14Aug 2016 by CJ

Do you want more out of life?

Life & Living
I’m ashamed to admit that sometimes, regardless of my personal satisfaction, I always want more out of life. I live fairly simply, but on occasion I allow myself to get caught up in the spell of society – the one which manages to convince us all that we need to spend more and buy more in order to be relevant. But inevitably something pops up and reminds me of my good fortune – today it was the article below: FRANKLIN, Ohio -- A southwest Ohio police officer has befriended a 7-year-old boy police say was trying to sell a teddy bear to buy food. Many of us are incredibly fortunate, and yet far too often we fail to acknowledge the bounties in our possession. Even when we reach the pinnacle of…
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07Aug 2016 by CJ

Individuals lacking humility deserve little attention

Generosity & Kindness
“The biggest challenge after success is shutting up about it.”  ― Criss Jami Lately I find myself reacquainted with the notion that our society is comprised of individuals lacking humility. But what is humility really? British writer C.S. Lewis once said, “Humility isn’t about thinking less of yourself – but thinking of yourself less.” A powerful statement, which when I look around society today is rarely practiced with any consistency or sincerity. Here’s but one example. The other day my wife and I were outside doing some yard work, when a man approach whom we hadn’t seen before. Turns out this gentleman lived a few blocks down the road and was out taking a leisurely stroll during the cooler weather. Welcoming the break, we engaged in a conversation with this new…
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31Jul 2016 by CJ

Convenience – the luxury of time wasted

Life & Living
Convenience has been defined as, “the state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty”. We are perhaps living in the most progressive society yet. Our lives are full of advances and conveniences, which are squarely aimed at providing people with more time to do the things they never seem to have enough time to do. While a logical assumption on paper, I have yet to see how our modern day conveniences have truly afforded us more time. Convenience = Time Right? Parents these days seem to be running around in a continuous state of chaos and anxiety – a state I never remember my parents ever being in. Why has the extra time from our modern day conveniences not provided some relief? The elderly of…
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25Jul 2016 by CJ

Material possessions will never define WHO you are

Life & Living
“How good something is should never be determined by its cost, designer, origin, or its perceived value by others.” – Ashly Lorenzana The other day while perusing Motortrend’s website as I do on a daily basis, I came across a startling statistic. First of all, for those who don’t know, Motortrend is a popular automotive magazine, which first appeared in September 1949 and has been a favorite of mine for decades. But I digress. The post was about material possessions – more accurately the average transaction price of a new car or truck sold in American in April 2016. Are you sitting down? It was $33,560 – 2.6% higher than just a month earlier according to automotive researcher Kelly Blue Book. What is a car really? While fully aware of new…
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20Jul 2016 by CJ

Genuine character is lost in a sea of sameness

Youth
“The best index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good, and how he treats people who can't fight back.” ― Abigail Van Buren A person possessing genuine character is hard to come by in society. Often ego, competitiveness and insecurities make it nearly impossible to encounter individuals on our daily journey who retain either of the unique qualities I reference above. Sameness is easily achieved You begin to realize the reality of this when you find yourself in new surroundings and begin to understand how society is inundated with carbon copies. Everyone is trying to be what’s fashionable and popularly accepted in society, leaving those searching for originality wandering through a sea of clones. Perhaps what’s most troubling about all of this is if you’ve been…
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