Why is it we base our self image and self worth on the opinions of others ad not on our own? Why does the opinions of others count more than our own? Well they don’t, our opinion and theirs is actually equal in the grand scheme but when it comes to self image and worth our opinion is the one that matters. It doesn’t matter what others think of you as long as you are happy with who and what you are. Every one of us tend to look at our flaws both physical and personality wise more so than our good traits. This seems to be associated with our desire to belong and to be like the people we are around. The secret is even the most confident and the extremely good looking person sees flaws in both their body and in their personality.
We focus too much on the superficial exterior beauty of our bodies and the illusion of being popular and or charismatic. When in fact we all have the same potential and the same feelings inside as each other. We let other peoples opinions and ideals of what beauty and popularity should be that we miss the truth. Each one of us is beautiful and each of us are unique and special. The way we look and or the financial status we hold has nothing to do with our true potential and our true self. There are those who go out of there way to bring torment and chaos to others so to give them the illusion of being above those they torment. If they succeed in making someone look lower than them they can live in the illusion of being better and above. Usually this will backfire in the end and they will find themselves alone and depressed. Beware of those kind of people they are so sad and angry inside they rarely escape the vicious cycle they have started.
Then there is the people out there that take blame for everything that happens to them and those around them without just cause or reason. They have so little self worth and self esteem they blame themselves for everything because they don’t think they deserve any better. Usually this type of person has the kindest of hearts and has been abused emotionally to the point they have no self-esteem. They usually pull themselves out of this in time but a few hold on to it through their life. They need to embrace who they are and love the kindness and compassion they have deep within.
We are all born equal and we all die equal, thus its common sense that we all are equal in life as well. The illusions of beauty, social status and popularity is a creation of the worlds mindset. The power that some seem to have over others is an illusion propagated by both the one with the so called power and those he controls. It takes the belief in something to make it a reality, even illusions have strength in reality if enough people believe in it. This is how cults grow and gain power over its followers. No matter what one says, you have the power and the ability to do almost anything you desire and no one but you can make you happy or content.
See yourself as the person you really are and make the choices to make that person who you want it to be not that others want. Find happiness in who you are and who you will become. Embrace the power of freewill god has given you and use it to make yourself what you see as the ideal you. Once you do, you will see how many will love you as who you are and how those that don’t will not matter to you or your life.
Well enough Rambling for now
Ray Barbier.
July 27th, 2010
Posted by
rbarbier1967 |
Random Thoughts |
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There are times in our lives where we feel worn down and alone in the world. Like all is lost and hope is nowhere to be found. The despair we feel is brought on by our belief we have no control over the situation we are in. Though dark clouds fill our skies there is still sunshine above those clouds trying to get through. In times like these we are our own worst enemy because we seem to embrace the depression and hold on to the pain because we lost all hope. The only way we can save ourselves from such despair is to embrace hope and have faith while facing the darkness and reaching for the sun.
Faith is a great healer and a great champion of God, He gave us faith as a way to overcome the darkness in this world and to give us strength to face our own weaknesses. I believe he has given us the ability to rise above and to face head on almost any situation that can arise in life if we keep faith in him and in our own selves. Hope, faith, charity, compassion and love are the keys to a happier life. Every night is blessed for you have made it through another day. Every morning is blessed because you live yet another day to try and be a better person and to find happiness.
A good thing is everything has its time and then must pass, so any depression , sadness or suffering you may be facing will have to pass in time. How fast it will pass is up to how much you either embrace it or how hard you fight against it. The more you fight against it the quicker it will fade. Just like when we were children and bad things would happen, we would deal with it and have sorrow but then move on quickly to the next day leaving it behind us. When we were children we lived for the day and not in the past or for the future. We truly lived life how it was meant to be back then. No sorrow, anger or despair would follow us longer than a few days and then we would move on with life.
It seems as we grow older we become obsessed with the past and fearful of the future to the point we forget to live here in the now. All the mistakes we made in the past seem more important than the grace of having life today. The future we fear because we know not what it may contain for us. We can not change the past so we should forgive our mistakes of the days gone by and embrace the wisdom we have gained from the experiences we had. We can not see what may come in the future but we have the power to mold the future by the choices we make in the present. So fear not the future and make the choices that can make you a brighter one.
Carpe Diem – Seize the Moment and live here in the present. Be yourself and enjoy the day given to you to live. Waste not one minute of your day with worry or regret!
