It's your life, live it

It is absolutely fantastic to pursue one's dream and calling in life. Unfortunately for some people discovering one's calling is so elusive and sometimes is never realized. Pursuing a dream is more realistic and many persons  pursue their dreams without any consideration as to whether it is a calling or not.

There is a big draw back in life however and it is the fear of trying and also being overly concerned about what other people think. We are programmed to be please people. This goes far beyond maintain the acceptable standards of behavior common to the community. We have been programmed to seek acceptance and have others think highly of us.

It is true that none of us want to be the subject of ridicule by others but our efforts if they hold prospects of progress is often the subject of criticism. We are not programmed to want to see others surpass our achievements. It is interesting that every time a new products comes about that will give an established product some competition the new product is bough out by a big corporation. If there is insistence on providing service through the product then it is squeezed and stifled to death.

It is time to realize and acknowledge that others are looking on with the intention to exploit us. It is very few persons that truly desire seeing us benefit from our God given ability and the things that through inspiration we create. We live in a world that focuses on money and for every dollar we are given the one giving the dollar has already worked out how he will make at least seven dollar in return.

This in no way eliminate the necessity to keep striving and being creative because in each of us lies untapped ability and potential that is beyond imagination. The tree that is loaded with fruit is far removed from the seed that was first planted in the ground. It took a process of time for the seed to become a tree bearing fruit and in each fruit are seed within which are the potential to become trees. A seed if given the right conditions to continue multiplying would eventually lead to infinity.

There has been no new seed invented since time began. New crops came about through others that previously existed. Our dreams are seed that have the same potential as a seed that is planted in the ground.

In the pursuit of our dreams we shall be subjected to change because it is only as we face and overcome the challenges associated with pursuing our dreams that we grow. Life's cycle demands that we grow but we can either determine our growth cycle, let others determine our growth cycle or stagnate and be like dwarfs. As previously said the tree load with fruit is a far cry from the seed from which the fruit tree came. In a similar way we shall in the end be ever so far from where we began but we have to be planted and endure the process of growth before we reproduce. This is why it is a joy and pleasure to pursue dreams and ideas because one day these will not only bear fruit but produce other dreams and ideas.

It is a waste of time to live life trying to please people because no man has yet been able to please everyone.

Those persons who spend their time observing and finding fault with others eventually discover that in their pursuit of seeing what is wrong with others they neglect their own business.

You and I will be blessed with approximately 30,000 days on this earth and one of the great things that we can do is try bring into reality the things imagined in our fantasy.

Man made vs the naural

My wish as always is that you will have a happy Monday

Recently I had the opportunity to spend time in a leading furniture store showroom. On display were the best that was on offer in the surrounding areas which so happened to comprise several cities. The furniture on offer catered to  from the modest in taste to those who could afford luxury.

I personally have no appreciation for what was deemed the finer qualities in furniture and that is why in my mind I thought the whole collection was hideous. I did not express my true thoughts but rather as was expected commented on the beauty and the promises of hedonism that the furniture on display offered.

The reality is that the furniture in the showrooms were for the most part made from man made material and there will not come the day when any piece of furniture in the showroom will weather the years and be regarded by third and fourth generation of children as antique. Rather the furniture were designed to come apart during transportation (the manufacturers already know there will be much bruising and bumping during the process of house changing). Also the furniture are designed and manufactured to ensure that the manufacturer and the furniture store never run out of business.

I so happen to have spent time in the forests and experienced first hand the woodcutters felling trees then cutting the trunk into board. I have spent time with skilled artisan as the rough board is turned on lathe, cut, turned, sawed, sanded etc. and out of these boards produce quality and exquisite furniture. One of the great things is just having the privilege of watching a skilled carver delicately and gently carve exquisite patterns on these furniture and to have the knowledge that these furniture are made from solid wood and will outlast many generations.

The interesting thing is this, that we have been exposed to man made material for so long and have been exposed only to furniture made from man made material that we are subtly lured into believing that there are no other option or alternatives. Oh, yes we have man made wood and man made metal. We are forced to go this way because we are not given options.

Some how we are being lured into not aspiring for the things that are excellent and are lasting. Through the use of mass media we are led to believe what those who stand to gain the most tell us. These persons know very well that if the truth is suppressed and the lie propagated, in time they will switch places.  In a similar way we are being told that historical fact are not true and we should now accept the present rationale.

I am at a disadvantage because I have not yet been exposed to the process by which man made material are manufactured. There are machines that are used in the process. There is one thing that I do know and it is that man made materials cannot withstand the pressure that what is grown and matured naturally can.

