Musical performance of 'One God' brings sense of song's immortality

[caption id="attachment_22113" align="alignleft" width="560"] Performers Kathy Songbird and Mark Hall[/caption]

Carol Forsloff--In the world of music many songs have been forgotten, that were uplifting at the time they were written, then put on a back shelf and seldom heard again.  But one has been brought back, dusted off, renewed and made particularly beautiful with the superb talents of a songstress named Kathy Songbird and a pianist/music producer of consummate skill, Mark Hall.  The song is of the nature that it brings a sense of immortality to music, the kind for whom fine music was created.

The song "One God" was performed by Mario Lanza more than 50 years ago, although no permanent recording of it can be found.  Later Barbra Streisand and Johnny Mathis sang it in a duet.  The Streisand - Mathis rendition is part of YouTube offerings, yet it languishes at times in the heap of non-music material as well as lesser tunes without the same level of skill and measure of permanence and perfection as this great song, "One God."

This time, with the new recording by Hall and Songbird,  the song simply soars on what feels like the wings of peace itself, as it reminds us over and over in the stanzas throughout that God belongs to us all, regardless of race, religion, culture, location, and that wherever man prays, answers come.

Often the message there is one God is forgotten in the hue and cry of what's better and who's better and the message of everlasting love given by the great prophets of man's antiquity is lost in the din of political and religious strife.  Yet when we focus on what binds us as creation, what rises above all other issues, to affirm our unity, our connections and our every-lasting spirits that make us special in what has been called the likeness of God, we are reminded we are more alike than we are different.  Because we all have a relationship with the Creator, each in our own way.  In fact, it is often said that each man finds his path, and on that path is often found the Divine.

As James Henry Leigh Hunt tells us, God loves those who don't believe in Him but do indeed practice the love He offers to all, regardless of where they may be and what their faults and foibles might occur.  In that poem "Abou Ben Adhem" the message brought by an angel tells us in God's Book of Gold one who practices love is honored most.

In affirmation of "One God" is the song composed by Ervin Drake and Jimmy Shirl.  It is the kind of song that is memorable for many reasons,  with its lyrics and melody.  But it is made even more memorable by talented professionals who have the distinction of making music special with everything they perform.  In this case, that special performance of Songbird and Hall was reinforced in its final mixing by the detailed music brush of Darcy Jeavons, with just her bits of musical angel dust to make what was already golden, shine with added brilliance.

"One God", now on YouTube and Fandalism,  is performed by the soprano known as Kathy Songbird, whose thrilling voice has captured the hearts of thousands of her friends and followers, and the masterful piano of Mark Hall, whose music is heralded by many musicians as among the best. His production mastery reveals the truest measure of beauty for the song.   The video contains pictures of people of various faiths in worship and in prayer, along with pictures of God's creation, focusing not on any sectarian view but one that represents a universal representation of God and His love, regardless of the names by which He is known among men, for the song reminds us there is one God, loving us all. Additional pictures are provided from the Forsloff collection of photos from World Religion Day in Shreveport in 2008.   The song is for all seasons, all faiths and for people everywhere as a reminder of how all men and all creation are part of the world of one God.

On New Year's Day let us celebrate together a new beginning, as we would like those kindergarten children who, as told related by Robert Fulghum in  All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten  reminded us, hold hands as they cross the street.  And as we cross the streets throughout our lives, it's a message that might ring well for us all, the message of One God that we are all God's children, united by His love.

The song can be found at two locations, and others will be posted as updates to this article:

http://fandalism.com/carolforsloff/cEGl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1vc442zo-0

 

The Waitress' Tip: An original Christmas Story

[caption id="attachment_22039" align="alignleft" width="403"] Waitress[/caption]

Carol Forsloff----Her feet hurt. So many customers on the holiday, but she had to work that day at the restaurant, as it was one of the places open at Christmas. And she was too far from home and family with little money to travel, so it was just as well to be there serving people with the smile she maintained in spite of the waitress work that required her to stand and walk so many hours.

Across the room an elderly man sat alone, staring out the window watching the snow fall on the ground, covering it so well that the brilliance of the day was lit with the sun that shone and made the trees all around seem almost to glitter like Christmas lights. The man was smiling as she came to take his order.

