Beliefs

     Trace your opinions back to your basic beliefs of what is true but cannot be proven.  Each person has their own viewpoint based on family upbringing, religious tradition, and personal experience.  When opinions of many people are grouped together, a wide spectrum exists.
     Creationism according to Genesis; the Big Bang theory with or without supernatural cause; laws of nature;  Adam and Eve; evolution of all creatures;  survival of the fittest physically and intellectually who can adapt.
     Revelation recorded in inspired scriptures recording history and creating values, morality, and laws of behavior; various religious scriptures written by human beings including myths, folklore, and preferred behavior in their particular society; groups of people inventing systems of morality for survival of civilization; universal values of right and wrong.
     Contact with God through meditation and prayer; supernatural events and miracles down through history and including today; laws of nature explain events;  plan designed by God for each individual; individual responsibility to design own goals; acceptance of the unknown.
    Trust in own family, culture and religion to have the truth; compare religions for similarities and differences; trust own personal opinion; religion is man-made.
     Where do you fit on the spectrum?  What do you believe?

Satisfied

     When you really appreciate the present moment and for now, don't need anything else, you are satisfied.  Perhaps after a job well-done, a delicious meal, or a close encounter with a loved one or being in the presence of friends and family, you feel your needs have been fulfilled.  Your mind and body can relax and be satisfied.
     When thoughts begin to shift to the future and we start to yearn for something else, we may begin to slip out of contentment.  This may be a positive step toward sustaining and improving our future; however, this can be a negative step toward stress and focusing on what else we want.  If our expectations are too high or unrealistic, we may head for disappointment.
     We can help each other toward contentment and that can be satisfying.  Sometimes out of necessity or ill health, we must depend on others to meet our needs, but we should try to regain independence as soon as possible.  Sometimes, others expect us to aid in their satisfaction, but we must not enable their dependence.
     Many people are not satisfied with their lives on earth and feel they need additional help from the spiritual world.  They may not be satisfied with an independent life well-lived as a creature of the natural world but desire to live forever.  For them, complete satisfaction only occurs after death. 
      We can improve our lives by accepting each moment of reality and increase our ability to roll with the punches which are mostly out of our control.  By calming our fears and gearing our behavior toward doing what is best for ourselves and others, we can sustain contentment.  Try to be satisfied with today and hope for a good tomorrow.  Take responsibility to make your tomorrows as satisfying as possible.  Train your mind to be satisfied.

Suspicion

     A feeling or thought that something is possible, likely, or true or that something or someone is questionable or wrong, suspicion makes us cautious while getting more information and discovering the truth.  When something seems too good or too bad to be true, we need to be suspicious.
     Our former experiences and beliefs can help or hinder our suspicions.  These suspicions can turn out to be true or false.  We can be blinded when we want to believe the best in those we like or want to believe the worst in those we dislike.  Holding on to past beliefs may be preferable to changing our minds.  We can hold on to faulty opinions and not get to the truth.  Even when truth presents itself, we may not want to believe it.
     We may prefer to make snap judgements before all the facts are in.  More reliable decisions require patience and consideration of many points of view.  We can be manipulated to be suspicious by others who have their own agenda.  They may wish to darken the reputation of their opponents. 
     A good detective searches for facts which can lead toward suspicions of a person's guilt or innocence.  Before making judgements, proof needs to be established.  A wise person searches for facts before making decisions about people and beliefs.

Chain of Command

     For a big portion of our lives, we are links in a chain of command. Those in authority at the top have control and give orders to those below.  Parents have authority over children.  Bosses have authority over employees. The military is only as effective as its chain of command. Most religions have their hierarchy of popes, priests, pastors, and parishioners. They all claim to be under the command and control of the highest authority.
     Many people get accustomed to allowing others to have authority over their lives.  They get comfort from someone else being in charge and making the rules.  When they follow the rules, they may believe a reward is in store.  Being independent and taking responsibility to make your own decisions doesn't seem as safe as having a stronger, wiser authority figure.
     A chain only works when all the links are connected.  Some chains, unfortunately, are oppressive and restrictive.  A link who breaks away is made to feel weak, disloyal, and a danger to the perpetuation of the chain.  Sometimes, however, we need to break away to freedom. 
     Don't let others pull your chain.  Design your own chain of events.
       