It is awe inspiring to  look at a piece of exquisite and beautifully carved furniture and  it is sometimes hard to adjust the mind to the fact that it began as a tree out in the woods. The skills of the craftsmen, artisan and carvers bring out what could otherwise remain just a tree in the woods.

Sometimes we forget that there is great possibilities in our lives but just like how the tree out in the forest cannot make itself into exquisite furniture no more can we by our selves bring out the true potential in our own lives and being. The thing is, however, there are so many persons with potential but they are averse to going through the required process to bring out the best in them and they refuse to acknowledge that they need outside help in achieving their maximum potential.

In the mean time I continue to admire those persons who embrace religion and are discovering the secret to tapping into the higher powers.

Life is worth living

It is absolutely great to be able to look at the future and know that I have found something that should keep me busy and engaged for the rest of my life. I make reference my love for writing and the possibility to explore the many branches that are associated with writing. There remain the possibility that I may earn very little from what I write but the greater thing is the grand opportunity to free my mind and enter new world and spheres when I sit around a computer keyboard. (The good old day of pen, pencil and notebooks are past.)

This for me is absolutely fascinating because I recall the times of hopelessness and despair of the past. Those times of despair, hopelessness and frustration which were absolutely dark and life made no sense to continue living. Suicide was not an option for me so the thought even when it occurred was not entertained. As I write I try to recall  some of those situations that seemed insurmountable. Surprise, surprise, I now look back and I am thankful for some those situations. There are other situations that I cannot recall. Problems and troubles have a way to resolve themselves.

I now look back and recognize that a part of the whole thing was trying to fix situations over which I had no control. There were also a lot of trying to be people pleasing and living up to the expectations and standards of others. Probably the biggest joke just now is realizing that the ones who spoke about the standards the most were the ones that had the bigger problems maintaining the standards. Even now I am sad when I think of how many of these  persons world came crumbling down and they exchanged places with those they abused. I endured shame and ridicule because I was not allowed to develop into who I am but was being coerced into being who others thought I should be.

The tough times of the past I believe were equipping me for the present. I never believed that I could hit rock bottom so many times but hitting rock bottom has been absolutely productive for me and brought out qualities that would probably remain latent in me. This has also caused me to from time to time to audit my life to determine for myself if my life serves a purpose. There are two ways to look at my life, I can either have my own view of where my life should go or I can accede to what others think my life should be.

This past week I had reason to reflect on the fact that we all want money and jobs. There is excitement in us when called for a job interview. The interviewer tells the great benefits and advantages of working for the company but the interviewer will not say how the interviewee will one day get his job or become his boss. In life it is very rare that we encounter someone that accepts that we are the better man and if doors of opportunity are opened then there is also something that is expected in return.

We all are fascinating and unique individuals and our make up is beyond comprehension. This is demonstrated by the fact that identical twins and triplets are not truly identical and although many children are born to the same parents but no two are exactly the same. Children learn from parents and there are things that children learn before being conscious of being taught.

One thing that may be lacking in the teaching process is passing on why we are here and the purpose for life. I am sad when I read of the number of persons in my home country that have chosen to opt out of life by way of suicide. There is an even worse practice where persons because they have access to a cell phone and the internet are ever so quick to post videos and photos on social media. (These persons are also quick to post criminal acts and some of the persons posting to social media commit crimes unknowingly and unintentionally).

The loss of hope is a terrible thing, so also is not recognizing a purpose for ones life. The crazy thing is some of the persons deliberately self destruct to spite friends and relatives. Then, again even in self destructing they were being selfish and not thinking about others.

Life is beautiful and the greatest thing that can happen to a person is to discover a purpose for living and finding pleasure in that pursuit.

No such thing as bad luck

My wish as always is for you to have a happy Monday.

Learning involves repetition and this lead many people to the misconception that they have bad luck because the same seeming misfortune or bad situation keep recurring. The truth being that our desire and/or our destiny lead us into tough situations for us to learn lessons. Learning is not something that is once mastered but require repeating the same thing.

In life there is no such thing as a natural champion. In order to become a champion one must train and practice and in many instances compete against opposition. A champion that has never faced opposition is just a champion in his own eyes because in order to be a champion the champion must overcome every opposition.

Our desires and our destiny will take us to great places but there is the need to be equipped and prepared. This is why life take us into and through tough and difficult situations. It is also why some persons write in their biographies that they graduated from the school of hard knocks or from life's university. These people’s summaries are not true because depending on their goal and aspirations there may be more hardships to endure in life. There are things in life that will not be learnt outside of hardship and tough situations.

