Daily Mood Quote - January 15, 2012

Daily Mood Quote

Day 241 – January 15, 2012

“When you undervalue who you are, the world will undervalue what you do and vice versa.”

~Suze Orman

I admire someone who speaks their mind, especially if he/she knows what they are talking about. Suze Orman speaks her mind and calls it like she sees it. In a recent report by CNN News, she states that, “1 in 3 Americans are living in poverty,” during a George Washington University speaking engagement (see following web link for news story:

http://newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/13/suze-orman-middle-class-will-not-exist/ ).

She also said, “the middle class callers she once had, are now living in poverty.” How in world is this possible?

One in three Americans living in poverty, I have to repeat it to make sure that I heard it correctly, yes, I did. Have we fallen so far down the economic scale, that the possibly of the middle class becoming extinct is on the horizon? She also stated that 28% of children born into the middle class today, will be in poverty by the time they are adults. I guess it might be safe to say, that college is out of the question, because it won't be affordable. Even if a poor person gets a job, will the money be enough to buy food for the table and keep a decent roof over their heads? Or, is that too much to ask (Thank you Jimmy Stewart from It's a Wonderful Life.) It's not a wonderful life anymore.

There is real pain and suffering attached to the fact that the gap between the wealthy and those stricken with poverty, or at least “income challenged” in the new vernacular, is becoming wider and less easily crossed. I know that today I am on a bit of soap box, but I feel that some things need said. The first is, that we all have had a hand in creating this sad financial era. We as a nation have bought into the credit laden, underfunded, economic meltdown in several key areas. And I admit, for a while I bought into it too. Easy credit and the fantastical daydream that income would rise along with prices, cast a spell of consumerism, that helped drive so many families to the brink of disaster; it only took a single downturn to shove us over the edge. At the same time, we became apathetic and abdicated our civil duty to be mindful of who we elected into Congress. That little slip allowed law after law to be passed and the controls to the economy to be slowly and insidiously passed to the financial markets since the Reagan Era. It didn't happen over night. Nobody was accountable and nobody was at the helm and everybody believed that it was okay; as long as we got our new home and a 50” LCD television. We let the “experts” run the show. Kind of like the fox guarding the hen house. Ergo, shipwrecked economy. It wasn't a question of if, it was a question of when. History is cyclic and the Bush (W.'s) administration thought they could avert the oncoming recession by starting a war in the Middle East. That's how we got out of the Great Depression (WWII), but, it cost us millions of lives. And the Cold War spurred financial gains via new technology; soooo......

Unfortunately, we live in a much different world today and economies are intertwined so deeply; to hurt one is to hurt all, including ourselves. Oil prices jumped and the wealth went to the commodities speculators who sat on the cash, unlike those in the past who spread it around by hiring and building economies. The “Technology Boom” in the United States is also fading quickly, as formerly third world nations can build it quicker, faster and most importantly, cheaper. Remember the transistor radio and how it spurred the Japanese economy? No new technology, because NASA (which spurred the new technological breakthroughs, is now a shadow of its former self) cannot come to save the day.

So much for the history lesson and now we are at the bottom of the curve again. So how do we get out of this mess? This is just my humble opinion, from Southwest East Podunkville. Our parents, in some cases our parent's parents, had the right idea. First, get ready for a long haul and then stop digging deeper! Stop spending on credit (personally, I think credit card companies need to fail, as they prey on financially challenged people. Their era is over.). It took a long time to get in this hole, the balance of things means it'll most likely be a long climb out. The key is to not give up and start to vote out the “Bozos” who have “served” (I use that term loosely) more than two terms in Congress and demand that our government work together, or they will be unemployed too. Personally, I believe that last statement is probably a small affront to clowns, because they at least work for a living. Also, demand reform of campaign finance laws to return the balance of power to the people, not the corporate lobbyist. A business that cannot even vote, should not have more power to influence than a single voter. That's the way the framers of our Constitution wanted it (my opinion here). Secondly, The public in general needs to think about how we are spending, and saving. Don't trust your employer to “invest for you,” pension funds and securities backed 401Ks are a fraud. Granted, money is scarce; but instead of the big TV, get the smaller one, (only if you really need it) and put the rest away. Skip the 1000 channels and opt for the package that doesn't break you. Put it in a low yield “safe” savings bond, or in an SNL, skip the big banks, because their fees will make it evaporate. Yes prices will continue to spiral, but resist the urge to cash it in. Buy on sale and buy what you need. When you get a chance stock up a bit on essentials. Nothing kills a budget faster than constantly running out of something, then “running out” to get what you ran out of. When you have enough to invest without digging into savings, invest in companies that make things you like and use and be prepared for slow returns. Like Michael Douglas (Gordon Gekko) said in Wall Street Never Sleeps, “The mother of all evil is speculation.” Be patient and never stop saving. Then teach your children the same and make it stick. Also, use the internet for what it is best at, providing information; learn everything you can about that which inspires your heart and about prudent economics.

