Showing posts with label Simple Lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Simple Lessons. Show all posts
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
HANDY LITTLE CHART
May you have a blessed day today and always! God is still in control.
HANDY LITTLE CHART
God has a positive answer:
You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)
You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest
(Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you
(John 3:16 & John 3:34 )
You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things
(Philippians 4:13)
You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it
(Roman 8:28 )
You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I Forgive you
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: "I can't manage"
God says: I will supply all your needs
(Philippians 4:19)
You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)
You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter 5:7)
You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom
(I Corinthians 1:30)
You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5)
HANDY LITTLE CHART
God has a positive answer:
You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)
You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest
(Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you
(John 3:16 & John 3:34 )
You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things
(Philippians 4:13)
You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it
(Roman 8:28 )
You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I Forgive you
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: "I can't manage"
God says: I will supply all your needs
(Philippians 4:19)
You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)
You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter 5:7)
You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom
(I Corinthians 1:30)
You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5)
A Simple Story of Genuine Love
I was born in a secluded village on a mountain.
Day by day, my parents plowed the yellow dry soil with their backs
towards the sky.
I have a brother who is 3 years younger than me.
I wanted to buy a handkerchief, which all girls around me seemed to
have. So, one day I stole 50 cents from my father's drawer. Father had
discovered about the stolen money right away.
He made me and my younger brother kneel against the wall as he held a
bamboo stick in his hand.
"Who stole the money?" he asked.
I was stunned, too afraid to talk. Neither of us admitted to the fault,
so he said, "Fine, if nobody wants to admit, you two should be beaten!"
He lifted up the bamboo stick.
Suddenly, my younger brother gripped father's hand and said," Dad, I was
the one who did it!"
The long stick smacked my brother's back repeatedly.
Father was so angry that he kept on whipping my brother until he lost
his breath.
After that, he sat down on our stone bed and scolded my brother, "You
have learned to steal from your own house now. What other embarrassing
things will you be possibly doing in the future? You should be beaten to
death, you shameless thief!"
That night, my mother and I hugged my brother. His body was full of
wounds from the beating but he never shed a single tear.
In the middle of the night, all of sudden, I cried out loudly. My
brother covered my mouth with his little hand and said, " Sis, now don't
cry anymore.
Everything has happened."
I still hate myself for not having enough courage to admit what I did.
Years gone by, but the incident still seemed like it just happened
yesterday..
I will never forget my brother's expression when he protected me.
That year, my brother was 8 years old and I was 11 years old.
When my brother was in his last year of secondary school, he was
accepted in an upper secondary school in the central. At the same time,
I was accepted into a university in the province.
That night, father squatted in the yard, smoking, packet by packet.
I could hear him ask my mother, "Both of our children, they have good
results? Very good results?"
Mother wiped off her tears and sighed," What is the use? How can we
possibly finance both of them?"
At that time, my brother walked out, he stood in front of father and
said,"Dad, I don't want to continue my studies anymore, I have read
enough books."
Father swung his hand and slapped my brother on his face.
"Why do you have a spirit so damn weak? Even if it means I have to beg
for money on the streets, I will send you two to school until you have
both finished your studies."
And then, he started to knock on every house in the village to borrow
money.
I stuck out my hand as gently as I can to my brother's swollen face, and
told him, "A boy has to continue his studies; If not, he will not be
able to overcome this poverty we are experiencing."
I, on the other hand, had decided to further my studies at the
university.
Nobody knew that on the next day, before dawn, my brother left the house
with a few pieces of worn-out clothes and a few dry beans. He sneaked to
my side of the bed and left a note on my pillow; "Sis, getting into a
university is not easy. I will go find a job and I will send money to
you."
I held the note while sitting on my bed, and cried until I lost my
voice.
That year, my brother was 17 years old; I was 20 years old..
With the money father borrowed from the whole village, and the money my
brother earned from carrying cement on his back at a construction
site,finally, I managed to get to the third year of my studies in the
university.
One day, while I was studying in my room, my roommate came in and told
me,"There's a villager waiting for you outside!"
Why would there be a villager looking for me? I walked out, and I saw my
brother from afar. His whole body was covered with dirt, dust, cement
and sand. I asked him, "Why did you not tell my roommate that you are my
brother?"
He replied with a smile," Look at my appearance. What will they think if
they would know that I am your brother? Won't they laugh at you?"
I felt so touched, and tears filled my eyes. I swept away dirt and dust
from my brother's body. And told him with a lump in my throat, " I don't
care what people would say! You are my brother no matter what your
appearance is!"
>From his pocket, he took out a butterfly hair clip. He
put it on my hair and said, "I saw all the girls in town are wearing it.
So, I think you should also have one."
I could not hold back myself anymore. I pulled my brother into my arms
and cried.
That year, my brother was 20 years old; I was 23 years old.
I noticed that the broken window was repaired the first time I brought
my boyfriend home. The house was scrubbed cleaned.
After my boyfriend left, I danced like a little girl in front of my
mother, "Mom, you didn't have to spend so much time cleaning the house!"
But she told me with a smile," It was your brother who went home early
to clean the house. Didn't you see the wound on his hand?
He hurt his hand while he was replacing the window."
I went into my brother's bedroom. Looking at his thin face, I felt like
there are hundreds of needle pricked in my heart.
I applied some ointment on his wound and put a bandage on it, "Does it
hurt? " I asked him.
"No, it doesn't hurt. You know, when at the construction site, stones
keep falling on my feet .
Even that could not stop me from working."
In the middle of the sentence, he stopped. I turned my back on him and
tears rolled down my face.
That year, my brother was 23 years old; I was 26 years old.
After I got married, I lived in the city. Many times my husband invited
my parents to come and live with us, but they didn't want.
