Tag Archives: Human

Thought of the day 4-16-2013

Change starts within yourself, if you can not make the change within yourself then you have little hope of inspiring it in others. When change manifests itself within you it tends to show, others see the change and some will follow by your example. Others may only be inspired to seek change within themselves and then the chain reaction begins. Most change comes slowly and sometimes it is very hard to recognize but in time its fruits will come to bear.

 Change comes from within and flows outward just like love and serenity.

Ray Barbier

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Too busy or too blind

SN_arrowThe writing is on the wall, but we all are too busy or too blind to see. The truth is right in front of us and it is the only thing that can set us free. Too little time we allow for our souls and minds to expand and grow. We seek out the answers but we can not let go of what we already know. If a cup is full then there is no room for more tea to be poured within. We must empty our cup so that our journey can truly begin.

For any change to come about in your life, you have to let go of your preconceptions and forget about your past.

Ray Barbier

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Some really Random thoughts :-)

003Live life with joy, worry not about things you can not change. Live not in the past for it only makes you miss things in the present. Life not in the future for it makes you lose sight of what matters now. Worry not about trying to change the one you love for the only one you can change is yourself. Love the one your with unconditionally and try to be the person you wish they would be. For we lead by example and tend to receive the same as we give in a relationship. Learn to forgive the one you love and your own self for we are all human and therefore we all make mistakes and poor decisions at times. Stop looking at the grass on the other side of the fence, usually it is full of crab grass. Mind you own lawn and tend it well, then you will have the greenest grass. Love relationships – Some assembly required and a lot of work is necessary. Celebrate life each day and stop worrying about death for life is what matters. Forgive and forget for the only one who is hurt by carry a grudge is the one who bears its weight. Judge not others and if you must then do it with great compassion for how you judge others is how you will be judged as well. Stop worrying over getting the newest and the fastest and learn to appreciate that you already have. Think twice before speaking and three times before acting upon your thoughts, for there is reward in being thoughtful and cautious. Do not think yourself as better or lesser than another human being for we all are born in the same way, we all strive to be happy and have potential to be more than we can imagine. Do not fall to greed for material wealth may make life seem easier but all your possessions and money are nothing compared to friendship, fellowship, family and love. A poor person can love, be loved, be happy and make a difference in this world just as well as someone who is rich.

What makes a good person good is not possessions, wealth or popularity, it is what is in their heart and how they treat others.

Ray Barbier

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How we influence the world around us.

062 The words you speak and the actions you take are the things which you will be remembered for when you are gone. All the good intentions in your heart can not be fruitful unless they become action or words. Words can sway the hearts of those around you and actions can be the proof of your heartfelt words you speak. Change comes from within yourself and then it begins affecting all of those who you connect with. In life we are forever learning and changing as we strive towards what we see as a better way to live. We are influenced by the company we keep and we influence them as well. How we influence and/or affect others is all up to how we choose to behave, believe and interact with the world around us.

We should try to live a good life, treat others with kindness and compassion and be an example for others to follow. Each one of us are responsible for our actions, words and how we influence the world around us. We should keep that fact in mind as we walk our path in life, for we do have a price to pay for our freewill. To be humble, kind, compassionate and full of patience is the best way to travel the path of life we walk. For too much emphasis on the self leaves one open to the possibility of vanity, selfishness and greed. Such things eventually consume the person whom embraces them and it usually leads to a lonely life.

We should never be critical towards anyone for their choice of how they wish to live and interact with the world because they are simply exercising their right to freewill. Madmen in places of power whom bring suffering to the masses put their own lives at risk and are subject to the dangers of warfare and assassination. It is far wiser to be a leader who is just, kind and compassionate towards his people. For a king who is loved by his people is a king who will rule in peace and a ruler who will be blessed for his kindness.

 Maybe if everyone thought about how they affect others as well as themselves before they speak and take action, the world may become a better place to live in. If more put the welfare of others above their own wants and desires, the less we would see people in need.

Ray Barbier

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For those who are special to us in life.

MP900399738Have you told  your wife, husband, lover, family, friends how much you care about them today? Have you been taking those who are important to you for granted and forgetting they need to hear and/or see how much they mean to you? Just think at any given time sickness, disaster or some uncontrollable circumstance can take one of them away from you or you from them. Life is such an easy thing to lose and is such a wonderful thing to have and / or share with others. We must remember those god blessed us with in our life can be taken away at any given time so we should thank God for them and show them how grateful we are for them being in our lives.

Be it an email, phone call or letter by post, we just need to keep in touch with those in our lives and remind them how special they are. Life is short for all of us and therefore we should cherish every moment of it with those who are special to us. We should forgive easily, anger slowly and remember we all are imperfect human beings as well. We shouldn’t be afraid to show our love for those who are special to us in life.

 Be they friends, lovers or family, those who are special to us are forever within our minds and hearts.

Ray Barbier

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution By license.

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We would find ourselves living in a better world.

