didn't want to put this rant in the tags of that last post but honestly i feel like a lot of people hate toshiro disproportionately compared to what he actually did in-story. and if we're being real it's most likely because of racism

Why God HAD to Create the Universe

: By David Cogburn     Published on: September 29, 2021

We live in an amazing universe created by God. Its vastness seems infinite and almost more than we can comprehend. But here is a good question: Why did God even create a universe in the first place? God is eternal and lives inside eternity, so why go to the trouble of creating something like our universe? The truth is God “had to.” This article will explain why, but first, let me digress a moment.

As we all know, God is a Trinity God existing as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Just as water can be a solid, liquid and gas helps explain how God can be one God with three essences. We also all know God is a God of love, and this occurs because God “IS” a “Relationship” through the Trinity, and relationship is what brings God His greatest joy. You can only have love if there is free will, which means you cannot have love unless you have the ability not to love.

He enjoys it so much that He decided to create more of it by creating angels to have a personal relationship with Him and with each other. Each angel was created perfect, sinless and holy in heaven. God loves them, and they love Him back, and each one is receiving the “best” God has to offer.

But then the unthinkable happened. Lucifer, God’s greatest angel, decided he, too, wanted to be worshipped like God. He took his eyes off God, put them onto himself, and committed the first sin in the Bible – pride. He rejected what God had to offer. Love is putting others first. Pride is putting yourself first, and Lucifer was powerful enough that his influence with the other angels caused one-third of the angels to also reject what God had to offer. They, too, fell from God’s grace.

God, knowing all things, obviously knew this would occur. It certainly saddened Him to know that His best was not good enough for one-third of His angels, and this appears to be about the time God may have decided to do something “incredibly different.” It’s easy for sinless, holy angels living in heaven with God to know Him and enjoy everything He offers. What would happen if God created a different kind of being to have a relationship with – human beings – whom He knew would sin from the beginning and would not be holy, sinless beings living in His presence and receiving the best He had to offer?

There is a saying in Las Vegas that applies to eternity. What happens in eternity STAYS in eternity. Once one-third of God’s angels fell from His grace inside eternity, there is “no way” for them to ever receive redemption and have their sin forgiven. God’s eternity is a perfect, holy, sinless eternity, and no sin can dwell there. Thus, God had to create a place inside eternity that was separate from where He dwells; this is why He created hell.

The Bible seems to show that once God creates a sentient being like an angel or a human being that He does not allow an eternal “annihilation” type of death to occur where you die and don’t exist anymore. It is an eternal “separation” type of death, which is actually far worse than an annihilation type of death. And since there is no physical death in eternity, there is no way to have “someone” die and pay the price for your sins, like in the case of angels. This is why Jesus said it is better never to have been born than to be born and end up not being saved.

The name of the game for everything is ETERNITY, period. Everything revolves around God, and life is not about some temporary 100-year life span on earth; it is about eternity with God or separated from God. How important is everything we do while alive for one second on earth compared to infinite trillions of years in eternity, and especially WHERE we live in eternity?

So now we get to the question of why God “had to” create a physical universe.

The answer is as simple as the nose on our faces. He had to create TIME, and that’s what the universe does. It creates TIME, which is temporary. Obviously, God does not need time, but when He decided to create human beings –knowing they would fall from His grace at the beginning and that all of humanity from that point forward would be born spiritually dead with a sin nature – God HAD to make sure we were not created and born with a sin nature INSIDE ETERNITY. What happens inside eternity “stays” inside eternity, so He had to provide us “time” to come to know Him and have a personal relationship with Him through Jesus Christ so that when we “do” enter eternity at our physical death, we enter “eternity” either saved through Jesus or not saved without Jesus.

Now, let’s sit back for a moment and try to contemplate what God has actually done. We know from His word that His plan has always been to spend eternity on earth with us human beings, so it appears He creates this incredible infinite-type universe for one main reason – to give us “time” to know Him and be saved, and that would mean this WHOLE UNIVERSE was created for one MAIN reason – for US and just us.

Just about everyone, it seems, believes in extra-terrestrial aliens, and most of them think of them as aliens from other planets. But the best answer is they are demonic and come from another dimension vs other planets. We know from Genesis that at one point, some of God’s fallen angels were allowed to become visible and have relations with human women to produce the Nephilim, the giants of the Old Testament. The Bible says the end times will be as they were in the days of Noah, so demonic beings becoming more and more active these past few decades could easily explain what is going on.

But surely, God would not create a universe as vast as ours for only us, would He? Why not? We know from His word that His plan is for His saved children to spend eternity on “earth” with Him forever, and we also know from His word that not only is this what happens but also when that happens.

After Jesus comes back and rules our planet for His millennial 1,000-year reign, Satan will be released to gather up his great multitude of people who have rejected Christ with their sin nature during His millennial reign. They are destroyed, and then we have God’s great White Throne judgment in which all unbelievers of all ages will be judged and be separated from God forever in hell. It is THEN that the sinful human race is over with. God ends up creating new heavens and a new earth in which the New Jerusalem in heaven comes down onto the new earth. There is no more sin due to no more mortal human beings, and we spend eternity with God just like He planned all along.