They said, once they left the village, they wouldn't know what to do.
My brother agreed with them. He said, "Sis, you just take care of your
parents-in-law. I will take care of mom and dad here."
My husband became the director of his factory. We asked my brother to
accept the offer of being the manager in the maintenance department. But
my brother rejected the offer. He insisted on working as a repairman
instead for a start.
One day, my brother was on the top of a ladder repairing a cable, when
he got electrocuted, and was sent to the hospital.
My husband and I visited him at the hospital. Looking at the white
gypsum on his leg, I grumbled, "Why did you reject the offer of being a
manager? Managers won't do something dangerous like that. Now look at
you, you are suffering from a serious injury. Why didn't you just listen to
us?"
With a serious expression on his face, he defended his decision,
"Think of brother-in-law. He just became the director, and I being
uneducated, and would become a manager, what kind of rumors would fly
around?"
My husband's eyes filled up with tears, and then I said, "But you lack
in education only because of me!"
"Why do you talk about the past?" he said and then he held my hand.
That year, he was 26 years old and I was 29 years old.
My brother was 30 years old when he married a farmer girl from the
village.
During the wedding reception, the master of ceremonies asked him, "Who
is the one person you respect and love the most?"
Without even taking a time to think, he answered," My sister." He
continued by telling a story I could not even remember.
"When I was in primary school, the school was in a different village.
Everyday, my sister and I would walk for 2 hours to school and back
home. One day, I lost the other pair of my gloves. My sister gave me one
of hers.
She wore only one glove and she had to walk far. When we got home, her
hands were trembling because of the cold weather that she could not even
hold her chopsticks. From that day on, I swore that as long as I live,
I would take care of my sister and will always be good to her."
Applause filled up the room. All guests turned their attention to me.
I found it hard to speak, "In my whole life, the one I would like to
thank most is my brother," And in this happy occasion, in front of the
crowd, tears were rolling down my face again.
Love and care for the one you love every single day of your life. You
may think what you did is just a small deed, but to that someone, it may
mean a lot.
Have a nice day everyone! May this story inspire you in any way.
Day by day, my parents plowed the yellow dry soil with their backs
towards the sky.
I have a brother who is 3 years younger than me.
I wanted to buy a handkerchief, which all girls around me seemed to
have. So, one day I stole 50 cents from my father's drawer. Father had
discovered about the stolen money right away.
He made me and my younger brother kneel against the wall as he held a
bamboo stick in his hand.
"Who stole the money?" he asked.
I was stunned, too afraid to talk. Neither of us admitted to the fault,
so he said, "Fine, if nobody wants to admit, you two should be beaten!"
He lifted up the bamboo stick.
Suddenly, my younger brother gripped father's hand and said," Dad, I was
the one who did it!"
The long stick smacked my brother's back repeatedly.
Father was so angry that he kept on whipping my brother until he lost
his breath.
After that, he sat down on our stone bed and scolded my brother, "You
have learned to steal from your own house now. What other embarrassing
things will you be possibly doing in the future? You should be beaten to
death, you shameless thief!"
That night, my mother and I hugged my brother. His body was full of
wounds from the beating but he never shed a single tear.
In the middle of the night, all of sudden, I cried out loudly. My
brother covered my mouth with his little hand and said, " Sis, now don't
cry anymore.
Everything has happened."
I still hate myself for not having enough courage to admit what I did.
Years gone by, but the incident still seemed like it just happened
yesterday..
I will never forget my brother's expression when he protected me.
That year, my brother was 8 years old and I was 11 years old.
When my brother was in his last year of secondary school, he was
accepted in an upper secondary school in the central. At the same time,
I was accepted into a university in the province.
That night, father squatted in the yard, smoking, packet by packet.
I could hear him ask my mother, "Both of our children, they have good
results? Very good results?"
Mother wiped off her tears and sighed," What is the use? How can we
possibly finance both of them?"
At that time, my brother walked out, he stood in front of father and
said,"Dad, I don't want to continue my studies anymore, I have read
enough books."
Father swung his hand and slapped my brother on his face.
"Why do you have a spirit so damn weak? Even if it means I have to beg
for money on the streets, I will send you two to school until you have
both finished your studies."
And then, he started to knock on every house in the village to borrow
money.
I stuck out my hand as gently as I can to my brother's swollen face, and
told him, "A boy has to continue his studies; If not, he will not be
able to overcome this poverty we are experiencing."
I, on the other hand, had decided to further my studies at the
university.
Nobody knew that on the next day, before dawn, my brother left the house
with a few pieces of worn-out clothes and a few dry beans. He sneaked to
my side of the bed and left a note on my pillow; "Sis, getting into a
university is not easy. I will go find a job and I will send money to
you."
I held the note while sitting on my bed, and cried until I lost my
voice.
That year, my brother was 17 years old; I was 20 years old..
With the money father borrowed from the whole village, and the money my
brother earned from carrying cement on his back at a construction
site,finally, I managed to get to the third year of my studies in the
university.
One day, while I was studying in my room, my roommate came in and told
me,"There's a villager waiting for you outside!"
Why would there be a villager looking for me? I walked out, and I saw my
brother from afar. His whole body was covered with dirt, dust, cement
and sand. I asked him, "Why did you not tell my roommate that you are my
brother?"
He replied with a smile," Look at my appearance. What will they think if
they would know that I am your brother? Won't they laugh at you?"
I felt so touched, and tears filled my eyes. I swept away dirt and dust
from my brother's body. And told him with a lump in my throat, " I don't
care what people would say! You are my brother no matter what your
appearance is!"
>From his pocket, he took out a butterfly hair clip. He
put it on my hair and said, "I saw all the girls in town are wearing it.
So, I think you should also have one."