PEACE!

Regardless of our religion, nationality or political views we have been brought up on we all as human beings desire to make a better tomorrow for the children of this world. Only if we can get around all the prejudice, pride and greed of this world we could create a better world for all to live in.  Only if we could defeat fear and learn tolerance for the differences between us all. Only if we could see what is really important in this world, The children are our hope and our future. Why can’t we just accept and love one another unconditionally, why does our differences in religion, color or nationality make any difference in our ability to be friends?

Respect for our fellow humans and the compassion to accept others is what we must learn to have. If our world is ever to achieve peace and  continue to survive , we need to let go of the mistrust and the fear .  Just think if we spent half the money we do on defense on feeding, housing the less fortunate or investing it in furthering green technologies we would find ourselves living in a better world. Acts of kindness, compassion and acts of love can create a positive change in our world. There may be no profit in being kindhearted, compassionate or charitable, but it helps create us a better world to live in. Though I am not a supporter of a one world government I do support the idea of  global co-operation.

We all have to live in this world, we all should be civilized enough to do so in peace and be compassionate enough to co-operate to create a better world for us and the future generations to live in.

Ray Barbier

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution By license.

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Be thankful for your blessings and gifts

03.365 (02.08.2009) Faith

Why do we tend to judge others who are either different from us or those we consider a threat ? It seems we like to judge those we inherently fear, fear leads us to judging harshly and to wish ill will on those we don’t understand or feel are some kind of threat to ourselves. I guess it is some kind of built in psychological defense mechanism in most humans. I have caught myself falling to the fear a many of times in my life though as I grow older I am learning there is nothing to fear but fear itself is a phrase that rings true.  Fear kills imagination, compassion, understanding and keeps one from having a sound mind. Fear causes confusion and makes it almost impossible to make decisions logically and/or correctly. It keeps us from loving others unconditionally and makes it near to impossible to forgive others as well. Fear is the seed for many emotions and feelings that are harmful to your health and that can hinder ones happiness. Paranoia, anger and depression are some of the fruits of fear, They are great destroyers of ones sound mind and they truly are suppressors of happiness.

The real challenge is learning to master fear and avoid letting fear become your master. Faith in God, Faith in yourself and accepting you do not have control over every aspect of your life helps in keeping fear at bay. Meditation is a good way to focus the mind and keep it calm enough to face fear down and put it back in its place. Prayer is very good at strengthening ones resolve against fear for it helps fuel the faith within you and faith is one of the biggest destroyers of fear. Hope which is faiths greatest partner also is good at repelling fear and gives one the power to continue forward on the path of life. God doesn’t want his children to live their lives in fear, He gave us power, a spirit of hope and a sound mind. Fear was put in humans to give them a chance of survival during times of threat. Fight or flight response is what fear was meant to be, not a constant companion of a person through every day of their lives. A flash in the pan when needed and then it fades quickly so we can continue living. Fear also is meant as a reminder to not repeat mistakes that were painful or that caused bodily harm. Once you burn yourself with a open flame you get a tiny piece of fear embedded in your brain to remind you not to allow an open flame to touch your body again. This kind of fear is a helpful fear but it isn’t one that is present all the time, it only comes out when you are faced with an open flame.

Sometimes our logical mind overrides fear when it sees the fear is unwarranted or is a roadblock to something that we desire or truly need. Well that means we can train our minds to override fear when we choose for it to do so. This is what is considered mastering fear and when we allow fear to run unchecked we allow fear to be our master. Through faith, hope and prayer we can take control of our fear and be freed from its grips through the grace and will of God. God gave us the power to overcome fear and many other enemies of happiness and of our faith. Prayer helps us unlock that power through faith in God and the blessings he has given us. Man has a power that can do almost anything and that power was a gift from God, we must always remember where our gifts and blessings originate from. Our tendency to be arrogant and believe all we can do comes from our own self is one of our greatest downfalls. God gave us life and all that we have and will have within that life. This includes any of the many abilities we have within our life and all of the achievements we are blessed to have. Be thankful for your blessings and gifts and always praise the one true source God for all of them.

God is the source of all that we have, have done, will do and will obtain in the future. He gave us power, a spirit of hope and a sound mind. He even gave us his only begotten son so that we can be forgiven and have a chance at being with him in heaven.

Ray Barbier

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My Mother once told me, My Dad taught me

The Transfiguration Lodovico Carracci 1594

My Dad taught me to love everybody without judging them, he taught me that even if someone is a sinner or is different that they too are human and deserve love as well as respect. I may not agree with the choices a lot of my friends make but I still love them for the beautiful people they are inside. God is the only judge far as I am concerned and no man or woman has a right to judge another. This is not referring to the court system for we do need law and order or the strong would prey on the weak.  I have learned on my own that being a man is not being macho or being in control, to be a man is to be kind, compassionate and to try to live a respectful life. Forgiveness is another thing I give easily but sometimes it is easy to forgive but hard to forget. Usually it is my own mistakes I have a hard time forgetting but that’s where Letting Go and Letting God comes into play once again.  God gave me not a spirit of fear, though I fight the fear the world taught me. God gave me the power and a sound mind and I try to remind myself of that daily.