“Do you know what you want to eat? “ she asked, watching the old man looking at the menu, then up at her with his eyes that now sparkled with a few tears. “Some toast,” he said, “I'm not very hungry right now, but thank you for this window where I can watch the day. And a little water too, if you don't mind.”

“Is that all?” she asked again. The man looked up and shook his head, then turned to the window, as she went to fill his order.

She was new at the restaurant, having arrived in the city just months ago, finding her way to a job that could complement the hours she needed to be at school. And it was convenient to the small apartment, just a few blocks walk on a not-too-busy street. So the manager approached her patiently, as she passed by, after taking the old man's order and said, “That old man comes here every Christmas, and that's all he orders. You won't get much of a tip. He's some homeless guy I see around the area. He's harmless, I guess, but I wouldn't spend much time with him. After all, it's a busy day. Besides I don't think he has any money to even pay for the meal.”

She looked again at the old man. He could be her grandfather, she missed so much; and she recognized in those bright, blue eyes a certain charm indeed. His clothes were worn from age and the streets where he likely lived much of the time. What was Christmas, she thought, but a time to think about someone else. Besides it gave her something to think about away from friends and family and going home after work alone.

She watched until the manager had moved away into another area of the restaurant, took another order, then stepped back into the kitchen and told the cook, “Add some eggs and a little sausage to the order and a hot cup of coffee too.” She reached into her pocket and knew she had made enough in tips that it would be easy to pay the bill. 

His face was filled with joy as she took the plate to that window seat and said, “No charge. A gift from the restaurant to you,” then returned to her other customers waiting at tables in various places nearby and took the money, as if he had given it to her then, and placed it in the register along with the order's receipt.

The old man was gone soon after, an empty plate left, and the snowflakes falling outside as she watched him walk away, along the path leading to the streets beyond. And in his place another man was sitting, this time a simply dressed one with a gentle look of peace and kindness. So she went again to wipe the table and take another order. The man spoke softly, saying, “I cannot stay. I just came in to find my friend's gloves. I'm taking him home today. “ She saw the gloves in the man's hand she recognized from the earlier customer who had disappeared from view. 

“Do you know where he went?” she inquired. The man looked then with a countenance filled with light and love, eyes of wisdom she had never seen before. “I know where he lives. I thought I would find him here.”

She turned and left, watching the gentle, kindly face smile as he moved to the door and left with the gloves to find his friend.

The day moved quickly then, as her feet began to throb with the many served; and she could scarcely wait to leave, go home and sleep awhile. She found her coat and watched as the restaurant lights turned off, as customers had gone, then put it around her shoulders. She wished she could see her family now, but her dad had lost his job near Christmas; and there was none to send her to make the trip that holiday to be with those she loved.

Her hands reached into the pockets, to keep warm as she ended the workday. The manager approached and said, “You were talking to yourself over there. Anything bothering you?” 

“No, “ she responded. “I was talking to the fellow who was here just a short time ago. He came to find gloves the elderly man before him had left behind and said he would find his friend and take him home.”

“But there was no one there,” the manager told her. “You must have been tired by then. It's good the day is over. I'm tired too. Go home and get some rest."

She walked outside, the snow still falling all around her, gently caressing her face. Strange, she thought. I knew someone was there. I saw him. Something in the pocket crinkled in her hand, and she took it out and read the words under the street lights, transfixed with the message and inside the folded paper she had found.

“Here is your tip. You earned it. But you earned even more, for you know what Christmas is for everyone; and this blessing is for you. I have taken the homeless man with me where he will always have plenty and his time will be filled with the joy and love and the memory of the gift you gave today.” 

A generous tip, $1000, she found inside the note, as she read the final lines: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself" and then was added this, "As you have loved Me so will you have life in abundance." 

 

The Christmas story from the Book of Luke offered for interfaithunderstanding

Although historically there are questions regarding the specific date of the birth of Jesus the Christ, most of the world celebrates Christmas somewhere between December 25 and the end of the first week of January.  In many homes the holiday begins on Christmas Eve, the night when the story of the birth is finally unveiled with the proclamations of the mission of Christ.  This selection from the New Testament is one often read during these days, offering for all the key to understanding of the faith of the Christians.