I could not hold back myself anymore. I pulled my brother into my arms
and cried.
That year, my brother was 20 years old; I was 23 years old.
I noticed that the broken window was repaired the first time I brought
my boyfriend home. The house was scrubbed cleaned.
After my boyfriend left, I danced like a little girl in front of my
mother, "Mom, you didn't have to spend so much time cleaning the house!"
But she told me with a smile," It was your brother who went home early
to clean the house. Didn't you see the wound on his hand?
He hurt his hand while he was replacing the window."
I went into my brother's bedroom. Looking at his thin face, I felt like
there are hundreds of needle pricked in my heart.
I applied some ointment on his wound and put a bandage on it, "Does it
hurt? " I asked him.
"No, it doesn't hurt. You know, when at the construction site, stones
keep falling on my feet .
Even that could not stop me from working."
In the middle of the sentence, he stopped. I turned my back on him and
tears rolled down my face.
That year, my brother was 23 years old; I was 26 years old.
After I got married, I lived in the city. Many times my husband invited
my parents to come and live with us, but they didn't want.
They said, once they left the village, they wouldn't know what to do.
My brother agreed with them. He said, "Sis, you just take care of your
parents-in-law. I will take care of mom and dad here."
My husband became the director of his factory. We asked my brother to
accept the offer of being the manager in the maintenance department. But
my brother rejected the offer. He insisted on working as a repairman
instead for a start.
One day, my brother was on the top of a ladder repairing a cable, when
he got electrocuted, and was sent to the hospital.
My husband and I visited him at the hospital. Looking at the white
gypsum on his leg, I grumbled, "Why did you reject the offer of being a
manager? Managers won't do something dangerous like that. Now look at
you, you are suffering from a serious injury. Why didn't you just listen to
us?"
With a serious expression on his face, he defended his decision,
"Think of brother-in-law. He just became the director, and I being
uneducated, and would become a manager, what kind of rumors would fly
around?"
My husband's eyes filled up with tears, and then I said, "But you lack
in education only because of me!"
"Why do you talk about the past?" he said and then he held my hand.
That year, he was 26 years old and I was 29 years old.
My brother was 30 years old when he married a farmer girl from the
village.
During the wedding reception, the master of ceremonies asked him, "Who
is the one person you respect and love the most?"
Without even taking a time to think, he answered," My sister." He
continued by telling a story I could not even remember.
"When I was in primary school, the school was in a different village.
Everyday, my sister and I would walk for 2 hours to school and back
home. One day, I lost the other pair of my gloves. My sister gave me one
of hers.
She wore only one glove and she had to walk far. When we got home, her
hands were trembling because of the cold weather that she could not even
hold her chopsticks. From that day on, I swore that as long as I live,
I would take care of my sister and will always be good to her."
Applause filled up the room. All guests turned their attention to me.
I found it hard to speak, "In my whole life, the one I would like to
thank most is my brother," And in this happy occasion, in front of the
crowd, tears were rolling down my face again.
Love and care for the one you love every single day of your life. You
may think what you did is just a small deed, but to that someone, it may
mean a lot.
Have a nice day everyone! May this story inspire you in any way.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
The Confused History of "Desiderata"
The author is Max Ehrmann, a poet and lawyer from Terre Haute, Indiana, who lived from 1872 to 1945. It has been reported that Desiderata was inspired by an urge that Ehrmann wrote about in his diary: "I should like, if I could, to leave a humble gift -- a bit of chaste prose that had caught up some noble moods."
Around 1959, the Rev. Frederick Kates, the rector of St. Paul's Church in Baltimore, Maryland, used the poem in a collection of devotional materials he compiled for his congregation. (Some years earlier he had come across a copy of Desiderata.) At the top of the handout was the notation, "Old St. Paul's Church, Baltimore A.C. 1692." The church was founded in 1692.
As the material was handed from one friend to another, the authorship became clouded. Copies with the "Old St. Paul's Church" notation were printed and distributed liberally in the years that followed. It is perhaps understandable that a later publisher would interpret this notation as meaning that the poem itself was found in Old St. Paul's Church, dated 1692. This notation no doubt added to the charm and historic appeal of the poem, despite the fact that the actual language in the poem suggests a more modern origin. The poem was popular prose for the "make peace, not war" movement of the 1960s.
When Adlai Stevenson died in 1965, a guest in his home found a copy of Desiderata near his bedside and discovered that Stevenson had planned to use it in his Christmas cards. The publicity that followed gave widespread fame to the poem as well as the mistaken relationship to St. Paul's Church.
As of 1977, the rector of St. Paul's Church was not amused by the confusion. Having dealt with the confusion "40 times a week for 15 years," he was sick of it. This misinterpretation has only added to the confusion concerning whether or not the poem is in the public domain.
By the way, Desiderata is Latin for "Things to be Desired."
DESIDERATA
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not is it clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
An whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be careful.
Strive to be happy.
A Guide of Safer Sex (concise)
Introduction
This guide focuses on the basics of safer sex, and on how to make whatever precautions you choose feel as pleasurable as possible. Safer sex precautions are obviously not necessary when neither you nor your partner(s) have anything you could transmit to each other (and will be completely safe in your interactions with anyone else during the course of your relationship, and when birth control is not an issue, etc.), but in all other cases your peace of mind can be enhanced by making your own choices about safer sex ahead of time and sticking to them.
Please note that safer sex is about dramatic risk reduction against the most serious sexually-transmitted ailments, not complete risk elimination for every possible condition (for example: the virii for cold sores and warts can be spread through unbarriered contact with any infected area, including health-looking skin that a condom would not cover).
