Work together to better our communities and our world

Every one of us has a story, each one of us influences the world around us. How we influence and how much we contribute is up to us. But there is no such thing as an unimportant person, we all are important, special and unique to God. We all are a part of the great machine called life. We as individuals can change our little worlds and as a group can influence change on a global scale. This is one of the unique qualities of human beings, we can change our environments to suit our needs as well as change the course of our worlds destiny / fate.  Protests, revolutions, grass root projects and just plain speaking up can cause political, social and even cultural changes. I prefer the non violent methods of enacting change, usually the violent path only brings suffering and brings either temporary or negative results.  There are of course some circumstances that violent action is the only path but it should be the last resort.

I blog quite often about how governments tend to be out of touch with the needs of the citizens and are more focused on the rich or the powerful. How the governments fail at actually coming up with solutions to problems due to party politics and the interest groups lobbying them. We can not rely on our governments to carry the weight and should as a nation and or global community start dealing with some of the problems ourselves. Poverty, hunger, homelessness and the environment are things we as citizens can make a difference in. If we organize and work together to better our communities and our world we can achieve almost anything. Some can give money, some can just volunteer time or their expertise as well as doing grass-roots education. So much we can do on our own and probably do a far better job of it than the government could do. It is the right way to do it and almost every religion supports the idea of taking care of our fellow human beings. We can put aside our religious and cultural differences to make this world a better place if we chose to do so.

 

Just some thoughts, Right or Wrong there here for all to see.

 

 

“Love, Compassion and peace are the keys to a better world.”

Raymond Barbier

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They choose to keep the status quo over trying to improve our country.

Ah Politics, the entertainment of an election year and all the bent truths along with the words taken out of context. Such a media circus and misdirection of information. I just don’t see what all this conservative and liberal arguments are really about other than a way to polarize the voters to one way or another. It would seem if a politician really loved his country and wanted to really help the citizens of our great nation he would seek out the best possible solution to a problem be it right,left winged, conservative, moderate or liberal in nature. But then if a politician really cared for his county and its citizens he would also put aside all his personal ambitions and avoid being influenced by any lobbyist in his decisions. I also think there should be a term limit on congress, a congress person who stays in office too long become entrenched in one way of thinking and will have a hard time being innovative and or creative in coming up with new solutions / ideas. They become too comfortable and they choose to keep the status quo over trying to improve our country.

I guess the majority of those in congress have never been poor or had to live on minimum wage or been on a low fixed income. This makes it hard for any of them to truly relate to the common citizen they represent. Maybe they should be paid minimum wage and try to pay rent and afford food. Then they could truly understand how it is for most of their voters. I guess I cant blame some of them for supporting the rich since they themselves are rich and you always take care of your own. They complain about Obama wanting to take from the rich and give to the poor but its ok for them to take away from the poor’s benefits to give tax breaks to the rich. They are ok with redistribution of wealth as long as its going to the rich and coming from the poor. I don’t want the rich mans money, I just want him to stop stealing mine. So many times they raise prices and make record profits as they cut workers benefits if not lay them off. I just think there should be some accountability for the unfair practices that the big businesses use.

 

Just my 2 cents worth, Right or wrong it is what it is.

Raymond Barbier

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Our children and grandchildren will inherit a toxic planet if we don’t stop