Peace
R. Barbier
July 27th, 2010
Posted by
rbarbier1967 |
Random Thoughts |
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Global warming seems to be a very complicated issue now days, One scientists will say that man is to blame, one will say that its caused by external forces and the natural warming trend while one scientist will say its all hogwash. I think the scientists think the average Joe is not smart enough to figure it all out on his own. Any person can figure out if you keep pumping smoke and toxic chemicals into the atmosphere and pollute the water sources that eventually there will be some hell to pay. Deforestation and greenhouse gases are changing the ecosphere and there is no way any scientist can deny that. Of course they can spit out different percentiles of mankind’s contribution to this problem from one extreme to the other. The scientists arguments I hear now days on the news and on other programs about global warming kind of reminds me of the scientists that once said tobacco products were not addictive or harmful. Of course these were cigarette company paid scientists and that may have influenced those scientists findings.
Global warming is a fact and that mankind is playing a role in it is also a fact. The percentage we contribute both directly and indirectly really doesn’t matter. What matters is the fact we are influencing our environment in a defiantly negative way. We need to make changes to how we do things and how we see our home planet earth. The changes will have to be both sustainable and reasonably executed. To stop using coal as a source of energy may have to become a reality just not overnight. We need to phase out the environmentally damaging industries and make sure we build more eco-friendly alternatives at the same time to keep people in work and the lights on per se.
Sometimes people do not see the economical damage that a swift shutdown of all environmentally harmful industries could be. We need to be responsible in the change over as much as we need to be in finding feasible solutions to the current problems at hand. To replace the coal power plants with wind, hydro and solar power plants before shutting them down and make sure the green jobs get placed in the coal mining areas to give coal miners jobs as the mines close down is the responsible approach we should choose.
Coal is not the only fuel source we need to eventually leave behind us, the oil based fossil fuels are also on the list to be dumped eventually as technology allows. Some alternatives such as bio diesel , hydrogen, propane and electric powered vehicles are yet to be perfected but are getting closer each year. Once again this will bring some economical heart ships if we do not do the switch over responsibly. There is always the working man to think about when we make drastic changes in industry and energy. Oil will not be a easy change over since allot of oils byproducts are a part of almost every industry due to plastics, chemicals and even aspirin.
Plastics can be made from plants but far as how versatile the plant based plastics are I myself am not sure as of this post. I do know sun chips is using plant based plastics in their chip bags and besides the noise factor they seem to be just as good as regular plastic based bags. All I know is there should be allot of thought put into the subject of global warming and green technologies.
Well That’s my 2 cents worth anyway.
Peace
July 26th, 2010
Posted by
rbarbier1967 |
Green Issues, World Issues and My Opinions |
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Responsibility, the one thing most of us either avoid or try to deflect to others. For every action you take and every thought you have had you are solely responsible for any outcome and or result from said actions and thoughts. Each person has free will and therefore must be responsible for the choices they make. Being responsible is to accept the blame and the credit for what you have done and for the results from your actions. If you go through life blaming others for your own mistakes you will never learn to overcome the faults within yourself.
To be responsible for your actions and thoughts is not to beat yourself up over past mistakes, it is to recognize that you have made those mistakes and to try and learn from the experience. It also means you should try and make up for those mistakes if not repair some of the damage caused by them. Once you have accepted responsibility and did what you could to make amends for your mistakes then it is time to forgive yourself for the mistakes made and remember them so not to repeat them.
We also can be responsible for things when we chose not to act, because when you choose not to act you also are taking an action by ignoring the problem at hand. We are also responsible for any influence we have on the actions others may do, So the words you speak and the words you write can influence others. Just remember to think before you speak or write and you should not have any worries about being a negative influence.
All of this is not to be seen as an attempt to make anyone feel guilty, This is more to try and get those who read it to think about their actions, thoughts and words. If only the companies,press/media and the governments of this world would take responsibility for their own words, thoughts and actions then maybe we would be able to live in a better world than we do now.
July 22nd, 2010
Posted by
rbarbier1967 |
Writings & Poetry |
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A good and healthier way to reduce your carbon footprint is to grow your own organic foods in a garden / orchard. The food you grow yourself will taste better and will not require the fuel to transport it or the fuels used to make the pesticides. Being organic it will not have the poisonous pesticides on and in them and will be higher in nutrition due to the fact of the soil wasn’t depleted of nutrients from over farming. A simple garden requires a bit of work but is quite worth it and
if you can your own vegetables and fruits you can keep from having to buy much produce.