Intercourse
The single most effective thing you can do to stay healthy while being sexually active is to use latex condoms for intercourse (whether vaginal or anal). All condoms are not made alike; men should experiment with different brands until they find the one they like best (many men prefer Kimono Microthins, which are commonly available in drug stores, and which also taste fine for fellatio if you get them without Nonoxynol-9). When you put on a condom, pinch its tip as you unroll it (all the way down!) to prevent an air bubble from forming in the reservoir tip. For intercourse, you should then put some water-based lube (of the brands commonly available in drug stores Astroglide probably being the best bet) on the outside of the condom for comfort, mutual pleasure, and to keep the condom from tearing during sex. Note that some men find that more sensation is transmitted to them if they put a drop or two of water-based lube INSIDE the tip of their condom before putting it on. Also, it's very important for men to hold onto the base of their condom as they withdraw (i.e. after becoming soft) so it doesn't slip off.
For a while, health experts were recommending that people choose safer sex products with Nonoxynol-9 to protect against HIV transmission: scientific evidence resulted in this advice being formally retracted by public health officials in the year 2000, and unless you are using Nonoxynol-9 as a contraceptive rather than for HIV prevention it may be wise to cease using it entirely.
If a condom fails during vaginal or anal intercourse, the receptive partner shouldn't douche; if any Nonoxynol-9 contraceptive foam is handy it MIGHT help for him or her to insert it and leave it in for about 15 minutes, and it would certainly help to immediately remove the condom from inside the vagina or anus if it was left there. Some sex educators have suggested that men might be able to give themselves a little extra protection after a condom failure by immediately visiting the restroom and urinating, though other experts have questioned this advice. If unwanted pregnancy is a possible outcome of the condom failure, you should visit http://ec.princeton.edu/ to find out about emergency contraception in your area.
It should be obvious that a new condom needs to be used for each new partner, and that condoms should not be reused. Also, if you're going to switch from anal intercourse to vaginal intercourse, you should put on a new condom to avoid causing vaginal infections.
Oral Sex
Opinions differ on the use of safer-sex barriers for oral sex. It's clear that herpes can be transmitted from genitals to mouth or mouth to genitals during unprotected oral sex, but some people feel the risk is acceptably low outside of the most infectious period (which starts with the tingling "prodrome" sensations that precede an outbreak, and continues until several weeks after the sores go away). It is possible to pick up a bacterial infection of the mouth or throat by going down on someone who currently has a bacterial STD (typically Gonorrhea, more rarely Syphillis or Chlamydia), but these can usually be cured with antibiotics once they're identified.
It is clear that the risk of transmitting HIV is much, MUCH lower for unprotected oral sex than for unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse, and that the risk is MUCH lower for the person being sucked or licked than for the person doing the sucking or licking. For the person doing the sucking or licking, the risk of transmission is lower if your gums (and lips/mouth/throat) are healthy, if you don't let men come in your mouth, and if you don't perform cunnilingus on a woman while she is menstruating.
Some sex educators recommend NOT flossing or brushing your teeth for an hour before giving unprotected oral sex (use Cool Mint Listerine or some other anti-bacterial mouthwash if you're concerned about bad breath or just want to freshen up), and others recommend quickly looking over the genitals you're about to go down on for obvious signs of contagious STDs (including genital warts, which can on rare occasion be transmitted from genitals to mouth). If your policy for performing unprotected fellatio is to not let your partner come in your mouth and he does so anyway, it's better to immediately spit than to either wait or swallow, and it may help (especially for bacterial STDs) to then go use an anti-bacterial or peroxide mouthwash. Pre-cum can contain HIV, and although not letting men come in your mouth SIGNIFICANTLY reduces your already low risk to even lower levels, if you are concerned about becoming infected via pre-cum while performing fellatio you have two risk-reduction options: not taking the head of his penis in your mouth or using barriers for oral sex.
If after getting all the facts you decide that your personal safety standards include barriers for oral sex, then you'll need to use latex condoms (without Nonoxynol-9) for fellatio, and either regular saran wrap or one of those "Glyde" dams for cunnilingus (for cunnilingus, put a little water-based lube on your partner's side of the barrier to increase the sensation transmitted to her). The same barrier techniques used for cunnilingus can also be used for analingus (rimming), where they should be considered essential if the person doing the licking isn't immunized against hepatitis A or if the person being licked may have a bacterial infection.
Your Hands
If you've had your fingers in someone's vagina, or had someone come on your hands, then it's a good idea to wash your hands with hot water and anti-bacterial soap before touching your eyes or anyone else's genitals (individually-packaged anti-bacterial towlettes might be useful if you're outdoors). If your skin is compromised in any way, if you want to avoid needing to leave the scene to wash your hands, if you're going to be engaging in anal fisting or exposing yourself to any blood, or if you just want to be extra-safe, then try using disposable latex "examination" gloves (available at most drug stores).
If you're not going to use gloves, then just as a hygiene matter washing your hands before putting them in someone is a good idea.
Of course, if you've just had your ungloved fingers in somebody's ass, then you'll want to be sure to clean your hands particularly thoroughly (especially under your fingernails) before putting your them in or near anyone's mouth.
Safer Sex Kits
It's helpful to get a little hip pack for your safer-sex supplies, your smaller bottle of water-based lube, and anything else you commonly use. You might also want to pack a portable toothbrush and a travel-sized toothpaste tube in case you end up staying overnight somewhere.
Vaccinations
There are two STDs for which permanent vaccines are available: hepatitis B and hepatitis A. Hepatitis B can be spread easily through intercourse and (less easily) through oral sex or rimming, and hepatitis A is easily spread through rimming. Getting these two vaccinations (which you can do at the same time) would be an excellent idea if you don't always use barriers for these activities. By contrast, there is currently NO vaccine against Hepatitis C (though Hep C is spread primarily through direct contact with human blood, e.g. through sharing needles, and only rarely through sexual contact - see http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/c/faq.htm for more details).