While Scientists argue over what is causing the climate change we pump toxic gases into our air. As they debate how little man influences our environment more and more toxic waste is buried in the ground and illegally dumped into our water sources.  Regardless what they say we affect our environment negatively with our chemicals, gasses and poisonous by-products. So what if the sun is part of the reason to the temperature increase it is not the only thing effecting our environment. Birth defects, mysterious diseases and health problems increasing in our world. Too much evidence to our negative influence on our environment to ignore. Our children and grandchildren will inherit a toxic planet if we don’t stop mistreating our home. All of this is put aside in the name of profit, the mighty dollar seems more important than the health of future generations, the water and food we consume and the human race’s survival. Seems silly to put greed before survival as well as the wellbeing of your future generations but that is the message the big companies are sending along with our government. When they do attempt to do something to help the environment they do it in a way that it causes job loss and an economic decline in the towns that rely on the industry. Coal is one example, they limit the amount of new coal permits which causes coal companies to lay off workers. They need to first offer job re-education programs and help get new industries in the areas that will be effected by the closing or slowing of the coal industry. So that the coal miners and related workers can find new employment locally to support their families. Once there is new jobs and the coal workers are trained and placed in the new jobs the coal industry can be shut down. Though I don’t see how we can actually discontinue coal use for energy at this point in time, but in the decades ahead we may find a safer alternative to coal besides nuclear. Natural gas, wind and solar are viable replacements but solar and wind are still not as efficient or economical as of yet.  It would definitely would be a phase out in a decade or two kind of plan so to give time to get new industry in the areas and retrain the workers.

 

In the end we need a clean and renewable energy source. We need to find less toxic ways to manufacture our goods and make more recyclable products. We can not continue on this disposable product path, we need to make everything as recyclable and reusable as possible. The public and commercial sectors need to become even more green minded than they already are. Maybe give tax breaks to families and business that go green and recycle. Just a thought anyway…

 

Lets all go Green, Renewable, Recyclable and reusable .

Raymond Barbier

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And know fear is not what God wants for his children

Fear, one of the greatest enemies to civilization and to our happiness is way too commonplace in the modern world. You would think with all the technology and advances in the sciences we would be a more secure and less fearful world. Fear is one of the devils favorite weapons because it creates doubt in god and his word. Though fear itself can not destroy the word of god it can make some to doubt it as well as create a lifetime of worry. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 That verse sums it up, we should not give into fear for it is not the spirit that god gave us. We should surrender the fear to god and keep faith. For fear keeps one from having a sound mind and it saps their power by keeping doubt in the front of their mind. It can be a great obstacle to moving forward or doing the works god desires for you. Through fear you can become deceived, you can be led to believe you can not accomplish what either you or God has planned for you to do.

Remember the story of David and Goliath, All the grown soldiers were shaking in their boots and were surrendering to their fear and any of them would have failed to defeat Goliath. But David with his faith in god and with courage (not fear) was able to take on the giant Goliath and slay him. This proves fear in the end is both a weakening force and a obstruction to ones true potential. Face your fear with faith and give it to God, keep faith and go out and do gods will. And know fear is not what God wants for his children…

 

God Bless
Raymond Barbier

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Focus more on the light within each other instead of the shadows

I have noticed that most people tend to find it easy to point out the faults and shortcomings of others. The funny part most of the time the faults they point out in others they usually have themselves. I guess as a humans we tend to hate characteristics in others that we despise or fear of having within ourselves. To be perfectly honest, I believe the only one we have the right to judge or criticize is our own selves. We are far from perfect and fall short of the glory of god as much as the next person and all sin is equal except for blaspheme of the holy spirit. So no sinner is greater or lesser than the next and all can be saved and forgiven. Point is we are all equal in having faults and shortcomings so why bother pointing out the obvious in others when we should tend to our own. If you insist on judging others just remember that the way you judge others is the way you will be judged. So judge with compassion and understanding as well as with a forgiving heart so you too will receive the same mercy. If we would only focus more on the light within each other instead of the shadows and dark spots we would be a far better species and a much happier world. I guess I am nothing but a dreamer with an optimistic view. Just one of my shortcomings I guess, but its one I tend to like within myself.

 

Do not hesitate to express your love to others and fear not rejection for it isn’t as bad as loneliness.

Raymond Barbier

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Those who could really make a difference

Is another Renaissance period upon us? Seems we are in need of a great change in our cultures as well as in our method of thinking. I think it would be a great thing to have the resurgence of the interest in the arts and sciences once again. Definitely we need a change in our world, too much imbalance of wealth and power. I am all for people making profits as long as they do it both responsibly and with some morality mixed in. Seems way to much power has been given to the few and not enough to those who could really make a difference. So many voices unheard and ideas left unexplored by those in power. The creative, imaginative and honest common people are usually ignored or looked upon as just as the taxpayers whom they need to pacify. For some reason many governments think the lower middle class and the poor are nothing more than the piggy bank for as taxes go. The rich get all the tax breaks and usually a lower tax rate while those struggling to make ends meet pay the highest tax rate possible. So much inequality in our present era and that is a sign that change is not only needed but is on the horizon.