Luke 2:1-20

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  And everyone went to his own town to register.  So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,  and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."  When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,  and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Listen to the 'Songbird' of music to a voice you won't forget

[caption id="attachment_20819" align="alignleft" width="160"] Kathy Songbird[/caption]

Carol Forsloff-----In a world of competition for who’s the best, there are those yet undiscovered major talents that provoke many of us to say to ourselves, “That person is so talented she should be on a national stage.”  This is often said about Kathy Songbird, a vocalist whose singing soars above almost anyone and who surely should be among those who have attained great fame.

Kathy Songbird is the stage name for Jan Jackson who combines physical attractiveness with a voice that stuns her listeners.  She is one of the outstanding performers on a site called Fandalism, where she has numerous fans.  Along with musical talent, Kathy is also known for her kindness and sensitivity for the welfare of others that she often expresses in friendly mail and chats with friends.

An interview with this could-be, should-be Broadway talent brought additional insight into the musical background, interests and musical attitudes that go with being the kind of woman anyone would want as a friend and the kind of musical skill that any producer would embrace.

1.       When did you begin to perform music? At what age did you start singing or playing an instrument?

I started singing in church at age 7. I have been singing since I was 4 according to my Mom

2.       Did you learn music by having lessons or did you learn on your own?

I took piano lessons from my grandmother and took voice lessons at the Conservatory of Music   in Kansas City for a time.

3.       Who encouraged you the most in learning and performing music?

My grandmother loved to hear me sing and she would play piano while I did. She felt I had a gift and I am thankful to her for her support as well as my family.

4.      Have you been primarily a soloist or member of a band?

I sang with the Rocky Rockwell Band as lead singer and also with the Bill Woody Combo band as lead singer. I also did many gigs by myself playing keyboard and singing.        

5. Are you a fan of some of the television programs like “The Voice” or “America's (or your country) Got Talent”or American Idol or any of the other programs that present contests?

I do enjoy watching the Voice and American Idol...love to see the talent that is out there.

6.  What motivated you initially to be involved in music?

I have loved music from as long as I can remember. Singing along with music on the radio from a very early age. Music is my love.

7. What are your personal favorite music genres? Who are some of your favorite performers?

I love blues, ballads, Broadway, the classics from days gone by...even country Barbra Streisand is my all-time favorite vocalist.

8.  Do you compose music?

I have tried writing some songs...I hear the melody in my head but have never done it seriously.

9.  Do you have other family members who play music?

My father played piano by ear, my grandmother on the piano, and my brother plays guitar. 

10.  Are you active in a music group of any kind?

I presently am with KC Cabaret...a great group of talented singers.

11.   How often do you play music, including for your own recreation?

I am always singing, even if I don't post a song publicly. I play my keyboard often also. 

12.   What barriers have you found in the music business? What do you think might improve the music business?

It is very hard to find places to perform and so many places only want certain styles of music and people of a certain age. It would be wonderful if there were ways to find out what is available in the city you live in.

13.   Are you active in any music organizations such as ASCAP or BMI?

I am not active in any music organization at the present time. 

14. Would you encourage a young person starting out to seek music as a career?

I would strongly recommend any young person who has an ambition to put their music out in the world to find out where and how they can go about that. I hear young singers/musicians and I pray that someone will discover them. 

15.   Where do you see the future of music?

Music will be around forever....it is the one thing that can touch even the hardest heart. It makes us cry, laugh, feel emotions that we may have been hiding. Without music the world would be a very sad place

16.   What are your personal music goals?

I do wish I could get with someone and we could perform music for people, be it a band or maybe someone to just play piano for me. Love seeing the smiles on people's faces when I sing for them...money isn't important, it is just the love of music I have in my heart and I love spreading that joy around. God gave me a gift and I thank Him each day for it. 

And as Kathy thanks God for the gift of her voice there are many people who thank Him and Kathy as well for the voice of an angel many people love, that you will too, once you have a listen at the following sites:

http://www.youtube.com/user/songbird18MO?feature=watch

https://soundcloud.com/kathy-songbird

http://fandalism.com/kathysongbird

 

It's the time for solace in the 'Survivor's Prayer'

Moroccan child at prayer

Carol Forsloff---More than three years ago I wrote an article to comfort and console all of us who need ways of dealing with stressful events.  Recently the violence in Kenya, the shooting on the military base in America, and last year's terror at Sandy Hook, weather disasters and a host of other problems offers that time to find that hopeful voice that might bring some relief and is called "The Survivor's Prayer."