Birth Control
If you're going to be engaging in intercourse with someone of the opposite sex, birth control may be an issue. If the birth control that latex condoms offer is good enough for you, then you're set. If you want more protection than this, call Planned Parenthood (1-800-230-PLAN) and discuss the options. Special doses of particular birth control pills can reduce the chance of pregnancy by 75% if taken within 72 hours of contraceptive failure, but can still be effective within five days; the Emergency Contraception Website at http://ec.princeton.edu/ can tell you where to go to get them.
Treatment, Testing, and Additional Information
If you have additional questions about STDs or HIV, call the National STD Hotline at 1-800-227-8922 or visit http://www.thebody.com/. Information about testing clinics is available by calling the aforementioned National STD Hotline, and since bacterial STDs are almost always curable with appropriate antibiotics and the incurable viral STDs (such as HIV, herpes, hepatitis, and HPV) are now more easily managed than ever, it's definitely in your best interest to get tested if you think you might have been exposed to anything.
Please keep in mind that, for standard HIV testing, a minimum of three months needs to go by since your last potential exposure for the test to be reliable: in other words, if you and your partner would like to drop safer sex precautions with each other and are primarily concerned about HIV, you'll need to go through a period of time where you're completely safe with each other and everyone else before you'll be able to get a meaningful test result (you'll also be advised on this matter when you go in for testing).
If you require more detailed information on STD/HIV treatments, the best online document is the CDC's Guidelines for Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Disease at http://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment/TOC2002TG.htm. The only element lacking in this document is good pictures of herpes sores (and symptoms caused by other STDs) for those who want a better chance of being able to identify some of them by sight; for pictures, visit http://www.thebody.com/sowadsky/symptoms/symptoms.html
Copyright © Society for Human Sexuality. All rights reserved
This guide focuses on the basics of safer sex, and on how to make whatever precautions you choose feel as pleasurable as possible. Safer sex precautions are obviously not necessary when neither you nor your partner(s) have anything you could transmit to each other (and will be completely safe in your interactions with anyone else during the course of your relationship, and when birth control is not an issue, etc.), but in all other cases your peace of mind can be enhanced by making your own choices about safer sex ahead of time and sticking to them.
Please note that safer sex is about dramatic risk reduction against the most serious sexually-transmitted ailments, not complete risk elimination for every possible condition (for example: the virii for cold sores and warts can be spread through unbarriered contact with any infected area, including health-looking skin that a condom would not cover).
Intercourse
The single most effective thing you can do to stay healthy while being sexually active is to use latex condoms for intercourse (whether vaginal or anal). All condoms are not made alike; men should experiment with different brands until they find the one they like best (many men prefer Kimono Microthins, which are commonly available in drug stores, and which also taste fine for fellatio if you get them without Nonoxynol-9). When you put on a condom, pinch its tip as you unroll it (all the way down!) to prevent an air bubble from forming in the reservoir tip. For intercourse, you should then put some water-based lube (of the brands commonly available in drug stores Astroglide probably being the best bet) on the outside of the condom for comfort, mutual pleasure, and to keep the condom from tearing during sex. Note that some men find that more sensation is transmitted to them if they put a drop or two of water-based lube INSIDE the tip of their condom before putting it on. Also, it's very important for men to hold onto the base of their condom as they withdraw (i.e. after becoming soft) so it doesn't slip off.
For a while, health experts were recommending that people choose safer sex products with Nonoxynol-9 to protect against HIV transmission: scientific evidence resulted in this advice being formally retracted by public health officials in the year 2000, and unless you are using Nonoxynol-9 as a contraceptive rather than for HIV prevention it may be wise to cease using it entirely.
If a condom fails during vaginal or anal intercourse, the receptive partner shouldn't douche; if any Nonoxynol-9 contraceptive foam is handy it MIGHT help for him or her to insert it and leave it in for about 15 minutes, and it would certainly help to immediately remove the condom from inside the vagina or anus if it was left there. Some sex educators have suggested that men might be able to give themselves a little extra protection after a condom failure by immediately visiting the restroom and urinating, though other experts have questioned this advice. If unwanted pregnancy is a possible outcome of the condom failure, you should visit http://ec.princeton.edu/ to find out about emergency contraception in your area.
It should be obvious that a new condom needs to be used for each new partner, and that condoms should not be reused. Also, if you're going to switch from anal intercourse to vaginal intercourse, you should put on a new condom to avoid causing vaginal infections.
Oral Sex
Opinions differ on the use of safer-sex barriers for oral sex. It's clear that herpes can be transmitted from genitals to mouth or mouth to genitals during unprotected oral sex, but some people feel the risk is acceptably low outside of the most infectious period (which starts with the tingling "prodrome" sensations that precede an outbreak, and continues until several weeks after the sores go away). It is possible to pick up a bacterial infection of the mouth or throat by going down on someone who currently has a bacterial STD (typically Gonorrhea, more rarely Syphillis or Chlamydia), but these can usually be cured with antibiotics once they're identified.
It is clear that the risk of transmitting HIV is much, MUCH lower for unprotected oral sex than for unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse, and that the risk is MUCH lower for the person being sucked or licked than for the person doing the sucking or licking. For the person doing the sucking or licking, the risk of transmission is lower if your gums (and lips/mouth/throat) are healthy, if you don't let men come in your mouth, and if you don't perform cunnilingus on a woman while she is menstruating.