In the end the whole is part of a process or cycle and there is the need to understand that there is someone or some great force controlling everything and the situations and circumstances encountered are not arbitrary or accidental but that all things happen for a reason or purpose. We have destinies, goals and desires and life take us to school as part of the preparation process.

I have been reading a small amount of material with regard to science of late. A part of the reason for this is that there are persons who are willing to challenge my Christian beliefs on the grounds of science. This is  a difficult task for me  because the persons who are claiming there is no scientific proof to what I believe are not scientist neither do they read science.

The great thing about science is that scientist examine what exist and present possible answers as to how the thing come into existence. This easily allows for a number of possible answers by the scientist and all are right. In religion the same thing is passed down through many generations.

Scientists have identified stars that are forty light years away (light travels at 670,616,629 mph. and a light year is the distance light travels in one year). Scientists also tell us that our solar system (The Milky Way) has over 100 billion planets and there are in excess of 3000,000,000,000 galaxies in the known universe. These stars are not stationary. In fact time and the courses of the stars are so exact that scientist can make predictions based on this a thousand years into the future.

It is not necessary at this time to debate how this came into being but the stars, suns, moons, planets, comets  etc have a circuit that they travel. A study of the earth also reveals that there is order and purpose. It is reasonable to assume that if the stars etc has a circuit that they travel and on the earth there is order and purpose then the things that happen in our lives are by no means accidental but also serve a purpose.

I often mention that before I could choose whether I wanted to do so or not I was taught the basics of farming by my parents. As I write this article I am reminded of two fruits that are interesting to me and they are oranges and  the otaheiti apples. The fascinating thing about these trees is there are times when fruits are on the same trees at various stages. There are the ripe and matured fruits that are ready to be picked and eaten. There are fruits that are half way to maturity and there are blossoms indicating that a new crop is in the making. All this on the same tree at the same time.

This really should be how the process of science works but the scientists tell us that things take millions and billions of years to occur so we have nothing at present to indicate that this is what will eventually happen.

All too often we are told to set small goal and when the total of the small goals are totaled then we shall have a large sum. If however we look at the workings of the great big universe and accept that it is organized, exist for a reason and serves a purpose then we will see that although we think ourselves as being insignificant we too serve a purpose. There is some power or someone somewhere directing and controlling all.

The mockery of women and motherhood

My wish as always is that you will have a Happy Monday and a Happy Mothers Day on Sunday May 8th, 2016.

Our women have allowed a few vociferous and belligerent females to champion the cause of equality with men to the point that now men are entering their domain and winning they have been caught flatfooted. Some men have entered the women's domain as cross-dressers, transgenders, sex change, the oldest profession on earth among others and are being better than the women. These vociferous females have clamored so long and hard for equality with men that now there is the cry of discrimination by these men that have entered their domain.

The celebration of Mothers Day on Sunday is just one of several days dedicated to motherhood and mothering (Mother's Day is not celebrated the same day in every country) but it becomes more interesting as we become  more scientific, modernized and tolerant. This year there will be children who may have to decide which parent get the Mother's Day gift. There will also be the children who will have explained the phenomena of having two mothers and also those who will have explained why they have no mother (these children have instead two fathers). The children that has a mother and father will soon be considered abnormal.

If the photographs and reports on the internet are to be believed then motherhood have taken a new and interesting twist. There are reports of a family that have gone into business having children for same sex couples. (I was lax so I did not check for the paternity of these children although it is clear it was not one of the same sex couple who will later adopt the children). The joys of motherhood is such a pleasure that even same sex couples do not want to be denied this joy.

The fight by our women for equality with men have always been interesting. A man's make up and hormones makes him naturally aggressive with a desire to dominate. It is also true that from the beginning women desire to have the upper hand over the man. In order for the woman to compete with the man she must cultivate what comes to the man naturally. She cannot use being feminine as an excuse but must compete with the men on the man's turf. The man will willingly hand over to the woman what some females so aggressively fight to get. The very thing for which the females aggressively fight other women sit at home and the men gladly hand over.

If one account of the origin of the human species is given credit then the man has a natural weakness for the woman and will always yield to the woman's persistence, beauty and charm. This is not degrading women in any way but rather it has been know historically that even the worst  of tyrants and bullies have wilted under the scorn of a woman or submitted to being proverbially wrapped around the little (pinky) finger of a woman.

A man without a woman and children in his life is considered to be living a meaningless life and a woman gives life some meaning and sense as I tried to capture when I wrote these lines for a female.