If you want to survive the worst of times, rely on that small voice within you to do it.  Follow that voice to your ultimate talents and creativity.  Because what has been found is that creativity and knowledge flourish when times are difficult.  It seems that the rock pushed under the earth the longest turns out to be the most beautiful diamond.  Perhaps it is the same with people.

These are the times when diamonds can be created in great numbers.  Each of us has the light of God and therefore the ability to shine before the world as our Creator intended.  Regardless of what faith we have, what denomination, even those who believe that God is within mostly can recognize that the guiding voice we all share speaks firmly to us when we struggle.  Out of that struggle can come our truest realization of who we are, each a spark of God.  Out of that struggle can come divine inspiration.  Great artists who painted the most beautiful pieces of art, our masterpieces, suffered mightily at times.  That doesn’t mean we should seek to suffer, but instead of looking abjectly upon our fate, we can look within from which comes our greatest strength.

Through the expression of one’s art and one’s service, the ultimate prayer is given.  When we use our talents to help others, educate others, guide others, or give others pleasure, there is an intrinsic value that returns to us.  We give to others and receive in turn, the very joy in the act of our creating.  So it is that the musician smiles and sings along with what he or she has done; the artist looks back at the canvas in the joy and awe of that creation.  Somehow those who create know that they themselves are limited and that the gifts that come seem to manifest themselves unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, on a crowded street at dusk or on a lonely road that seems to go nowhere.  Many times creativity comes at the beginning of wakefulness in those early morning hours.  Perhaps it is then that our prayers that stir in the night are offered up, and we begin anew to transform ourselves and each other no matter how our lives may be at the time.

That is the prayer we need to remember, the prayer that says thank you for life itself, for our talents for our many and diverse gifts.  For it is through these gifts, these prayers that come from what we do, can allow us to ultimately survive.

The ones who tune themselves into the whispers of God, hear the voice in everything they do.  That’s the motivator, that small voice within us that says you can do it.  You can get past it.  You can get on with it.  Your mission is ahead.  Let nothing stop you.  Put obstacles aside and focus on your riches.  The messages come in whispers; your responses can come in shouts that are manifested by your products, your creations, your service, your dedication to what the God within and without allows you to be.

Why most relationships do not work

[caption id="attachment_16144" align="alignright" width="283"] A pinched and bitter facial expression[/caption]

Ghenrietta Gordon — My goal for writing this article is to let people not only understand why most relationships do not work but start living healthier and fuller lives without worrying about their relationships as well as trying to change them. I am not going to talk about well beaten-up things, like mutual respect and trust, as they should be in any relationship by all means. I will talk about something much deeper and intricate, something everyone should be aware of and hopefully be open enough to use for their own benefit.

As we no longer live in the dark ages, one should be somewhat familiar with some of the laws which involve energy exchange. The famous phrases from the Bible, such as God works in mysterious ways, or everything happens for a reason, are yet to prove their point. As we all know, energy is all about vibration. Vibration on the other hand maintains itself on various levels; some are lower and some are higher. In simple language, every one of us has our own level of vibration, depending on our thought process, whether it is more positive or negative, our emotions, and our general health. In the astral world, alike attracts alike. With that said, we attract people who match our own vibration. Not a single relationship, personal or business, happens without any rhyme or reason. Everything has been calculated, if you will, with such precision by the Higher universe that nothing we do happens at a random course.

One thing people should realize is that there are no, and I repeat, there are no perfect relationships. It does not come from a pessimist either. It is a simple law we evolve around, and it cannot be done in any other way. There is no perfection in human relationships simply because there isn’t a human who is perfect. If a relationship could be perfect, any relationship that is, that would contradict any known law in the Universe simply because it is not possible—not now, not with our mindset, not in our society. So why waste your time on trying to change someone or your relationship in general when it is not possible? Everyone has his own flaws and bad characteristics; there are no flawless people; therefore there are no flawless relationships. Do not try to change your partner—the change should come from within. The secret is to change yourself first, then you can change another. Once again, it’s all about your personal vibration—the other person subconsciously responds to your vibration without realizing it.