Some sex educators recommend NOT flossing or brushing your teeth for an hour before giving unprotected oral sex (use Cool Mint Listerine or some other anti-bacterial mouthwash if you're concerned about bad breath or just want to freshen up), and others recommend quickly looking over the genitals you're about to go down on for obvious signs of contagious STDs (including genital warts, which can on rare occasion be transmitted from genitals to mouth). If your policy for performing unprotected fellatio is to not let your partner come in your mouth and he does so anyway, it's better to immediately spit than to either wait or swallow, and it may help (especially for bacterial STDs) to then go use an anti-bacterial or peroxide mouthwash. Pre-cum can contain HIV, and although not letting men come in your mouth SIGNIFICANTLY reduces your already low risk to even lower levels, if you are concerned about becoming infected via pre-cum while performing fellatio you have two risk-reduction options: not taking the head of his penis in your mouth or using barriers for oral sex.
If after getting all the facts you decide that your personal safety standards include barriers for oral sex, then you'll need to use latex condoms (without Nonoxynol-9) for fellatio, and either regular saran wrap or one of those "Glyde" dams for cunnilingus (for cunnilingus, put a little water-based lube on your partner's side of the barrier to increase the sensation transmitted to her). The same barrier techniques used for cunnilingus can also be used for analingus (rimming), where they should be considered essential if the person doing the licking isn't immunized against hepatitis A or if the person being licked may have a bacterial infection.
Your Hands
If you've had your fingers in someone's vagina, or had someone come on your hands, then it's a good idea to wash your hands with hot water and anti-bacterial soap before touching your eyes or anyone else's genitals (individually-packaged anti-bacterial towlettes might be useful if you're outdoors). If your skin is compromised in any way, if you want to avoid needing to leave the scene to wash your hands, if you're going to be engaging in anal fisting or exposing yourself to any blood, or if you just want to be extra-safe, then try using disposable latex "examination" gloves (available at most drug stores).
If you're not going to use gloves, then just as a hygiene matter washing your hands before putting them in someone is a good idea.
Of course, if you've just had your ungloved fingers in somebody's ass, then you'll want to be sure to clean your hands particularly thoroughly (especially under your fingernails) before putting your them in or near anyone's mouth.
Safer Sex Kits
It's helpful to get a little hip pack for your safer-sex supplies, your smaller bottle of water-based lube, and anything else you commonly use. You might also want to pack a portable toothbrush and a travel-sized toothpaste tube in case you end up staying overnight somewhere.
Vaccinations
There are two STDs for which permanent vaccines are available: hepatitis B and hepatitis A. Hepatitis B can be spread easily through intercourse and (less easily) through oral sex or rimming, and hepatitis A is easily spread through rimming. Getting these two vaccinations (which you can do at the same time) would be an excellent idea if you don't always use barriers for these activities. By contrast, there is currently NO vaccine against Hepatitis C (though Hep C is spread primarily through direct contact with human blood, e.g. through sharing needles, and only rarely through sexual contact - see http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/c/faq.htm for more details).
Birth Control
If you're going to be engaging in intercourse with someone of the opposite sex, birth control may be an issue. If the birth control that latex condoms offer is good enough for you, then you're set. If you want more protection than this, call Planned Parenthood (1-800-230-PLAN) and discuss the options. Special doses of particular birth control pills can reduce the chance of pregnancy by 75% if taken within 72 hours of contraceptive failure, but can still be effective within five days; the Emergency Contraception Website at http://ec.princeton.edu/ can tell you where to go to get them.
Treatment, Testing, and Additional Information
If you have additional questions about STDs or HIV, call the National STD Hotline at 1-800-227-8922 or visit http://www.thebody.com/. Information about testing clinics is available by calling the aforementioned National STD Hotline, and since bacterial STDs are almost always curable with appropriate antibiotics and the incurable viral STDs (such as HIV, herpes, hepatitis, and HPV) are now more easily managed than ever, it's definitely in your best interest to get tested if you think you might have been exposed to anything.
Please keep in mind that, for standard HIV testing, a minimum of three months needs to go by since your last potential exposure for the test to be reliable: in other words, if you and your partner would like to drop safer sex precautions with each other and are primarily concerned about HIV, you'll need to go through a period of time where you're completely safe with each other and everyone else before you'll be able to get a meaningful test result (you'll also be advised on this matter when you go in for testing).
If you require more detailed information on STD/HIV treatments, the best online document is the CDC's Guidelines for Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Disease at http://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment/TOC2002TG.htm. The only element lacking in this document is good pictures of herpes sores (and symptoms caused by other STDs) for those who want a better chance of being able to identify some of them by sight; for pictures, visit http://www.thebody.com/sowadsky/symptoms/symptoms.html
Copyright © Society for Human Sexuality. All rights reserved
The Little Prince
The Little Prince
Written by: Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Chapter 21
Written by: Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Chapter 21
It was then that the fox appeared.
"Good morning," said the fox.
"Good morning," the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.
"I am right here," the voice said, "under the apple tree." "
Who are you?" asked the little prince, and added, "You are very pretty to look at."
"I am a fox," said the fox.
"Come and play with me," proposed the little prince.
"I am so unhappy." "I cannot play with you," the fox said. "I am not tamed."
"Ah! Please excuse me," said the little prince. But, after some thought, he added: "What does that mean, 'tame'?"
"You do not live here," said the fox. "What is it that you are looking for?"
"I am looking for men," said the little prince. "What does that mean, 'tame'?"
"Men," said the fox. "They have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens?"
"No," said the little prince. "I am looking for friends. What does that mean, 'tame'?"
"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. It means to establish ties."
"'To establish ties'?"
"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world..."
"I am beginning to understand," said the little prince. "There is a flower... I think that she has tamed me..."
"It is possible," said the fox. "On the Earth one sees all sorts of things."
"Oh, but this is not on the Earth!" said the little prince. The fox seemed perplexed, and very curious.
"On another planet?"
"Yes."
"Are there hunters on this planet?"
"No."
