Choose your own path to follow

You have only one life to live in this time and in this space.
What you say and do is what counts in the life we face.
Trials of our heart and tests of our will we must face along the path we chose.
We must be true to ourselves and reap our rewards as well as pay our dues.
We are responsible for our own lives and those lives we have influenced along the way.
Life as short as it is we must make the most of each moment and always seize the day.
Follow the golden rule and treat others with kindness and respect the rights of others.
Regardless of ones race, religion and nationality we all are spiritual sisters and brothers.
Cast off your fear and embrace the truth that is within your heart as well as your mind.
Open your eyes to the world that is around you and you might be surprised what you may find.
Awaken from the deep sleep your mind and heart is in to live life to the fullest everyday.
Be who you truly are and walk a path of understanding and embrace the truth in every way.
Choose your own path to follow and be the person you want to be.
Know thyself and be true to your feelings and let your mind be free.

ok, enough babbling for now
Peace, Raymond Barbier

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Algae, A health food, possible fuel source?

Algae, A health food, possible fuel source? The many possibilities for algae are yet discovered. A DHA supplement from algal oil had been used in a research project by Kaiser Permanente and have found 1000 mg of algal oil can reduce triglycerides more effectively than a fish oil supplement.

Excerpt from dha-in-mind.com

“DHA alone can lower triglycerides, says study

07/02/2007 - A study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition concluded that the American Heart Association's recommended cardio protective dose of omega-3 fatty acids can lower triglycerides in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) - whether the lipids come in the form of DHA combined with EPA or just DHA alone.

The study, conducted through Kaiser Permanente Colorado, involved 116 patients with coronary artery disease and triglycerides greater than 200 mg/dL, approximately 90 percent of whom were on statin drugs.  The groups of participants were supplemented DHA alone, or DHA combined with EPA.“

For Full Article Visit :http://www.dha-in-mind.com/omega-3%20dha%20in%20the%20news.aspx?newsid372=9&DHA-alone-can-lower-triglycerides-says-study

Several Energy companies and government agencies have been studying the possibilities of making Algae fuel.

Excerpt from Wikipedia

“ Algae fuel is an alternative to fossil fuel and uses algae as its source of natural deposits. Several companies and government agencies are funding efforts to reduce capital and operating costs and make algae fuel production commercially viable.^[1] The production of biofuels from algae does not reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), because any CO₂ taken out of the atmosphere by the algae is returned when the biofuels are burned. They do however potentially reduce the introduction of new CO₂ by displacing fossil hydrocarbon fuels.

High oil prices, competing demands between foods and other biofuel sources, and the world food crisis, have ignited interest in algaculture (farming algae) for making vegetable oil, biodiesel, bioethanol, biogasoline, biomethanol, biobutanol and other biofuels, using land that is not suitable for agriculture.”

For full Wikipedia article visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algae_fuel

So what other wonders will algae have in store for us in the future? Algae is being used as fertilizer, a nutrient source and for pollution control already. It is a very useful and versatile plant and I expect many more uses will be discovered in the near future.

 

Well Enough of my babling for now.
Peace to all
Raymond Barbier

Kindness and the last straw

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that either make or break your day. A smile from a child, a mean look from a boss or even just a friendly hello. I guess its kind of like the straw that broke the camels back, If you are loaded to your maximum and someone adds to it it can ruin your day or if they lighten the load by one straw it can make your day easier. So the next time you see someone struggling through their day try not to add another ounce to their load for it may be the last straw they can handle and if possible help share the load or at least lighten it with kind words or actions. That person who is overloaded and struggling may be you tomorrow.

Just a quick thought.
Peace and Wisdom Be yours
R. Barbier

One person could start a change in the world

Most people would like to change the world in one way or another. The only way to enact change on a large scale one must start with their own selves and start a chain reaction.To change the world we live in is really to change the opinions and beliefs of those who live in it. How can one person get everyone to change their opinions and beliefs? Well One person is all it takes to start a chain reaction of change, look at the 60’s in America how just a few spawned the hippie movement. Look how cults form under the ideas of one person and grow to become large communities such as Waco Texas and the Jim Jones  following. Though these may be negative examples of change , they prove that just one or a few can influence the many.