 

Across the globe we are seeing the oppressed rising up to challenge their oppressive governments and even forcing a regime change in some cases. Unfortunately they become targets for violent crack downs in an attempt to squash the protests and civil unrest. So it seems change is already in motion, peaceful change it the right path but it seems sometimes those in charge force it to become violent. In a democratic republic such as The United States it will be a more peaceful change though there will be a lot of protests and probably confrontations between police and protestors but nothing on a grand scale. We have already experienced some of the confrontations with the Occupy movement across the U.S.

 

The demand for change by the working and lower class is the first sign of cultural change and it also shows that our mindset as people is changing along with the world. It is all going to take time to get the world to change and patience is something we all must have. Change brought about by a peaceful means usually is a long-lasting change unlike that brought by conflict which usually lasts until a new conflict arises. Time for change for the status quo is no longer acceptable to the working class, the backbone of the world’s economy.

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an invitation to be kind or to smile

To be true to yourself, to be who you are and be happy with yourself and to realize that what others think matter very little in the long run. That is one of the paths to self-assurance and a healthier self-image, a self-esteem built upon the real you not the reflection of you off of others. One of the hardest thing to quit or correct is ones tendency to rely on others for both our self-worth and our happiness. No one can add or remove either your worth or happiness besides your own self. The illusion someone else can make you happier or make you a better person is one most of us fall for. The truth is that you make yourself happier and a better person and the other person is either an inspiration or a guiding force towards both. Yes they can help fuel the happiness within you and help you find the better person within you through their guidance or just their kindness, but the choices to be happy or to improve yourself is solely yours and requires your effort alone to bring them about.

A child’s smile can knock on the door of your kindness and then you can open the door in return. The child's smile was an invitation to be kind or to smile you have to choose to comply or not. The choices of who and what you are and can become are yours as well as the power to make the changes.  The only time an outside force can change you and your life is if you give it the power to do so.  So be true to yourself and be who you are as well as love who you are. Do not let the negativity of others affect you or damage your self-worth. For in Gods eyes we all are precious and he loves all of us equally. And no man can take away the gifts God has given and has promised to us all. Besides our own will and choices Only God’s will can directly change us into a better person and bring us happiness.  Let God’s love and kindness flow through you and seek out his will and the path he set out before you. Try and surrender to his will as well as put aside your own.

God Bless

Raymond Barbier

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I am but a fool, to claim otherwise is to mislead myself as well as others.

I am but a fool, to claim otherwise is to mislead myself as well as others. I am a thinker and therefore I look at things logically but I am also a dreamer so I can see things in the abstract. I strive for balance but rarely do I ever achieve it. I loath negative confrontation though I seem to find myself facing such more than I like. I desire to be secure and self-assured but walk through life doubting myself and those around me. I try to see the best in everyone but usually I receive their worst. I try to be caring and compassionate but I find that I must fight hard to remain so. I am optimistic but yet I am also a realist with some doubts. I am far from perfect and I will admit that to anyone whom I meet. I love to talk and work hard at being one who likes to listen. I know of no one who I truly hate and forgiveness is something I give sometimes too easily. I am a creative thinker and writer as well as a lover of all arts. I can come off somewhat cold at times but I am nothing but a big softy. I pay too much attention to what others think about me and not enough to what I think about myself. I am a fool who seeks truth, wisdom and some kind of order in this chaotic world.

Just Me, right or wrong, take it or leave it. That’s that.