Faultless

Finally, the puzzle of my life, now is complete

With you now in place, the missing piece

No longer blank, that central spot

Conspicuous, out of place like a blot

Time and again there was that wondering stare

One missing piece so obvious it did glare

Such a beautiful picture, yet imperfect

That central spot was not painted as yet

Along you came and fitted into place

The completed picture you did grace

Completed, you became the shining light

Making everything glowing and bright

Like a long dormant volcano coming to life

Or just when needed a sharpened knife

That rumbling what is it all about

It’s just the light that you are sending out

© Prince W Bradford 2016

https://scriggler.com/DetailPost/Poetry/27810

Our world gets even more interesting however with our men entering the women's domain. Now that we have children that should they dare introduce their father or grand father will introduce a woman even more beautiful than their mother and grandmother. Men have to be careful when approaching a seeming woman because it may be a cross-dresser or  a man who had a sex change. That is if he is particular about whom he approaches. The women and female somehow have a harder time hiding their femininity than man their masculinity. There appear to be less women who desire appear to be men than men who want to exploit other men by appearing to be women.

Very recently there was an article that was making a sensation on the internet  that males will soon not be needed for women to produce children. This article generated some excitement for some females through relishing the thought of being rid of men and males. The women did not anticipate men becoming women and beating them at their own game.
 This Mother's Day may it be a joy to all mothers and those involved in mothering and I close with a tribute to women.

    A Tribute to Women

Endowed with beauty both in body and disposition

She is the masterpiece of God's creation
And who can add anything to perfection
Designed and equipped so well to care and nurture
Depository of wisdom that will influence the future
Entrusted with bearing earth's great ones
Nourishing body, mind, spirit and soul
Ensuring the whole being is healthy and whole
Ignoring one's place in the social order
Pope, king, president, or pauper
This is the way and no other
Born cherished and cared
By a woman and mother 

(From: Ready to Rumble © Prince W Bradford published by Create space

http://amazon.com/author/princebradford 

This week's specials

my wish for you is for you to have a Happy Monday.

I am disgusted with the person into which I was slowly being morphed but I am thankful that I had not gotten to the stage where it was irreversible. My ancestors were tough and despite the rigors of forced labor their spirits were not broken but in spite of the hard labor, mistreatment and dehumanizing conditions they had hope, endured and resisted by singing songs and whistling joyous melodies and this spirit is in my genes. My father was a farmer and he knew the uncertainties and disappointments that are associated with farming. Sometimes it was fighting against nature, flood, drought, fire, accident and a host of uncontrollable circumstances. These had to be endured and taken in the spirit that life must go on. This is the spirit that I inherited from my father,that in the harshest circumstances sing a song and whistle a melody of joy and I learned to endure the conditions and circumstances that are associated with farming.

I was taught as a child that it was polite and courteous to greet the persons that are present when I enter a room and this has remained with me into adulthood. Recently I entered a room and greeted all present in the room individually and one person commented, “I have no desire to be as happy as you are.” I certainly did not consider myself as being happy just then and I actually thought, “If you knew my circumstances just now I am sure you would not want to exchange places with me.” The person's comment reminded of some of the missing ingredients of life that were missing around me, that is joy, happiness, mirth and laughter although I was living among the people that was ranked to be among the happiest on this earth. the truth is that I had been ignoring the fact of these missing ingredients for some time.

One day while i was at the public library using the computer and was visiting one of my social media pages I saw a photograph that captured my attention. It was the photo of four African boys that were obviously undernourished and had on no shirts (their backs are turned), one boy said “Did you know that kid in North America are forced to sit in class rooms all day, And if they move around, get excited or make too much noise, they are given drugs to keep them quiet. Their main source of exercise is playing video games and most of their food is fake and full of dangerous chemicals.’ Another boy responded, “This is terrible! We should take up a donation for them.” It so happened that at the time there were school children all around me on other computers in the library. They were engaged in video games that were supposedly entertaining. There was not one voice of joy, happiness or any laughter. These were the vicious voices of bitterness, meanness and anger as simulated wars were fought with guns and enemies were killed. Their language was of such that their mouth could do with cleansing from the most powerful disinfectants although their mouth were just reflecting what was further inside but these children were being entertained.

Entertainment is a multi-trillion dollar industry. Happiness, joy, mirth and laughter are products that results from being entertained and therefore these now come with a price tag. The things that result in any of these products are removed, outlawed, banned and made illegal. those person who desire joy, laughter, happiness and mirth must now pay to be entertained or do so at approved and safe places that are designed for entertainment.

Ever since I was a child I was fed a diet of children that are malnourished and starving in Africa. Now as an adult the trend continues with religious television channels showing malnourished, bang belly, and fly infested, poorly dressed children from Africa to garner funds. It is interesting that African children are said to be the children with the brightest smile but it does not do well to tell and show  this to the world.