In a Technological information age as ours the power of one voice can influence a world of people in just seconds if not minutes. Television, Radio and internet are great tools to educate and get your message out to the public. Through these mediums you can either influence others for the good or the bad. Even with such great tools at ones fingertips you must be a leader and be one who leads by example to get others to acknowledge your ideas and philosophy. So start the change in yourself, show others the results and live by your philosophies / beliefs. As the old saying goes the proof is in the pudding, if you cant live by what you preach no one will believe or accept your ideals.

I mean would you follow a man who preaches love and peace while he murders people in the name of his philosophy or religion? Or would you stay at a church where its preacher who breaks every commandment while proclaiming he is either pure or innocent? I wouldn’t follow or believe in either of them, if you can not live by your beliefs and try to follow the rules of your philosophy then why should anyone else. This of course is not saying any preacher or leader will never fall or fail at times for we are all human and prone to make mistakes. With ones actions and freewill is a price we all must pay. The price is responsibility of our own actions and or choices we make. Even the words we speak are our responsibility, for if you mislead someone to their harm or to their disgrace you are responsible for that harm or disgrace.

So one person could start a change in the world and the world could change by the actions and words of one person. One person can change themselves and by doing so influence the change in others around them.

Enough of my Babble and Ramble Thoughts.

Peace and Wisdom be the Prize you seek
Raymond Barbier.

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A Fish Bowl Universe

Sometimes I get caught up in my little fish bowl of a universe and forget there are countless other little fish bowls out there that make up the ocean of life. It is so easy to focus only on your little world and be unaware of all the things that surround you. We are all like little boats floating in a vast sea of time all connected by the common thread of life. We see ourselves as individual and separate from the other boats floating around us, but we are all connected and effect each other in many various ways. Every action we take can effect the world around us along with the people in it.

This is the main reasons most religions try to teach compassion, Love, charity and understanding. For if we learn to live by those principles we will effect others in a positive way. Also if you treat someone with respect and show them compassion it is more than likely they too will treat others including yourself with the same. Of course there are exceptions to the rule and may be those who will never have or show compassion for themselves or others. Those people will never find any happiness or peace in their lifetime. Even to those type of people you should be understanding and be compassionate for that person could have been you at one time in your life.

I try to look at lost souls like that in the sense that I could have as easily been as cold or hard hearted as they are if the circumstances of my life would have been different. So in a way I look at them in the sense that there is a little of that type of person in me. Accepting them and showing compassion towards such people also teaches me to have compassion on myself and forgiveness for my own short comings.

  The world look so small and simple when you keep focused on nothing but your own little fish bowl. If you look outside your little universe you will see that it is quite a large world we all interact with. It also makes one realize their fish bowl is just a illusion and that we are all part of something amazingly vast and extraordinary. The only limits we have personally and spiritually are the one we have created and or imposed upon ourselves.

 

Well Enough of My Rambling For Now

Peace and Truth Be your Guiding light.
Ray Barbier

Charity and Religions

  In this modern world of ours we can travel across the world in a few hours, Cure many diseases and buy something from almost any corner of the world via the internet. With such scientific and technological breakthroughs we still have people who are starving and those who are without a place to call home. So much wealth is held by so few and so many impoverished. Seems even though mankind has came along way in many aspects we still are far from being the world we are meant to become. Between greed and apathy so much suffering is allowed to exist in a world that has plenty to go around. Even though all the major religions teach us to be charitable to others it seems either most of us ignore that fact or limit it to those of our own religion and or country. Charity is supposed to be unbound and unlimited, with no limitations on who and where. Compassion, the fuel behind charity is not conditional nor selective.