Somehow, some where along the line, I believe we got lost or caught up in “keeping up with the Joneses” My name isn't Jones, so why should I try to keep up with them? Here is my thought, I have met the Joneses and those keeping up with the Joneses and personally, it's just not worth the effort, life is too short to keep playing catch up. I choose to enjoy life, not worry about the things other's have.

Rule #32, “enjoy the little things.” (thank you Woody Harrelson (Tallahassee) and Jesse Eisenberg (Columbus) from the movie Zombieland).

What kind of future are you leaving for the next generation?

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Daily Mood Quotes - January 5, 2012

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 231 – January 5, 2012

“Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.”

~Dalai Lama

I like the Dalai Lama's quotes because they are true, regardless of what religion you may follow or faith you may ascribe too. I have always said, the truth is the truth no matter its source. You can't run from it, you can't hide it and you can't bury it under religious dogma. Although many have tried, the truth always has a way of coming to the surface.

How many of us consider ourselves to be a compassionate person? I'm sure many of us delude ourselves on this one. It is very easy to say you're a compassionate person, but actions speak louder than words. Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/compassion) describes compassion as, “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.” It's not only an action, its a feeling too, the urge to “help.” But yet, in our world, many of us turn too easily away from those who have been stricken with misfortune and make statements like “better them than me,” or “glad its not me,” or “It's not my problem,” or “it must be their own fault;” which by the way seems to be the insidious position of most GOP candidates and a rabid minority that haven't had life collapse around them. The erroneous belief is; “they must of done something wrong to deserve the misfortune in their lives.” Well gee whiz kids, bad things happen to good people all the time. Ask the people in Joplin, Missouri; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; drought victims in Texas, or the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Sometimes, you can do everything right and for the right reason and still have everything go horribly wrong. Been there, done that; its just that simple. The thing is, nobody is immune to suffering tragedy, or loss in their lives. From the best of us to the worst of us, that is a constant of the human condition. Compassion for those who have fallen on hard times, regardless of causality is essential, if we are to continue as a civilization.

Here's what I mean: If you look across the span of history at major human contributions, things that have really made the world a better place, you will find that there have been as many, if not more positive contributions from children of adversity, than there have been from children of privilege. It has often been acts of compassion which have provided those children of adversity with the opportunity to contribute to the betterment of all of mankind. I will bet (if I were a betting woman) that if you were to sum it all up and graph it out (which I will not attempt to do), that simple small acts of compassion have spawned more great achievements and leaps in wisdom and knowledge, than all the icy facts and figures accumulated in the world. So, when you reach out to somebody with compassion, you stand a good chance of not only helping them, but yourself and all of mankind, because you never know where that next great contribution will be coming from.

I realized we live in a judgmental age. We spoke recently about the “me” versus the “we” and peoples need to find some manner of ascendency over other people, not for the sake a being a better person, but for the sake of being better than...That is not a good thing, the thinking here is all backward. The world is just too small and there are far too many people for that mindset to continue. There will always be somebody better and there will always be somebody who needs a hand-up (compassion) to make a go of it. Jayler Bardem said, “I think we are living in selfish times. I'm the first one to say that I'm the most selfish. We live in the so-called “first world,” and we may be first in a lot of things like technology, but we are behind in empathy.” There isn't a big leap between empathy and compassion. Empathy is the feeling, compassion is the impulse to reach out. You need both. Unless of course you wish to wind up like Mr. Potter (played by Lionel Barrymore) in It's a Wonderful Life, when George Bailey (James Stewart) said to Mr. Potter, “People were human beings... But to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well in my book, my father died a much richer man than you'll ever be!”