"Ah, that is interesting! Are there chickens?"
"No."
"Nothing is perfect," sighed the fox. But he came back to his idea. "My life is very monotonous," the fox said. "I hunt chickens; men hunt me. All the chickens are just alike, and all the men are just alike. And, in consequence, I am a little bored. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life . I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the colour of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat..." The fox gazed at the little prince, for a long time. "Please, tame me!" he said.
"I want to, very much," the little prince replied. "But I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand."
"One only understands the things that one tames," said the fox. "Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me..."
"What must I do, to tame you?" asked the little prince.
"You must be very patient," replied the fox. "First you will sit down at a little distance from me, like that, in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day..."
The next day the little prince came back.
"It would have been better to come back at the same hour," said the fox. "If, for example, you come at four o'clock in the afternoon, then at three o'clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o'clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you... One must observe the proper rites..."
"What is a rite?" asked the little prince.
"Those also are actions too often neglected," said the fox. "They are what make one day different from other days, one hour from other hours. There is a rite, for example, among my hunters. Every Thursday they dance with the village girls. So Thursday is a wonderful day for me! I can take a walk as far as the vineyards. But if the hunters danced at just any time, every day would be like every other day, and I should never have any vacation at all."
So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near...
"Ah," said the fox, "I shall cry."
"It is your own fault," said the little prince. "I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you..."
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.
"But now you are going to cry!" said the little prince.
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.
"Then it has done you no good at all!"
"It has done me good," said the fox, "because of the color of the wheat fields." And then he added: "Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret."
The little prince went away, to look again at the roses. "You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique in all the world." And the roses were very much embarrassed. "You are beautiful, but you are empty," he went on. "One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you, the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose.
And he went back to meet the fox. "Goodbye," he said.
"Goodbye," said the fox. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
"What is essential is invisible to the eye," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."
"It is the time I have wasted for my rose..." said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.
"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose..."
"I am responsible for my rose," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
"Good morning," said the fox.
"Good morning," the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.
"I am right here," the voice said, "under the apple tree." "
Who are you?" asked the little prince, and added, "You are very pretty to look at."
"I am a fox," said the fox.
"Come and play with me," proposed the little prince.
"I am so unhappy." "I cannot play with you," the fox said. "I am not tamed."
"Ah! Please excuse me," said the little prince. But, after some thought, he added: "What does that mean, 'tame'?"
"You do not live here," said the fox. "What is it that you are looking for?"
"I am looking for men," said the little prince. "What does that mean, 'tame'?"
"Men," said the fox. "They have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens?"
"No," said the little prince. "I am looking for friends. What does that mean, 'tame'?"
"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. It means to establish ties."
"'To establish ties'?"
"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world..."
"I am beginning to understand," said the little prince. "There is a flower... I think that she has tamed me..."
"It is possible," said the fox. "On the Earth one sees all sorts of things."
"Oh, but this is not on the Earth!" said the little prince. The fox seemed perplexed, and very curious.
"On another planet?"
"Yes."
"Are there hunters on this planet?"
"No."
"Ah, that is interesting! Are there chickens?"
"No."
"Nothing is perfect," sighed the fox. But he came back to his idea. "My life is very monotonous," the fox said. "I hunt chickens; men hunt me. All the chickens are just alike, and all the men are just alike. And, in consequence, I am a little bored. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life . I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the colour of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat..." The fox gazed at the little prince, for a long time. "Please, tame me!" he said.
"I want to, very much," the little prince replied. "But I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand."
"One only understands the things that one tames," said the fox. "Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me..."
"What must I do, to tame you?" asked the little prince.
"You must be very patient," replied the fox. "First you will sit down at a little distance from me, like that, in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day..."
The next day the little prince came back.
"It would have been better to come back at the same hour," said the fox. "If, for example, you come at four o'clock in the afternoon, then at three o'clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o'clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you... One must observe the proper rites..."
"What is a rite?" asked the little prince.
"Those also are actions too often neglected," said the fox. "They are what make one day different from other days, one hour from other hours. There is a rite, for example, among my hunters. Every Thursday they dance with the village girls. So Thursday is a wonderful day for me! I can take a walk as far as the vineyards. But if the hunters danced at just any time, every day would be like every other day, and I should never have any vacation at all."
So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near...
"Ah," said the fox, "I shall cry."
"It is your own fault," said the little prince. "I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you..."
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.
"But now you are going to cry!" said the little prince.
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.
"Then it has done you no good at all!"
"It has done me good," said the fox, "because of the color of the wheat fields." And then he added: "Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret."
The little prince went away, to look again at the roses. "You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique in all the world." And the roses were very much embarrassed. "You are beautiful, but you are empty," he went on. "One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you, the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose.
And he went back to meet the fox. "Goodbye," he said.
"Goodbye," said the fox. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
"What is essential is invisible to the eye," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."
"It is the time I have wasted for my rose..." said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.
"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose..."
"I am responsible for my rose," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
How Smart Are You?
1. How do you put a Giraffe into a refrigerator?Correct Response: Open the refrigerator, put in the Giraffe, and close the door.This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.
2. How do you put an Elephant into a refrigerator? Did you say, Open the refrigerator, put in the Elephant, and close the refrigerator? (Incorrect Response) Correct Response: Open the refrigerator, take out the Giraffe, put in the Elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.
3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?Correct Respone: The Elephant. The Elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there. This tests your memory. Okay, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true capabilities.
4. There is a river you must cross but it is inhabited by Crocodiles. How do you manage it? Correct Response: You swim across. All the Crocodiles are attending the animal conference. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.
According to Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), around 90% of the professionals they tested got all questions wrong. But many pre-schoolers got several correct answers. PwC further says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brains of a four year old.