Also, start paying attention to what you are saying to your partner when you are mad at him/her. You will be surprised at how similar and perhaps alike the flaws you are calling out in him are matching up your own. Remember the golden phrase—we attract people into relationships who have our own flaws! Alike vibration only can attract the same kind; there is no other way. We do not realize it but we live with someone who portraits our own bad characteristics we need to work on; that is why we are dating or married to them. Your partner helps you work on these flaws if you learn to see them and accept them, and not make a conflict out of them. I would like everyone to understand that there is absolutely no fault or blame that should be put on anyone in any relationship.

One always undergoes an invisible cleansing, so to speak, with the help if his partner. Do not try to change that other person. Just learn to listen to them and see what they are pointing out in you. Do not try to argue with them; help them understand they should not blame you or anyone else in these flaws. Instead, just sit down and calmly listen to them—when they are calling your bad character traits, they are calling their own character traits they should be working on. If everyone realized it, the world would be a much relaxed place. There is too much hate and blame in people for one another, where in fact everyone should be looking within and try to come in peace with his own character traits and appreciate his own attributes. Everyone wants and deserves to be happy, and the change should start from within.

When you change your own thought pattern for the better, you automatically change your own vibration; only then you start attracting different people and different relationships. As long as you evolve on the same kind of negative mindset, thinking that relationships are bad and they do not work, you will be attracting bad relationships because that is what you are thinking and expecting; that is where your vibration is; those are the kind of people you will be attracting. As a recap, one attracts what one thinks. We are attracting a certain kind of people (in relationships) for a reason, the people who match our own vibration, people who have our own flaws; and if we listen to ourselves, what it is that we don’t like about them or even hate, we will know for sure what we personally need to work on. Do not get angry at that other person; they are here to help you overcome your own fears and fix your own flaws. You always have to change within first if you want other people to change around you.

The change in energy vibration takes about four months for you to start noticing the difference, so one has to stay calm and patient. You then will see new opportunities coming your way, new people entering your life, and new things happening with you, because your personal vibration has changed! Do not spend your time constructing a perfect relationship from the one you have. It doesn’t work that way. Humans are not perfect; therefore you cannot expect perfection from anyone. If we were perfect, we wouldn’t be here! Overall, the reason why most relationships do not seem to work is because most people refuse to change from within, they get stuck on the same thought pattern that keeps inviting the same kind of people into their lives. The more one resists to change, the more that situation or relationship will keep on repeating. If only one knew how easy it is to change your whole life by changing your thought process…



About the Author

Ghenrietta B. Gordon has previously had a few publishing credits such as documentaries on travelling, short stories, and articles for newspapers and magazines. She is a University of Foreign Languages graduate with a Bachelor’s degree. She also has completed four scripts for film production in various genres, such as historical drama, romance, and comedy. In her free time, she enjoys life coaching and writing her new nonfiction projects.

Remembering the 4th commandment on Memorial Day

[caption id="attachment_15361" align="alignleft" width="228" caption="Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn painting of the Ten Commandments, wikipedia"][/caption]

Your father was a drunk, your mother spanked you mercilessly; but the fourth of the ten commandments says you must honor them.   Why should we honor those who have hurt us and what lessons do we find when we do?

The fourth commandment tells us to honor our father and our mother that our days be long upon the earth, that earth given to us by God.  For Jews, Christians and Muslims, these are admonitions that remain eternal,  as narrated in the Bible in the Decalogue, a compilation of stories, parables and laws by which many millions of people are to live.  But those principles have value for the atheist or the person of an entirely different faith, for the benefits are significant to us all.

To honor those who give us life, physical or spiritual or both, we remember the source of life itself.  We recognize that were it not for the mechanism of birth and the fusion of two people there would be not life at all.  We owe then our very lives to those who gave us life.  For those who gave us spiritual life, who raised and loved us, they too bring a special type of birth, that of the recognition of the soul that is eternal and that part of God within us all.

When parents have been neglectful, we learn by loving anyway the value of love itself.  For it is easy to love those who outwardly love us and far more difficult to love those who show us nothing or give us pain instead.  When we can love in spite of that, we learn how God must love.  For He too loves the wicked, not the wickedness, and loves us all as children of this earth.

We honor parents also because of what we learn from mistakes they made, the life they lead and the path they take.  Our choices can be different; that is up to us.

Memorial Day is a time to set aside for those people who have died or who have sacrificed for us so that we can live with freedom and with love.

So in the memory of that fourth commandment, and in recognition of those who move beyond the ordinary to love when none seems returned, we turn our faces to and in doing so we honor the very Creator of us all.