When you are forced to buy produce due to the inability to grow a vegetable or fruit due to climate or other factors then try to buy them as organic and when in season. Buying them in season and from as local as a source as you can will reduce the fuels required to transport them. The organic choice is not only healthier but due to the fact no pesticides are used reduces the fuels used in creating and transporting the pesticides.
Here are a few good articles on Gardening
Vegetables Gardening – Profiles, Growing Tips and Ideas – About.com
How to Prepare an Organic Vegetable Garden – ehow.com
Here are a few good articles on Home Canning/freezing etc.
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2009 revision
All About Home Canning*, Freezing and Making Jams and Jellies
Example Video from YouTube
July 13th, 2010
Posted by
rbarbier1967 |
Green Issues |
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Check out this article on Seattle Times, it shows how to reduce your carbon footprint.
Excerpt: “ From the street, the house looks like any other in this quiet North Seattle neighborhood. But something different is going on here.The trash container at the curb is not much bigger than a shoebox. And inside the house, at 7:15 on a weekday morning, all the lights are off. It’s not because no one’s home “
Click link below to read full article
Local News | Simple steps reduce carbon footprints | Seattle Times Newspaper
July 13th, 2010
Posted by
rbarbier1967 |
Green Issues |
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Common Sense tells us our garbage and the burning of any fossil fuel creates a toxic environment for both mankind and our fellow inhabitants of earth. Our wasteful and somewhat lazy lifestyle is effecting not only our environment but also our lifespan. Pharmacology can only slow the decline of our health and the mortality rate. The morbid truth is Mankind’s choices and actions is leading to the extinction of both himself and his fellow creatures. The good news is that though it’s late in the game we can make choices and changes that could slow down if not reverse the damage we cause. Simple things like using a water filter versus buying water in plastic bottles or use plant based plastics like the popular snack Sun Chips has done.
Even something as easy as changing your old standard light bulbs for the newer florescent type can save enough energy to reduce some of the carbon footprint made by power plants. Every single one of us are responsible for the upkeep and wellbeing of this planet we live on. Though a little more expensive glass is a far better container for soft drinks and other beverages, also glass is quite recyclable and isn’t as bad for the environment. Though Styrofoam is far better in its thermal properties versus paper, but Styrofoam is far worse for the environment. Even though paper plates and cups do impact trees if we replant what we cut down and recycle what we use it would have a smaller impact on the environment. Using real dishes is the ideal solution but then who wants to take real dishes to a picnic?
There is so many ways to make changes in our lifestyles to help preserve and repair our home called earth. So I leave it up to you to find the better ways and get the news out there. If you know of any ideas to help others make a positive impact on the environment feel free to leave a comment.
Peace
July 13th, 2010
Posted by
rbarbier1967 |
Green Issues, World Issues and My Opinions |
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Being humble is a very blissful and selfless way of life. Most people find trying to be humble quite hard due to the fact of the selfishness we all suffer within. To Be humble one must not be arrogant or assertive, you must accept the fact we all are equal and not divided by any type of class system. For example. a rich person may have more money than you but they are no higher or lower than you in reality it is you own perspective that makes them above or below you nothing else. The modern world seems to be hooked on labels and driven by the division between the illusion of one being above or below another. This world also seems to buy into the illusion that ones worth is based on wealth and or ones outward appearance. Money has its place in our modern world and that is to replace the bartering system so people are able to obtain food and goods for survival and existence. Money is not the root of all evil as many say it is just a means for both good and evil to flourish. The reason being humble is a good practice it gets you to see that we all are born from a mother and we all will return to the earth physically in the end. Thus no man is above nor below another even though the illusions that being rich,famous or powerful make you think your better or above others but in the end you will pass on like the poor and the less known.
Now this is not to say that there are people who are quicker to learn or excel beyond the norm in one thing or another, it is to say that everyone is equal when you look at it from a whole. The individuality and differences between us is what makes us a unique and creative species. One person may be an exceptional painter when another may be a mathematical genius. But each and every one of us has the capacity to learn anything we desire to learn and achieve in what we desire, just some will excel is one thing faster than another. This leads me to the point I believe education should be available for everyone and affordable for all social classes. Some of the greatest minds of mankind came from lower income families and to deny anyone from furthering their education by making it unaffordable is wrong and it would effect mankind in a very negative way.
Enough Ranting for now
Peace.
July 12th, 2010
Posted by
rbarbier1967 |
World Issues and My Opinions |
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