteriorate your health? What kind of special treatment they wish they didn't have, what are their fears, passions, etc. - all of this while ensuring I am hydrated by drinking the holy water with of course the blessing of the Pope!



 Now you may be asking yourself how this will aid me in being saved? Do remember that all 3 of us are saying the same prayer - to be resued !!.  Just think about it......    IF THE PRESIDENT OF THE USA AND THE POPE WENT MISSING,  THE WHOLE WORLD WOULD BE TRYING TO FIND THEM! I would perhaps have to lay on the beach for one or 2 days before someone’s search party rescues us! Also if no one cares that for either of these important  men( I highly doubt), then I would hope if not mortal men then at least God would intervene. Also I would make sure that I create such a great impression of myself that when we survive and are back to our lives  - in the future - both the Pope and the President would wish me to take over as their successor - so Shaun might end up being the Pope or the President of the United States of America.  What a wonderful outcome from a tragic event. But if all fails and we are not rescued, then I suppose I am guaranteed a ticket to heaven - after drinking so much holy water and dying next to the Pope!! Also I am sure if we die it would make for some great jokes: SO the Pope, the President and Shaun were on an island and...............


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

WHY DO RELIGIONS EXIST?

Perhaps as you sat down to exercise your form of religious worship to god or even watched another person, you probably asked yourself Why do religions exist? This question is a question that many wise and scholarly men have pondered over and tried to answer, as you continue to read this post I shall attempt to the same.......


When one is asking the question "why do religions exist?', one must first have an understanding of what the word religion means.  Merriam Webster says: "The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, esp. a personal God or gods". This essentially states that religion is believing that something other than yourself has control of aspects of your life and the world you live in. 

Another key concept one must understand is that of morality: the concept of good versus bad. Religion is like a contract if you live a good life and do good things something good will happen to you be it in this world, this life or another circumstance. We as a species crave the kind of comfort that religion offers it provides a sort of insurance: This primeval instinct impacts every decision we make subconsciously "if I help that old lady cross the street "god" shall be "pleased with me""and reward me!" We enjoy and crave not only security but also a feeling of appreciation.  This in itself has caused religion to constantly play an important and often deciding role in our history. 
The second reason it has remained relevant is because of its ability to benefit people in all positions of power, some used it as a means to justify actions, others as a way maintain power and even to help a society "progress". For example in almost every conflict between man, from individuals to empires each side just knew that they were fighting the "good fight" and would see victory. At times many leaders used it to desperately quell an unhappy populace by claiming that the misfortunes of the people had nothing to do with him but rather they were the actions of a supernatural being....GOD. 
All this shows that religion has stayed relevant because PEOPLE CHOOSE TO KEEP IT RELEVANT! Religion has many more positive factors that in today's rapidly changing society are being overlooked. 



I hope that I have answered your question however I think that the best way to answer this question  Why do religions exist?  is to sit down and ask yourself - "What would happen if religion did not exist"?  









images from:http://www.scholarixsolution.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Man-Thinking.gif
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