Does God want us to be stressed?

Samantha Torrence - American culture is in an uproar between warring factions that have very different notions on how to achieve ultimate happiness. One faction is the Christian Right which comes under much scrutiny for being heartless and hard. The Christian Right has defended itself by stating their beliefs come from values such as self-control, self-reliance, personal responsibility, and perseverance. The influence of fundamentalist Christianity on American culture is irrefutable and one of its major contributions to American society is the romanticizing of suffering, sacrifice, and its rewards.

Where does the impression come from that suffering builds character and therefore is desirable? Many times Christians point to God as the source of the inspiration so to understand the foundation of valuing stress the Bible must be consulted. When God created Man in the Garden of Eden, humans lived a life with no stress, worry, or care. This type of life is what God had meant for us but as the book of Genesis goes on to explain, man committed sin. The price paid for this transgression was the introduction of stress into the world.

Genesis 3:16- 19
To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you." Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."

Simply put, for Original Sin, man was condemned to sorrow, pain, toil, and ultimately death. It is accepted in the scientific community that stress is the major factor in illness and ultimately death of the human body. So how did this curse become associated with positive values? Perhaps it was Man’s self-defense mechanism that transferred this transgression into a simple lesson in the value of hard work and reward? The Bible has much to say on the subject of suffering and faith. Many times the stressful trials in the Bible are tests from God to strengthen the faith of an individual. These examples of trials rewarded by the grace and mercy of God seem to be inspirational to many of the Christian Right.

The attempt to find value in stress and suffering has become an almost zealous pursuit in America. Many churches praise those who go through trials and hardship as people oppressed by the evil of Satan for being pious and righteous. Even outside of the church in other aspects of life pain and stress are seen as precursors to achievement, and this perception does have some merit. Take the concept of muscle strength and exercise for example, one must tear muscles and tire the body so it knows to repair and become stronger. Another example is in the financial sector, you must sacrifice time and money into an investment to receive a growing return. On a more basic level, to survive an encounter with danger an animal must experience great stress and overtax its mind and body to escape its stressor. In all of these aspects the hard work and stress put in comes back with rewards. These are examples of eustress or positive stress that can motivate people.

Eustress can be a positive influence but in certain cultures the instances that cause Eustress are looked at as necessary trials for all to overcome. So body builders are not satisfied with just tearing their muscles a little at a time they overdo it and cause injury to their body. Some people over invest and lose greatly with no returns. Animals die because their bodies were too weak to fight off an attacker. In these cases, Eustress becomes Distress. Americans take Eustress and form it into Distress utilizing the same attitude which caused Eve to first sin, the need for complete control.

Faith churches, which are growing faster than almost any other Christian faction, put great distress on people who are already going through hardship by preaching that people with horrible situations simply do not have the faith in God they should and that is why they cannot overcome. This could almost be considered a form of mental abuse which contributes to the cycle of abuse in churches, families, and communities. The Church’s need for control to enforce the value of suffering and protect people from hopelessness has morphed into a need for control to keep a flock in line. The conditioning Christians receive to accept and practically seek stress has become a detriment to a society as they condemn others for not accepting the stress in a willing manner.

A recent example of this seeming lack of compassion for not accepting unnecessary hardship comes with the Right’s attack on the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) initiative. OWS has the catch phrase” We are the 99%” referencing the percentage of people who do not control the majority of the wealth. The Right has come back with its own anti-advertisement with the catch phrase “We are the 53%” The stories on the website sponsoring “We are the 53%” reference personal stories of people who claim to have been through horrible trials and hardships and still have many but they persevere and accuse the OWS of not being able to suck it up and take it. Many of the stories could be inspiring by showing how self-reliance, self-control, perseverance, and personal responsibly can help one overcome the mountains before them. They could be examples of how accepting ones situation and meeting the problem head on without relying on the help of others can build personal strength and character which are valuable in the American individualistic society. These stories could be used to inspire and teach people frustrated and down trodden by their lot in life. Truly the people who write them and the people who agree are inspired and have a very positive reaction to the age old saga of overcoming hardships. Those who overcome are inspiring individuals and at the heart of it wonderful people. It is the method of imparting the stories onto others that has made them seem heartless. They make the lesson of overcoming to be a lesson of seeking out hardship and stress rather than what may be the more pointed lesson, that perceiving a hardship in a more positive manner is the surest way to find contentment and to prosper.