2. How do you put an Elephant into a refrigerator? Did you say, Open the refrigerator, put in the Elephant, and close the refrigerator? (Incorrect Response) Correct Response: Open the refrigerator, take out the Giraffe, put in the Elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.
3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?Correct Respone: The Elephant. The Elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there. This tests your memory. Okay, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true capabilities.
4. There is a river you must cross but it is inhabited by Crocodiles. How do you manage it? Correct Response: You swim across. All the Crocodiles are attending the animal conference. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.
According to Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), around 90% of the professionals they tested got all questions wrong. But many pre-schoolers got several correct answers. PwC further says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brains of a four year old.
Things to Ponder
An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with Krishna. He asks one of his new students to stand and.....Professor: You are a Hare Krishna devotee, aren't you, son?Student: Yes, sir.Prof: So you believe in God?Student: Absolutely, sir.Prof: Is God good?Student: Sure.Prof: Is God all-powerful?Student: Yes.Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to Krishna to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But Krishna didn't. How is this Krishna good then? Hmm?(The student is silent.)Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?Student: Yes.Prof: Is Satan good?Student: No.Prof: Where does Satan come from?Student: From...God...Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?Student: Yes.Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?Student: Yes.Prof: So who created evil?(The student does not answer.)Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?Student: Yes, sir.Prof: So, who created them?(The student has no answer.)Prof: Tell me, son. Do you believe in Krishna?Student: Yes, professor, I do.Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Krishna?Student: No, sir.Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your Krishna?Student: No, sir.Prof: Have you ever felt your Krishna, tasted your Krishna, smelt your Krishna? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Krishna or God for that matter?Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?Student: Yes.Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your Krishna doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?Prof: Yes.Student: And is there such a thing as cold?Prof: Yes.Student: No sir. There isn't.(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light.... But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure.Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it.Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach tour students that they evolved from a monkey?Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?(The class is in uproar.)Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain?(The class breaks out into laughter.)Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it?.....No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.Student: That is it Sir.. The link between man & God is FAITH.That is all that keeps things moving & alive
Why Women Cry
A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she told him. "I don't understand," he said.
His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will." Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?" "All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.
The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry. Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?" God said: "When I made the woman she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort.I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children. I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining. I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart. I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly. And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed." "You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."
His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will." Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?" "All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.
The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry. Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?" God said: "When I made the woman she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort.I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children. I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining. I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart. I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly. And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed." "You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."
A small truth to make life 100%
IF
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZis equal to1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526
HARD WORKH+A+R+D+W+O+R+K8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%KNOWLEDGE11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
LOVE12+15+22+5 = 54%
LUCK12+22+3+11 = 47%
(don’t most of us think this is the most important???? )
Then what makes 100?? Is it money????
NO!!! MONEY13-15+14+5+25 = 72%
Leadership???? NO!!!
LEADERSHIP12+5+1+4+5+18+19+9+16 = 89%
Every problem has a solution, only if we perhaps change our attitude to go to the top…to that 100%What we really need to go further.. a bit more
ATTITUDE1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100% : )
It is our attitude towards life and work that makes our life 100%
Attitude is everything....
What do you guys think about it??????
"Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate."
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZis equal to1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526
HARD WORKH+A+R+D+W+O+R+K8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%KNOWLEDGE11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
LOVE12+15+22+5 = 54%
LUCK12+22+3+11 = 47%
(don’t most of us think this is the most important???? )
Then what makes 100?? Is it money????
NO!!! MONEY13-15+14+5+25 = 72%
Leadership???? NO!!!
LEADERSHIP12+5+1+4+5+18+19+9+16 = 89%
Every problem has a solution, only if we perhaps change our attitude to go to the top…to that 100%What we really need to go further.. a bit more
ATTITUDE1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100% : )
It is our attitude towards life and work that makes our life 100%
Attitude is everything....
What do you guys think about it??????
"Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate."
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
A Journey of Life
A long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered.Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much area as possible.Came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, "Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to bury myself."The above story is similar with the journey of our Life. We push very hard everyday to make more money, to gain power and recognition. We neglect ourhealth, time with our family and toappreciate the surrounding beauty andthe hobbies we love.One day when we look back, we willrealize that we don't really need that much, but then we cannot turn backtime for what we have missed. Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition. Life is definitely not about work!Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life.Life is a balance of Work and Play,Family and Personal time.You have to decide how you want tobalance your Life. Define your priorities, realize what you are able to compromise but always let some of your decisions be based on your instincts.Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of Life, the whole aim of human existence.So, take it easy, do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile, Life is short. Do not take Life for granted. Live a balanced lifestyle and enjoy Life!Watch your thoughts; they become words.Watch your words; they become actions.Watch your actions; they become habits.Watch your habits; they become character.Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.Sunday, April 22, 2007
THE MAYONNAISE JAR AND COFFEE
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hoursin a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar... and thecoffee...A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items infront of him.When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and emptymayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.He then asked the students if the jar was full.They agreed that it was.The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areasbetween the golf ballsHe then asked the students again if the jar was full.They agreed it was.The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more ifthe jar was full. The students responded with an infamous "yes."The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the tableand poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling theempty space between the sand.The students laughed."Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you torecognize that this jar represents your life.The golf balls are the important things. Your family, your children,your faith, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions.Things, that if everything else was lost and only they remained, yourlife would still be full.The pebbles are the other things that matter. Your job, your house,and your car.The sand is everything else. The small stuff.If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, there is noroom for the pebbles or the golf balls.The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on thesmall stuff, you will never have room for the things that areimportant to you.Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups.Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always betime to clean the house and fix the disposal.Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Setyour priorities.The rest is just sand."One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show youthat no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for acouple of cups of coffee with a friend."
Please share this with someone nice.
Please share this with someone nice.
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