Freedom

     We live in the land of the free.  If we want to remain free, we need to  allow other citizens to be free.  We can decide to limit our own freedom according to our own values, but we must allow others to do the same.  We cannot expect others to limit their freedom according to our values.  In fact, limiting freedom is not the American way.
     As citizens, we agree to obey basic laws of conduct.  We can decide what is legal and what is illegal.   We can change the laws as we progress and evolve.  This is the democratic way.
     Beware of political candidates who want to limit freedom and impose their value systems onto others.  Keep America free where citizens can form their own value systems, choose their own mates, and plan their own families.

From the Inside Out

     Thoughts originate in us in two ways: from the inside and from the outside.  A baby feels hunger, cries out, tastes milk, fills up the stomach, and learns that milk is satisfying.  Instincts propel the baby to crawl, walk, and talk.  The baby is using its own brain, learning and thinking from the inside.
     The young child learns to trust its parents and absorbs their thinking from the outside.  Teachers, pastors, and other "experts" also introduce thoughts from the outside.  Societies, religions, and governments depend on people to accept their thinking and opinions.  Often, people are discouraged to think beyond what the "experts" have decided.  People are seldom encouraged to think for themselves and have confidence in their own brain power.  We get the message that going against authority figures is disloyal.  We  should tow the line, follow the leader, and not rock the boat.  Often, our individuality is not valued.  All of this thinking comes from the outside into ourselves.
     Of course, we still need the helpful thinking coming into us from the outside, but we need to be able to decide what to absorb and what to discount.  We have the instincts and capabilities we were born with, but we need to mature.  To reach our potential, we need to realize that we are the experts of our own brain and that our thinking is as valuable as anyone's.  We need to gain confidence in what is inside us.  When we trust ourselves, we can share what we think to others, from the inside out.
 

Debates

     Over 2000 years ago, Aristotle proposed three basic ways to persuade others to agree with you: ethos (character of the speaker), pathos (emotional appeal), and logos (logical reasoning.)  Recently, journalists have been giving advice on how to win political debates.  We can translate these ideas into improving our own conversations, speeches, and written opinions.
     Huffpost Politics: Say something distinctive.  Define yourself succinctly.  Be presidential.
     The Wall Street Journal: Convey in word, tone, and demeanor - two or three points for viewers to remember - and a little humor helps.  Appearing confident, comfortable, reassuring, and knowledgeable can be every bit as important as saying the right thing.  Viewers are looking for a real person, not a performer.
     Effective debaters need to understand their audience, show concern for them, and gain their trust.  Speakers and writers need to sound sensible and logical when presenting their opinions.  Showing the right amount of emotion and even humor can help promote a point of view.
     When you watch political debates, notice what the candidates say and how they say it.  You can use these techniques when presenting your own ideas.

        

August News

     Some kids have another month of vacation while others head back to school the first week of August.  Older students are getting ready to leave home to begin or continue college.
     Not all countries have this extended summer vacation but view education as a year-round pursuit.  Some American parents are beginning to wonder if long school breaks are the best use of time.  Many educators witness how some students need to spend the first weeks of school relearning what they forgot over summer vacation.
     So what to do with the days before school takes up besides shopping for clothes and school supplies?  Encourage play, curiosity, imagination, and creativity.  Provide experiences with other people and places.  Have children volunteer or get a part-time job to help with expenses and get a taste of the adult world.  Promote reading and writing.  Get prepared for the school schedule, going to bed and waking up earlier and eating a good breakfast. 
     We all need a break from the stress and routine of our typical schedules.  Finish the summer vacation ready to go back to school and work, refreshed to continue developing our minds and talents.