Below are Verses from some of the Major religions that teach us of charity

 Christian Bible

But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind - Luke 14:13

Blessed is he that considerth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. - Psalm 41:1, 2

Koran

Those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and establish regular prayers and regular charity, will have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." (The Noble Quran, 2:277)

 

Torah (Old Testament)

Deut. 15:7 "If there will be a poor man among you... you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand toward your poor brother; you shall open your hand to him and shall give him enough for his needs

Lev. 25:35 "If your brother becomes poor... you shall support him, stranger or settler, and he shall live with you.

 

Hindu Scriptures

Rg Veda:
II, 28, 9 - Varuna Sukta: The name of God in itself symbolizes the twofold virtuous implication, - of always giving out help and never accepting help. In fact Varuna sukta is full of such frets, strands or reeds of that divine melody.

The Upanishads:
Ishavasya Upanishad, 1: "Everyone is only a trustee or custodian for the wealth lying with oneself (from God); he cannot enjoy all of it".

Taittiriya Upanishat I, 21: "Thou shalt give away whether you have faith in it (of any reward) or not" When you give, do that with humility (without superior feeling), even when you don't trust, do give away!

Taittiriya Upanishat III, 3, x: Like in a well the more you fetch, more water oozes . . the more you give the more you get. This generosity is mandatory to every individual. Hurry to promise or pledge to help. It is one thing - glorious and divine - to strive for getting an occasion for that.

 

Just a few examples of religious views on Charity, This shows that no matter what religion you follow you are taught to be charitable. Greed, selfishness and apathy are the main enemies of a charitable heart. The greatest prize of charity is the result of your good deed. To see a hungry person have a full belly and a see a homeless person finally have a home is a grand thing to witness.

To be compassionate and charitable are not only personal choices one can make, they are the core of what it means to be truly human. Even one penny can add up with others to make a difference in some unfortunate persons life.

 

Well Wnough of my Babbling for now
Peace and Love to All
Raymond Barbier

Karma, Choose your words and actions wisely

Everyday is a new beginning that brings with it another chance to change your life and the world you live in. The things you have done and said are now the past leaving you open to make better choices today. You must leave the poor choices of yesterday behind you along with the negative thought processes that can hold you back from progressing forward. Learn from both the mistakes and the good choices you have made in the past, so you can avoid the pitfalls of yesterday and embrace the fruits of your good decisions.

As both nature and science have proven that the actions one takes creates an equal reaction. Sometimes our actions can effect others around us greatly and other times it only effects us. We are responsible for our words and actions so we should think before we choose which action to take. The harm we can cause to others will eventually come back on us in one form or another. This is also true to the good we can do for those around us. Do good or evil and you will reap the rewards of the seeds you have sown.

This concept is known as karma, Karma is basically the idea that what comes around goes around. Here is a definition of karma from Wikipedia

“'Karma' is an Indian religious concept in contradistinction to 'faith' espoused by Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), which view all human dramas as the will of God as opposed to present—and past—life actions. In theistic schools of Hinduism, humans have free will to choose good or evil and suffer the consequences, which require the will of God to implement karma's consequences, unlike Buddhism or Jainism which do not accord any role to a supreme God or Gods. In Indian beliefs, the karmic effects of all deeds are viewed as actively shaping past, present, and future experiences. The results or 'fruits' of actions are called karma-phala.^”

So think before you say or do something, you never know what the consequences may be. Choose wisely and you will find good begets good.

Enough Rambling for now

Peace, Raymond Barbier

Interesting Historical Tidbits

There have been many interesting findings in antiquity that have shown man has mapped the globe far before we had known. There is one map showing the locations of Antarctica hundreds of years before it was known to be discovered. 1929 historians found a map drawn on a gazelle skin, it shows the coastlines of Africa, east coast of South America and the northern coast of Antarctica in great detail. This map is called the Piri Reis map. Read more about this map on World Mysteries Website LINK: http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_1.htm They go into greater detail about the map. I found it most interesting that the map had details about Antarctica's coastline that would be under the ice which wouldn’t be able to be seen since 4000 BC. That’s 6011 years ago, this is where some believe the biblical creation of the earth had taken place.  In terms of technological advancement the humans in that time were still using stone and wood tools and the written word was just in its beginnings.