I came across a quote by an unknown author that I feel applies today, “it is lack of love for ourselves that inhibits our compassion toward others. If we make friends with ourselves, then there is no obstacle to opening our hearts and minds to others.” I am no psychologist for sure but, I think maybe it's possible people are dispassionate and non-empathic because they're so afraid of somebody taking advantage of them, that they have forgotten that it is the exception, not the rule; no matter what we may hear on the evening news, or online. A little investigation and common sense is all that's needed to discern between the two. I believe that fear (the original evil) has driven us into ourselves and away from our fundamental humanity. To me is the saddest thing and the first step on the dysfunctional road to making the world a more bitter, not a better place. My father in-law once said (I'm paraphrasing) “You'll find more answers by looking outside than by staring at what's in your closet.” And so it is. Compassion is always a step in a better direction.

How will you demonstrate, feel compassion today?

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Daily Mood Quotes - December 6, 2011

Daily Mood Quotes

Day 214 – December 6, 2011

“Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it every day.”

~Unknown Author

It is the holiday season and everyone I know has something they love about this season. I'm no different. I like the decorations and the television holiday specials like; It's a Wonderful life with James Stewart and A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott, but the thing I like the most is the music. My favorite holiday song is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Many of us have sung this song at one time or another in our life, but do we ever “listen” to the words and understand their meaning? When I was a child, I would sing the songs and never really pay attention to the meaning. I knew the words of the song, but never what the song was saying. It wasn't until I was an adult that it hit me like a lightening bolt. I was in the military and a co-worker said to me after we finished singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (badly, both out of tune and maybe a little tone deaf), “do you know what that song means?” My response was, “its a song, it has no meaning, you sing it and then your done.” Being young, inexperienced and naïve I thought I had that answer down pat. Boy, was I wrong. My co-worker, who was from another country, told me the song was about acceptance, or in Rudolph's case, not being accepted because he was different. I must tell you, this was my very first lesson in human diversity and I was ashamed that I fell into the category of being blithely unaware.

You see, I grew up in a racially mixed and culturally diverse neighborhood. My friends had parents that came from all walks of life and their surnames read like a map of the world. So, I never gave a second thought to how most people view others, who may be of different race or religion. To me they were always just people. I was more interested in if they behaved in a civilized manner, than where their ancestors may have called home. This, like all human action, was/is both good and bad. First, to so many ancestral culture is a source of deep pride and identity. To ignore that is to miss out on the fundamental essence of the person(s) humanity, their unique gifts and the necessity of diverse points of view and that's not really fair. But on the good side, seeing everyone as equal from the start levels the playing field and provides a baseline of behaviors for peaceful co-existence.

The late Martin Luther King Junior said in his landmark speech, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."” The speech in its entirety is an oratorial masterpiece in my opinion and its point is clear. We all need to adjust our viewpoints to be inclusive, not exclusive. We all need to be open to change and the benefits of a free and open society. More importantly, we all need to rise and live up to the promise of freedom and justice, that those brave souls in our military still fight for today. It is good to remember that we are in fact all descendents of immigrants. This holds true for every corner of the country and quite honestly the entire globe. Our not too distant ancestry is common (biologically speaking) and all of humanity has emigrated to where we find ourselves now.

I think it's disconcerting and eerily ironic that in the case of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, “poor Rudolf” was excluded from everything until there was a dire need and he the only solution. Well shame on those ignorant reindeer and even to Santa for fostering an atmosphere of exclusion (at least in the song)... I still deeply believe in the Spirit of Christmas. We have real issues in this nation and in the world; it is a shame that we are letting our petty differences, especially where we may have come from, interfere with the common and urgent needs of humanity. You never know when the next urgent need will arise in your life, who the next “Rudolph” might be, or where he or she may come from. Or, will we like Ebeneezer Scrooge (played by George C. Scott) uttered in the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, “What have I done... to be abandoned like this?” It's better to play nice! Did we not learn anything in kindergarten?

Melissa Etheridge said, “I feel my heart break to see a nation ripped apart by it's own greatest strength---it's diversity.” Something to think about.

How will you view differences today?

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Daily Mood Quote - November 2, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quotes

Day 182 – November 2, 2011

The kind of society which we still have is maybe, in some cases, getting worse. Competition is becoming a virtue. Intense competition drives people to go more and more into self-interest. Even to see other folks as competition.