Occupy Wall Street is protesting the diminishing quality of life for the 99% around the world who have very little of the world’s wealth under their control. The movement has taken on socialistic undertones as non-affiliated liberal crowds join in the protests. Many liberals who are accused of wanting socialism and communism maintain that they want the world community to come together to provide for one another the very basic necessities of life that can be found on the bottom two tiers of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. These bottom two tiers are said to have to be fulfilled so one can have the opportunity to peruse happiness which is a corner stone of the American culture. Incidentally Maslow agrees and shows that happiness and the ultimate goal of enlightenment cannot be achieved without the first two tiers being met.  By eliminating the struggle for basic needs one could eliminate the stress caused from the pursuit and thus promote health and happiness.



So who has it right? And what would God want for his children?

Certainly God wants humans to be self-reliant and accept problems as they come so they can in the end overcome these problems. Existence itself is hypothesized by spiritual philosophers to be a lesson and a test to reach enlightenment. However, one cannot forget that God created man originally in paradise, and designed the human body to function optimally in situations of happiness rather than situations of distress. In the Bible God continually commands the human race to ease the suffering of one another, to perform charity, and to display love. All of his commands on how to treat others and the concept of “You reap what you sow,” are meant to inspire man towards a life of happiness and love rather than hardship and toil. God does not want humans to be ‘stressed out,’ and perhaps it is a time to challenge the ingrained American love for hardship and replace it with a love of happiness. If the Christian Right let go of its value of all things distressing how much could be accomplished towards the goals of God, Jesus, and the great philosophers that have for centuries been trying to teach the simple lessons of the value of love.

Group says VA discriminates about prayer, God at funerals

[caption id="attachment_6243" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Christian cross"][/caption]

GHN Editor - "The hostile and discriminatory actions by the Veterans Affairs officials in Houston are outrageous, unconstitutional and must stop," said Jeff Mateer, Esq., general counsel of Liberty Institute.

With this the Liberty Institute sets forth its concern that the separation of church and state in its interpretation by the Veterans Affairs has gone too far.  So with VFW District 4, American Legion Post 586, National Memorial Ladies  they have joined a lawsuit against the VA as well as the Director of Houston National Cemetery for Religious Hostility.

This lawsuit represents the continuing controversy over how much religious symbolism and behavior and of what type should be presented in a public place.  Some organizations have even been set up to fight for the right to celebrate Christmas publicly.

Recently the Louisiana legislature passed a bill allowing a monument of the Ten Commandments to be placed on government grounds in Baton Rouge.  A similar memorial was upheld as constitutional by the Supreme Court.  But there are instances where the conflict has been over Christmas displays, prayers and religious meetings that take place in areas and gatherings that have no intrinsic religious orientation.

Liberty Institute protests the inability for people to have Christian readings and prayers at veterans funerals at a national cemetery.  The organization maintains this level of restriction in religious practice is discriminatory.  In a recent press release, the Liberty Institute points out how it successfully represented a Houston pastor by the name of Scott Rainey in a suit in federal court where the Houston VA had prohibited him from saying a prayer in Jesus name on Memorial Day.

“Government officials who engage in religious discrimination against citizens are breaking the law. Sadly, this seems to be a pattern of behavior at the Houston VA National Cemetery."Mateer maintains.

The VA has violated the First Amendment is Liberty Institute's claim, describing its concern that the VA will not allow God to be mentioned at the funeral of Veterans and that prayers have to be submitted to the Government for approval.  The Institute further maintains that the one of the government officials, Jose Henriquez, had told key VFW leadership that the word “God” is forbidden  on greeting cards and at burial services.

In 2010 the Supreme Court in a vote of 5 to 4 overturned a decision that had been made by a federal judge objecting to the erection of a white cross that had been constructed in the Mojave desert 75 years ago to honor World War I war dead.   The objection to the cross had been made by the ACLU that had contended practitioners of other faiths, such as Judaism, would not want to be memorialized by a cross and that it did not represent all people since the cross was a religious symbol only for Christians.

Liberty Institute believes there is precedent for veterans to have prayers and religious symbols at their funerals whether on public or private property, and in doing so it brings up the argument once again over church and state, one that continues despite the previous decisions made on the subject.