On another day I was on social media and there on my page before were photographs of children with the most beautiful smiles. These were children of African descent who were photographed as they enjoyed playing with friends, walking and talking with friends, enjoying games, enjoying the simple things of life and also the smiles of children after an accomplished task. These photographs were taken without the children being aware of the presence of the photographer and were placed in a gallery with the parents’ consent.

The people around me, yes, they laugh but without mirth, the children play but there are no smiles or laughter and the adults are always on edge and may give vent to their rage and frustration at any time. I realize I was being morphed into becoming like these adults, always stressed and under pressure without any sense of ever experiencing joy or happiness and the absence of the prospect of laughing as a result of mirth. I decide to return to smiling, singing and whistling.

The reality is that joy, happiness, mirth and laughter are product that the entertainment industry can provide but their's are not the real thing. The real products lie suppressed and dormant inside of us. I challenge you to release these this week and see the difference that will be in your life.

These products are on special this week and there will be no cost to you because you already have them  on your inside.so go ahead and smile. enjoy whatever comes your way, be happy and when you laugh give a full belly laugh as you laugh with mirth and dont stop smiling.

There is much happening in your favor

My wish is for you to be having a Happy Monday.

One of the greatest assets bestowed on humankind is the mind. This result in human’s ability to reason, conceptualize, analyze, visualize and implement. There are still uncertainties as to how much of the power that resides within the human mind is actually utilized by an individual. There are institutions of higher learning that seek to recruit the best of the best of human mind and intelligence to pass on  the most advanced knowledge acquired by humankind. These institutions of higher learning are so advanced that only a select few dream of entering their doors. The reality is that man is mortal and knowledge must be perpetuated so these institutions recruit those who can take the knowledge learned even further. These super intelligent humans are not restricted to gender, age, race or creed. There are students who have been accepted into institutions of higher learning before their teen years and there are students who were told by their teachers that they were hopeless but later reached heights that will never be reached by their teachers. These super brilliant mind are the ones responsible for sending rockets to the end of the universe to gather information and have men set foot on the moon and then return to the earth. There are many persons who does not care about these things and ask the question, how does this put a meal on my dinner table? There are another set of brilliant minds that are the ones that determine lifestyle, government decisions and although unseen are the one who control the daily lifestyle of the masses. The greatest thing is aspiring to be among those at the top.

It is claimed that at least two thoughts pass through the human mind every minute. At the end of a day these tally up to be a lot of thoughts. There are many persons who pay little or no attention to the thoughts that pass through their minds. The ears know how to distinguish sounds, the nose knows how to identify scents, the eyes recognizes objects, colors etc. and the mind too can be trained to recognize a good thought among all that passes through it. The mind has the capability to recognize thoughts then analyze and formulate thoughts into ideas. There are countless inventions that came about because someone stopped to analyze a thought and formulate an idea then make the idea into something tangible. There is a strong possibility that your success and prosperity are going to be as a results of acting on your thoughts.

The thing that set the human mind apart from other living things is the fact that the human mind is subject to inspiration. Inspiration is the desire to be creative and bring into existence something new. The great thing is that there is no set formula to follow to trigger inspiration. Inspiration may come as a result of deep meditation, or it may be a sudden thought or idea, it may be triggered by events or circumstances or may come as the result of dream while asleep. A thing that is impossible will not occur to the mind. it is the limitations that we set ourselves that make us think a thing is impossible.

Dreams are yet to be fully understood and at best may be described as mental pictures projected by the mind during sleep. Dreams are as old as mankind and have been given so much respect that many authors have taken to writing books on how to interpret dreams. Through dreams many persons have received directions, been warned of danger, found answers to problems, found the secret to their fortune, among countless things. The course of history have been affected through dreams as in the case of Constantine the ancient emperor of Rome. Many times it is in our sleep that our mind come alive and the repressed potential is released and an idea is given of what a human can be as compared to the present state. There may be nothing to a dream but especially in the case of a recurring dream the mind could possibly sending a message. The fact that the mind projects mental images during sleep when the conscious is suppressed is an indication that the full potential of the mind is yet to be utilized.

We may not be among the super intelligent and brilliant ones, but we have been blessed with the ability to think and do not know for sure our full potential. Each minute there are thoughts passing through our minds and the time is always right to train the mind to capture the good thoughts and make these into workable idea. Thoughts and ideas will at time hit us like bolts of lightning and our responsibility is to work on these inspirations. All dreams are not nightmares but our dreams could be an indication that we are not utilizing our full potential. This week is a great weak to make something great happen.