May you forgive an forget, may you let go and let God.
May you embrace the spirit of power and of sound mind god gave you.
Raymond Barbier

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Be passionate in life and compassionate in heart

antique_keyTwo of the many Keys to living a happy life is both passion and compassion. The kind of passion I am referring to is the passion for life and or being passionate in everything you do. With out passion to drive us forward in life we would become quite stagnant spiritually and psychologically. Then there is good old compassion, the virtue of empathy and sympathy for others. To care for your fellow human beings and offer them a hand up in life. The main goal of being compassionate to others is to help others through a crises or help them up from their present condition to a better one. The difference between compassion and being charitable is being charitable is the giving of money or goods only when showing compassion would do both the giving and teaching the one in need how to either avoid the same situation or how to elevate themselves out of the hole they are in. To feed the hungry is good, but to teach them how to grow their own food and or help them find a source of income in order to feed themselves is much better. First treat the symptoms (lack of food, housing, clothing etc.) then fix the cause (lack of adequate income) so the symptoms will not return. Be passionately compassionate and treat not only the symptoms but cure the disease / cause.

 

Well that is all for today,

So may you be passionate in life and compassionate in heart.

Raymond Barbier

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You don’t have to agree with each other

010

  living life with a self-imposed moral code within our thoughts and  actions. To live by what you perceive as right and wrong along with finding compassion for both yourself and others. Principles taught  by philosophers, religions and visionaries through out mankind’s existence. Why does it seem such great ideals seem to be lost or ignored by those who are either in power or that have the greatest capacity to change the world we live in? Why is it such things as honor and compassion seem to be things of occasional use than the daily practice of all human beings? Why does it seem that religion has started more wars than it has saved lives or helped the needy? Most religion teaches us to have compassion and to help out our fellow humans as well as to do what is right and what to avoid as far as the wrong. but yet too many wars have been fought over Holy landmarks and over which is the one true religion. So sad that mankind can take the scripture of any religion and find in it a reason to kill other humans. Anger, greed and intolerance are not what most religions teach yet this is what some of the followers seem to think it is about. All of mankind are brothers and sisters and we all live on the same small planet called earth. I can not see why we can not just get along and work together for a better world instead of fighting over religion, natural resources and for the sake of national pride.

Personally I could care less what religion another human being choses for that is their god given right to do so. Nor do I worry over Holy landmarks or icons for the whole world is a creation of god so therefore all of it is Holy in its creation and existence. I do understand though why others may find significance in holy places and that in itself isn’t a problem. It is when certain holy landmarks are claimed by multiple religions it tends to cause problems. I never could see why that each religion couldn’t just share the holy places. Respect each other and the beliefs that they choose and in turn they should respect you and yours the same. But this is not an ideal world and religious leaders are not perfect in any means so they will always will have their problems till the end of time. Though that isn’t necessarily the only choice they have but it is the only one they seem to want to choose.

The good news is that as individuals we have not only the right but the ability to choose a more peaceful and more tolerant way of coexisting with others in this world. We don’t have to fall to anger,greed, intolerance or prejudice. We can choose to love one another regardless of flaws, faults or our differences. The choice is ours and no one can make the choice for us. No government, religious leader or military force can change the minds of others. They can only force you to hide your true beliefs as well as pretend to believe as they do. For war and conflict they are not the right way to change the world, it is done through compassionate actions and through wisdom being taught. Though change sometimes takes a long time to come it always will but usually through the minds and hearts of the people more so than through the sword.

  To be clear there are times the sword may be the only choice but it should always be the last choice in a do or die situation. All other avenues should be exhausted before such a terrible thing as war or conflict should be considered. I myself would never seek out any type of negative action such as war or to kill another human being, I find taking the lives of others into my hands as such is to play as if I am god and that is definitely not an option for me. I am a mere human being and I try to do what I see as good for both myself and all other living creatures on this planet. Having my own faults I don’t always succeed in making the right choices but I put my best effort in trying to avoid hurting others when I make choices. Sometimes it is unavoidable and I usually suffer from a conscience that will not allow me to forget.

Live by the moral code of your choosing and avoid causing suffering of any kind while you walk the path of life. If you must be judgmental try to judge kindly for you are judged by the way you judge others. Learn to forgive both yourself and others for the shortcomings we all seem to bear. Treat others with kindness for it is the right thing to do and it also may be returned to you when you are in need. Be slow to anger and quick to cool down, for anger is the path to destruction. And always remember you don’t have to agree with each other, you just have to respect each others right to believe as they wish.

Well that’s enough of this fools thoughts for today.
Peace and wisdom guide your hearts.
Raymond Barbier

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