June 25, 2006
We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered us. Like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased. C. S. Lewis
Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.
We express our feelings and attitudes with 55 percent body language, 38 percent tone of voice and only 7 percent actual words.
"In the 60s, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal." - PD Pete
"My goal in preaching is not to inform, but to transform." - Rick Warren
"I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is ready for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter." - epitaph of Winston Churchill
'The Adventures of Superman' (1952-58)
Arguably the first superhero TV series, "The Adventures of Superman" put the Man of Steel on the small screen for the first time, following several successful movie serials. Although its special effects were about as crude as could be, and Superman's exploits were far less cosmic than those offered in the comics and modern movies, George Reeves was a model of decency and nobility as Kal-El and his alter-ego, Clark Kent, and the supporting cast, led by Noel Neill as Lois Lane (who replaced Phyllis Coates about a year in), Jack Larson as Jimmy Olsen and John Hamilton as Perry White, is still beloved.
JOY 7
A Thought for the Day
One day a farmer's donkey fell into a well. The farmer frantically thought what to do as the stricken animal cried out to be rescued. With no obvious solution, the farmer regretfully concluded that as the donkey was old, and as the well needed to be filled in anyway, he should give up the idea of rescuing the beast, and simply fill in
the well. Hopefully the poor animal would not suffer too much, he tried to persuade himself.
The farmer asked his neighbors help, and before long they all began to shovel earth quickly into the well. When the donkey realized what was happening he wailed and struggled, but then, to everyone's relief, the noise stopped.
After a while the farmer looked down into the well and was astonished by what he saw. The donkey was still alive, and progressing towards the top of the well. The donkey had discovered that by shaking off the dirt instead of letting it cover him, he could keep stepping on top of the earth as the level rose. Soon the donkey was able to step up over the edge of the well, and he happily trotted off.
Life tends to shovel dirt on top of each of us from time to time. The trick is to shake it off and take a step up. Have a positive attitude in life, and learn to think of any challenge as a new opportunity. Rex Barker
Rosey wanted her husband to stop smoking so she sent him to the doctor. The doctor gave him a box of these patches and said to use one a day. He said, "Ok," and took them home. Rosey asked him what the doctor said and he showed her the patches
and told her that the doctor said to use one a patch day. Rosey commenced to sew one patch on each shirt he had. The both of them are still trying to figure out how that's going to help him quit smoking.
One day in class, the teacher told everyone to turn to a blank sheet of paper in their notebooks. She noticed that Chip, the dumb jock, was having trouble with her directions. "Have you found a blank piece yet, Chip?" said the teacher.
"Nope. I haven't," said the dumb jock. Somebody went through and "drew lines across all of the pages."
A friend of mine was a philosophy major during his first semester in college. One day in a seminar class, they spent a great deal of time debating whether the glass was half full or half empty. After the class, my friend was feeling pretty good about himself and what he was learning at university, so when he went home, he tried to continue the discussion with his family. With maximum drama, he took a 12 ounce glass from the cupboard and poured in 6 ounces of water. Then took it into the dining room and placed it in the middle of the table. He proudly asked his family, "Can anyone tell me whether this glass is half full or half empty."
Without missing a beat, his grandmother replied, "Depends if you're drinking or pouring."
"Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure." -- George E. Woodberry
"My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me." -- Henry Ford
"Your work should be a challenge, not a chore; a blessing, not a bore." -- Hal Stewins
"Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn." -- John Wesley
JOY 8
The Self-Portrait Called Character by Michael Josephson of Character Counts
While I was on a radio call-in show talking about cheating, a listener I'll call Stan mocked my concern. He cheated to get into college, he said. He cheated in college to get a job. And now he occasionally cheats on his job to get ahead. In fact, he concluded, cheating is such an important life skill that parents ought to teach their kids how to cheat.
Evidence is mounting that lots of people share Stan's amoral pragmatism. Because they define success and happiness in terms of getting what they want when they want it, ethics seems irrational. After all, in a world where cheaters so often prosper, why should anyone give up the benefits of dishonesty?
Well, for one thing, the Stans of the world have no idea what a price they're paying for the little they're getting. A life without principles is demeaning and self-defeating. The Stans of the world are cheated as often as they cheat others. What's more, they cheat themselves. As they scrape and struggle to fill their lives, they give up their
chance to lead fulfilling lives.
The happiest people I know are those who find purpose and meaning pursuing a grander vision of a good life measured in terms of worthiness, not net worth. Virtue
is not a tactic; it's a life philosophy.
We paint the self-portrait that we call our character by our values and actions. We can choose to paint that portrait in the pale watercolors of shallow successes and short-lived pleasures or in the deep, rich oils of honor, spirituality, peace of mind and self-respect.
The enduring impact of our choices is not what we get, but what we become.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
What You Watch Is What You Do
It comes as no surprise that a recent study done by the RAND Corporation shows that there is a strong connection between teens who watch and listen to sex and sexual talk on television and teens who engage in sexual activity.
The study, published in the September issue of Pediatrics, found that teens who watched and listened to sex and sexual situations on television were twice as likely to have sex within the next year as teens not exposed to such. To put it in real numbers, one out of every two teens who watch immoral programs on television will end up behaving that way.
Thought: It isn't single events like the Super Bowl half--time show that move the hearts and minds of television viewers to practice what they see. It is the litany of daily barrages in the "soaps," "sit-coms" and evening "dramas" that affect us most.
Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.
We express our feelings and attitudes with 55 percent body language, 38 percent tone of voice and only 7 percent actual words.
"In the 60s, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal." - PD Pete
"My goal in preaching is not to inform, but to transform." - Rick Warren
"I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is ready for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter." - epitaph of Winston Churchill
'The Adventures of Superman' (1952-58)
Arguably the first superhero TV series, "The Adventures of Superman" put the Man of Steel on the small screen for the first time, following several successful movie serials. Although its special effects were about as crude as could be, and Superman's exploits were far less cosmic than those offered in the comics and modern movies, George Reeves was a model of decency and nobility as Kal-El and his alter-ego, Clark Kent, and the supporting cast, led by Noel Neill as Lois Lane (who replaced Phyllis Coates about a year in), Jack Larson as Jimmy Olsen and John Hamilton as Perry White, is still beloved.
JOY 7
A Thought for the Day
One day a farmer's donkey fell into a well. The farmer frantically thought what to do as the stricken animal cried out to be rescued. With no obvious solution, the farmer regretfully concluded that as the donkey was old, and as the well needed to be filled in anyway, he should give up the idea of rescuing the beast, and simply fill in
the well. Hopefully the poor animal would not suffer too much, he tried to persuade himself.
The farmer asked his neighbors help, and before long they all began to shovel earth quickly into the well. When the donkey realized what was happening he wailed and struggled, but then, to everyone's relief, the noise stopped.
After a while the farmer looked down into the well and was astonished by what he saw. The donkey was still alive, and progressing towards the top of the well. The donkey had discovered that by shaking off the dirt instead of letting it cover him, he could keep stepping on top of the earth as the level rose. Soon the donkey was able to step up over the edge of the well, and he happily trotted off.
Life tends to shovel dirt on top of each of us from time to time. The trick is to shake it off and take a step up. Have a positive attitude in life, and learn to think of any challenge as a new opportunity. Rex Barker
Rosey wanted her husband to stop smoking so she sent him to the doctor. The doctor gave him a box of these patches and said to use one a day. He said, "Ok," and took them home. Rosey asked him what the doctor said and he showed her the patches
and told her that the doctor said to use one a patch day. Rosey commenced to sew one patch on each shirt he had. The both of them are still trying to figure out how that's going to help him quit smoking.
One day in class, the teacher told everyone to turn to a blank sheet of paper in their notebooks. She noticed that Chip, the dumb jock, was having trouble with her directions. "Have you found a blank piece yet, Chip?" said the teacher.
"Nope. I haven't," said the dumb jock. Somebody went through and "drew lines across all of the pages."
A friend of mine was a philosophy major during his first semester in college. One day in a seminar class, they spent a great deal of time debating whether the glass was half full or half empty. After the class, my friend was feeling pretty good about himself and what he was learning at university, so when he went home, he tried to continue the discussion with his family. With maximum drama, he took a 12 ounce glass from the cupboard and poured in 6 ounces of water. Then took it into the dining room and placed it in the middle of the table. He proudly asked his family, "Can anyone tell me whether this glass is half full or half empty."
Without missing a beat, his grandmother replied, "Depends if you're drinking or pouring."
"Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure." -- George E. Woodberry
"My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me." -- Henry Ford
"Your work should be a challenge, not a chore; a blessing, not a bore." -- Hal Stewins
"Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn." -- John Wesley
JOY 8
The Self-Portrait Called Character by Michael Josephson of Character Counts
While I was on a radio call-in show talking about cheating, a listener I'll call Stan mocked my concern. He cheated to get into college, he said. He cheated in college to get a job. And now he occasionally cheats on his job to get ahead. In fact, he concluded, cheating is such an important life skill that parents ought to teach their kids how to cheat.
Evidence is mounting that lots of people share Stan's amoral pragmatism. Because they define success and happiness in terms of getting what they want when they want it, ethics seems irrational. After all, in a world where cheaters so often prosper, why should anyone give up the benefits of dishonesty?
Well, for one thing, the Stans of the world have no idea what a price they're paying for the little they're getting. A life without principles is demeaning and self-defeating. The Stans of the world are cheated as often as they cheat others. What's more, they cheat themselves. As they scrape and struggle to fill their lives, they give up their
chance to lead fulfilling lives.
The happiest people I know are those who find purpose and meaning pursuing a grander vision of a good life measured in terms of worthiness, not net worth. Virtue
is not a tactic; it's a life philosophy.
We paint the self-portrait that we call our character by our values and actions. We can choose to paint that portrait in the pale watercolors of shallow successes and short-lived pleasures or in the deep, rich oils of honor, spirituality, peace of mind and self-respect.
The enduring impact of our choices is not what we get, but what we become.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
What You Watch Is What You Do
It comes as no surprise that a recent study done by the RAND Corporation shows that there is a strong connection between teens who watch and listen to sex and sexual talk on television and teens who engage in sexual activity.
The study, published in the September issue of Pediatrics, found that teens who watched and listened to sex and sexual situations on television were twice as likely to have sex within the next year as teens not exposed to such. To put it in real numbers, one out of every two teens who watch immoral programs on television will end up behaving that way.
Thought: It isn't single events like the Super Bowl half--time show that move the hearts and minds of television viewers to practice what they see. It is the litany of daily barrages in the "soaps," "sit-coms" and evening "dramas" that affect us most.
posted by joypastordon at 12:16 PM
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