Being a Winner is Not How Children Should Define Success

Being a Winner is Not How Children Should Define Success

Generosity & Kindness
Today's generation of children believes that being a winner - being #1 - is one of the most important personal characteristics they can strive towards.  Humility, unfortunately, is not a word they use or apply in their interactions with others. Instead, they've based their self-worth and perceived successes on overconfidence, which includes always being a winner, on never making a mistake that would topple them from the throne of being #1. Many children now lack the social-emotional skills to cope with losing - even among family or friends. And when they are, in fact, the legitimate winner of a game, contest, or other competitive circumstance, they take great satisfaction in making sure they flaunt their achievement to the losing party with an unappealing dose of arrogance.  To be valuable and…
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The Civil War Has Eerie Comparisons to Today

The Civil War Has Eerie Comparisons to Today

Information & Education
If there’s one thing you can rely on regarding history, it’s how it will inevitably repeat itself. Take the Civil War, for instance – a time in our nation’s history that many of us learned about in grade school and probably have forgotten. My wife and I just watched a six-part documentary on the Civil War. We were dumbfounded by the similarities facing American society today compared to some 161 years ago when the war began. The Confederate States (who succeeded from the Union after Lincoln was elected) consisted of 11 southern states: Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. The battle between the Union and Confederate armies has become the deadliest and costliest battle ever fought on United States soil – leaving…
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Hypocrisy for Abortion Rights and Gun Reform are Astounding

Hypocrisy for Abortion Rights and Gun Reform are Astounding

Information & Education
As I'm sure you're all aware of by now, The Supreme Court of the United States – the country where our so-called democracy is envied by other countries across the globe – overturned Roe v. Wade. The utter hypocrisy that is already transpiring is alarming. Our democracy provides all of us the freedom to choose, and therefore, right or wrong, abortion should be left up to the decision of a woman and her doctor. No one should have the right to tell you what you can and cannot do with your body regardless of religious or political beliefs. But what's perhaps most infuriating about this decision is the unabashed hypocrisy that Republican leaders apply to the subjects of abortion and gun violence in America. For example, in light of the…
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Immigration in America Unites Us More Than it Divides

Immigration in America Unites Us More Than it Divides

Information & Education
There are many strong opinions encircling the issue of immigration in America, with many unquestionably on one side or the other. But unfortunately, there's no middle ground on the subject. I suppose the best place to start then would be to provide a credible definition for immigration. From Britannica.com, immigration is "The process through which individuals become permanent residents or citizens of another country. Historically, the process of immigration has been of great social, economic, and cultural benefit to states. The immigration experience is long and varied and has in many cases resulted in the development of multicultural societies; many modern states are characterized by a wide variety of cultures and ethnicities that have derived from previous periods of immigration." What strikes me most about the definition above are the following…
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American Extremists are Making Hopelessness a Way of Life

American Extremists are Making Hopelessness a Way of Life

Information & Education, Life & Living
In this blog, I’ve always tried to inspire readers to question their habitual way of thinking and instead try to see things through the lens of compassion, equality, respect, and love. But when it comes to the topic of American extremists, my spirit is broken, and I struggle to find anything hopeful, meaningful, or positive to share about the United States of America. Though let’s be honest, there’s nothing “united” about this country any longer. I pivot back and forth between emotions of anger and frustration to sadness and despair. I try to understand why Senators aspire to such a lofty, impactful, and revered position in the United States government only to show their loyalty to American extremists who care little about anyone’s agenda beyond their own. Today, I feel…
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