Raymond Barbier

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Love each moment you get in life

Life is a road that will eventually come to an end when our time is up, the length of the journey  is not as important as the experiences we have along the way. We can choose to spend the whole journey looking backwards at where we have been, looking forward to what yet may come or just keep focused on the place we are at. Getting fixed on the past or on what come in the future only distracts us from the importance of the present. Seize the moment, live for today, live in the now and live each day like its your last are words of wisdom passed to us from the sages of the past. There is no other time as important as now, we must remember the past and its lessons as well as plan for the future but if we ignore the present then we miss out on life itself. Waste little energy or time on the negative emotions and focus on the positive ones so that your experiences of the now are positive for you and those around you. Forgive those whom have done you harm and seek forgiveness for your own mistakes and wrong doings. Love each moment you get in life for we have such a short time to live here in this interesting world.

Try to be a positive influence on this world and avoid feeding the ego, for the ego is self-centered and cares only for itself. Selfishness is like an infinite void that can never be filled while Selflessness is like a renewable fuel source for when you give you receive and therefore there is never a void to fill. The bible teaches us it is better to give than to receive and it also teaches us to be humble. It also teaches us to be swift to hear, slow to speak and  be slow to anger. Listen and you will learn many things, be low to speak and you may hear more as well as avoid saying things out of haste. It is always wise to be slow to become angry for many misunderstandings and quick tempers have started feuds and great wars. Life is short so live it happily and with as much compassion as you can muster. For we all have faults and none of us are without sin. It is much harder to point your finger in accusation of another when yourself are guilty of a sin that is equal in stature. For all sin is the same except for blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. So none of are greater or lesser than the other in life and non is without blemish.

 

May God will be your guide through life and his love be the foundation you build upon.

Raymond Barbier

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The Blogosphere is the gathering of sages, artisans, elders and intellects.

   One of this worlds greatest assets is the blogosphere, which is composed of people who are everything from artists,poets,philosophers,economists and pretty much any other profession and/or art form you can think of. Some of the most creative and innovative minds exist in the blogosphere, bloggers are not scared to think inside or outside the box which gives them the ability to reach levels of creativity needed to solve the problems of our modern world. There is such diversity in the blogosphere that it gives us a plethora of viewpoints to consider when looking for answers. If the governments of the world were smart they would look to the blogosphere for ideas as well as for answers to the problems the world is facing. For the blogosphere is but the gathering of sages, artisans, elders and intellects from across this great planet. To overlook such creativity, wisdom and intelligence would be a grand oversight by the leaders of the world governments.

 

Just an observation and an opinion that I wanted to share.
Right or wrong it is here for all to see.

Raymond Barbier

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Things seem more complicated than they really are

Why does is seem we have a tendency as humans to make things seem more complicated than they really are. We dissect every situation, emotion and experience only to overlook the simple truths that could be seen by looking at it in whole. Sometime an apple is just an apple and an orange isn’t a melon. Yeah sure sometimes there is hidden meanings in things but most of the time things are what they are and you don’t have t dissect it to see that. All the wasted energy and the stress created by the frustration of not finding the non-existent hidden meaning only distracts us from the truth we seek. Sometimes I don’t even think we even know what it is we are searching for and other times I think we are just so wrapped up in the process to see its unnecessary.

In relationships we tend to do this when the relationship fails, we tear apart every memory and emotion trying to find out what went wrong. Sometimes relationships die and other times there wasn’t a real relationship there to start with. A lot of times it was more of a physical attraction and not love that brought the people together and physical attraction is fickle and can disappear almost as fast as it appeared. To be honest who really cares who is to blame or why it happened, it happened and that is the end of it. Move on and find a new relation to be in and hope it isn't just one based on physical attraction alone.

If you try to dissect every situation and become obsessed with finding the hidden meaning or reason you are only letting situation distract you from what is important. Life is way to short to make everything in it complicated or to meditate on every situation you are in. There are always situations that are complicated and need to be dissected to find the truth but they are far and few in-between. Life is simpler than we perceive it to be, and the true trick to being happy in life is t keep it as simple as possible.

 

 

“Simple Simon may have been a simple man but he also was a happy and content man.”

Raymond Barbier

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