~Major Owens

Self-interest to a point is a requirement for living. You need to take care of the needs; food, water, Maslow's hierarchy of needs. But in oh so many cases, somewhere between needs and wants, things get very fuzzy, very fast. When you have to make a decision about the basic things in life, including sustaining your life then few can argue about its necessity, only the way you go about doing it. However, when someone puts their wants ahead of common decency, morality, their humanity, then no matter how wealthy they are, or how much is gained, they certainly become less of a human. No perfume can cover the stink of it. No platitudes offered by fair weather friends, can cover the din of the internal voices calling them out. How many of the “wealthy 1%” go to psychiatrists or therapy regularly? How many run themselves ragged trying to make up for it, by chasing charity after charity, not really doing anything positive - just throwing cash at it to absolve themselves?

John Steinbeck said, “It has always seemed strange to me...the things we admire in men, kindness, and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second.” Does anyone other than me find this painful and “inconvenient” truth disturbing? I guess it really depends on how you define success. If one measures success by the things they have; know that no matter how many things they possess, they will always want more. This is exactly what hell is; forever wanting. And, all of it, all the “things” people place value in, can disappear in a flash. I know this from experience as a victim of identity theft. We lost everything we ever worked for, and I mean the product of a thousand 18-20 hour days and sleepless nights, house and all.

So, what's the other success? Try this one on for size: “Success as a human being; to know at the end of the day, you have done your best to do what is right. And at the end of your life, you have left the world a better place than you found it.” On the surface it looks easy, but it is far more challenging than amassing all the riches of Midas. Let's talk a little bit about King Midas; Yes. I know it's a fable, but all good and enduring fables are based in truth. He got his wish to be wealthy beyond all measure; everything he touched was gold. That meant he could never touch anything that meant something to his heart, because it would turn to gold. This included someone he loved and oh by the way, I don't image the gold toilet paper was any fun either...annnnd how exactly did he scratch an itch?

The thing is, the things that truly matter you can't amass, except in memory. The things that truly matter to humans are not the fortunes stacked away in vaults, digital or real, but in the richness of looking beyond oneself and toward making the world we live in a better place for the next generation. That will endure. In the movie It's A Wonderful Life with James Stewart (George Bailey), Clarence (played by Henry Travers) said, “Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends.” Fair weather friends excluded, because they too disappear when the “things” disappear.

Self-interest is the common disease of humanity and its the one that poses one of the greatest long-term threats to our growing population. Imagine seven billion souls bumping around, thinking only of themselves. That's a horror story that even Steven King dare not write, or maybe he will. Okay I'm off the soap box now. See you tomorrow.

What will be your “interest” today.

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Daily Mood Quote - June 30, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 57 – June 30, 2011

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. 

~Mark Twain

Today's Daily Mood Quote is a thank you. I want to say thank you to all who read Daily Mood Quotes regularly. I would also like to thank everyone for passing the link along, that is very kind of you and I appreciate it. Daily Mood Quotes is currently being read in 30 countries with good reviews.

It seems in today's world, despite all the advanced education and technology available to us, the simple courtesies of life have gotten lost. I would say a lost art, but that implies it requires talent. It doesn't. It requires respecting other people, no matter their station in life, their ethnicity, or cultural differences. Anyone can do that. So why don't we? I see this absence of respect and courtesy everyday, whether I am on the phone, online or in public. Self-involvement, without regard to others, seems to be running rampant. It sometimes feels as if people believe, because they have money, technology or both, they don't need anyone or anything else, including manners.

Image if these manner-less people went to a supermarket and no one was there to stock the shelves, or to provide the multitude of other services we use everyday. Suddenly, they would need them, wouldn't they? People often take too much for granted, including other people. It is amazing how a simple sincere “thank you” can lift the spirits of the people who receive it and the people who give it. It's a win-win. So, why don't we all do it? I don't pretend to know the answer to that.

No one achieves any kind of success without the help of others, somewhere along the line, no matter who you are or where you are, someone has helped you or provided a service that assisted you. It would seem that a simple thank you would be more than worth the time and effort. William Arthur Ward said (I am paraphrasing here), “We are given a gift of 86,400 seconds a day. Have you used one to say “thank you?”

I have looked diligently for a movie that spoke directly about saying thank you and being thankful and couldn't find one that seemed to fit the simple "thank you" I'm referring too. A lot of movies made reference to it: like, It's a Wonderful Life, when George Bailey (played by James Stewart) who was thankful to Clarence (played by Henry Travers) for showing him just how wonderful his life really was. So, no movie quote today, just a personal note to say “Thank you” for making Daily Mood Quote a part of your day and for being a part of the Daily Mood Quotes Family.

Which one of the 86,400 seconds today, will you use to say thank you?

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