Just recently some archeologist in Israel have discovered teeth that belongs to a modern man and it has been dated to be approx. 400,000 years old. The earliest Homo sapiens remains found until now are half as old. Though the findings are still inconclusive until they find a skull and other skeletal remains to be certain of the teeth exact origins. you can read more on the discovery on Fox News Website at this link: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/12/27/ancient-teeth-change-picture-evolution/

As we have learned from history, science isn't always exact and the answers they provide change with each new discovery. Science has went from thinking the earth was the center of our galaxy and universe to being the 3rd planet from our sun which we orbit. They also went from a earth that was flat to an spherical planet. So as we learn our answers and what we state as truths change with time.

The point is that man has existed on earth longer than the believed biblical timeline and even longer than what science first believed. This also messes with the current belief in the evolution of homo sapiens. So how long has man really existed on this planet? that question will always change and how so called stone aged humans could map Antarctica? Far as the biblical time line, the possibility that the old testament stories were more than likely orally passed down for many generations . When the biblical timeline began is truly a mystery without documentation or physical evidence. More and likely the biblical timeline began way before 4000 b.c. and had been orally passed on from one generation to the next for thousands of years. So the story of genesis could have been way further back in time that some theologians have estimated.

Then there is the Baghdad battery also known as the Parthian Battery is a simplistic single cell battery some think was used for basic electroplating. Wilhelm König an German archaeologist was the first to conclude it was an ancient electric battery. to learn more about the Baghdad / Parthian battery go to World Mysteries Website at this link: http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_11.htm . So many enigmas in our history as a species especially Hero’s Engine. Hero (or Heron ) of Alexandria.'

Excerpt from Wikipedia

“Hero (or Heron) of Alexandria (Greek: Ἥρων ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς) (c. 10–70 AD) was an ancient Greek mathematician who was a resident of a Roman province (Ptolemaic Egypt); he was also an engineer who was active in his native city of Alexandria. He is considered the greatest experimenter of antiquity and his work is representative of the Hellenistic scientific tradition.

  Hero published a well recognized description of a steam-powered device called an aeolipile (hence sometimes called a "Hero engine"). Among his most famous inventions was a windwheel, constituting the earliest instance of wind harnessing on land. He is said to have been a follower of the Atomists. Some of his ideas were derived from the works of Ctesibius.

Much of Hero's original writings and designs have been lost, but fortunately, some of his works were preserved in Arab manuscripts.”

Read Full Wiki : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_of_Alexandria

I find it so interesting about how some things are discovered and others are mere rediscoveries. The fact mankind has had technologies that were though to be modern day discoveries and inventions thousands of years ago.

Well I guess I bored you enough today.
May peace be your path as wisdom be your guide.
Raymond Barbier

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Thoughts on Personal Change

It may be true that only you can change yourself, but others can influence your choices and help direct you in a better direction. By setting up a enriching environment you can encourage positive change in yourself and in others. Though the choice to change is in the hand of the individual, the people and environment around that individual plays a significant part in influencing his or her choice of what changes to make. We change ourselves everyday, little by little and those changes are effected by both our environment and the personal influences we choose. If you don’t know there is a better path to walk and that the one your on is heading towards ruin, then how and why would you change your path?

Lets say you live in a gang controlled city and all you ever see and know is death, drugs and violence. Your mindset will be that there is no other choices besides being a gang member or being a victim. You would be resistant to the idea that you can raise above the city and its negative environment. It is hard to see the light when your surrounded by darkness, your instincts will tell you to adapt and become a part of the system to survive. Now you move to the suburb where there is less crime and violence, you see there is other options besides being a gang member or victim.

Basically you can only change into that which you believe is possible. If you are unaware of anything other than what you are then your limited by that lack of knowledge. This is where others can inspire change and help direct others to change for the better. Giving others the knowledge that there is more options out there than they perceive gives them the ability to make better choices. This has been proven through such community programs as big brother and many other mentor programs across the globe. Even programs such as the Boy & Girl  Scouts have inspired change in the youth of America.

Well enough of my Babbling

Peace to All

Raymond Barbier

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