But here is another good question: God created perfect, sinless, holy angels inside eternity where there is no sin. Why would God now want to create a whole different kind of being in His image that “is” sinful, cannot live in His presence, will have to live our lives in this sinful universe, and have to fend for ourselves due to sin?

In heaven, God takes care of “everything” for us. We will want for “nothing.” On earth, WE have to provide everything for ourselves. We don’t live in God’s presence, but He’s still here, watches everything we do, and has given us His word, which explains His plan from the beginning to the end. It explains everything we need to know about how to live our lives from every perspective. Best of all, how to come to know Him and have a personal relationship with Him through Jesus and go from being spiritually dead for all eternity to being spiritually alive for all eternity.

Time is a paradox. It is the greatest blessing God ever gave us and also the greatest curse God ever gave us at the same time. With “time,” the greatest blessing is that we can become saved for eternity through Christ. And it’s the greatest curse because “time” destroys “everything.” Nothing in the whole universe can survive time, including the sun, moon and stars, as well as ourselves when we physically die.

What is the greatest difference between us sinful human beings and God’s holy angels? The difference is the GREATEST thing that God has ever done, and this appears to be the MAIN reason why God created us in the first place. It certainly pleases God when His angels serve Him, but angels do not have to have “faith.” You don’t need faith in heaven. There is symmetry in the Bible, and we know that one-third of the “saved” angels fell from God’s grace. And the symmetry is that it also appears from the Bible that approximately one-third of the “lost” human beings will be “saved.”

ALL human beings are born LOST and are spiritually DEAD. It appears all religions think you are saved if you do enough good works. However, you could be a Mother Theresa 1,000 times over, and you are still spiritually DEAD without Jesus, who paid the price to remove ALL of our sins. The name of the game on entering eternity is sin or no sin. It’s as simple as that when it comes to heaven and hell, and ONLY God could remove our sins by sacrificing His Son Jesus on a cross to pay for our sins.

So, what is it that God really wants from us sinful human beings? He wants to get MARRIED. He wants a BRIDE for His Son. God has set up marriage to be the most INTIMATE relationship there is when TWO become ONE in every aspect. Soul mates, as we like to say. This is why the church is called the bride of Christ. God did something far, far greater than most people, including born-again Christians, even have a clue about. It is such a big deal to God when an eternally lost human being comes to know Him through faith in Christ that He decided to share HIMSELF with us.

In John 14, Jesus tells us, “I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” God the Holy Spirit comes to indwell all born-again believers. We literally become CONNECTED to God in a small way. Think of God as Windows and angels as Mac. Mac is separate from Windows but serves Windows. We are a Windows upgrade or update. We are a part of God now; chew on that a bit. WE ARE A PART OF GOD NOW! As in marriage, we are now TWO become ONE, and this also helps to understand why the Bible says we shall rule over angels in eternity. We have more “rank,” if you will.

We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. God did not share Himself with His angels. It took eternally lost human beings, who never see God visibly and who are not now receiving the best He has to offer, to still come to have faith and love Him through His Son Jesus and become His bride for now and forever. WOW!!! How incredible is that? Of course, we will not truly know what all of this means until we enter heaven.

I used to be concerned that since some angels used their free will and goofed up and sinned, does that mean there’s a chance that I, too, might goof up and sin somehow inside eternity? The answer is that would be impossible for one simple reason: We are connected to God, and just as God would never sin, we will never sin. We will be able to love like God loves, and a myriad of other things too incredible to even know right now. As the Bible says, there is no way we can grasp all of the incredible, wonderful things God has in store for us in eternity. And this is why God wants us to be His ambassadors and share Jesus with others. He wants us to live our lives in a way that shows Jesus to others so that they, too, might desire to come to know Him as Lord and Savior.

One final thought: Let’s look at how God views things from a color perspective. Everything with God represents the color white, which is associated with Holiness, goodness, joy, pleasure, and ALL things good because they come from God, and this is what you have in heaven. God is Light, and white light is a “combination” of ALL colors in the color spectrum, which you would expect with God. In hell, where God does not dwell, everything is the total opposite of what you get with God in heaven, such as darkness because there is no light without God, unholiness, no joy, pain, suffering and torment, and all things bad. Black is the “absence” of ALL colors in the color spectrum. Thus, inside eternity “everything is ALL good with God or ALL bad without God, and it is impossible to combine any part of good with any part of bad.

BUT the universe is Gray. It is the ONLY place located inside “time” that God allows good and evil to co-exist together. Why would God do this? Because the universe with “time” is a sinful universe due to Adam’s sin and our sin natures. And God, knowing He would be invisible to us, does manage to make Himself “visible” in a different way through ALL of His incredible creation and through His holy word in the Bible. “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth” is the perfect acronym because God tells us everything we need to know about Him and about everything else.

As I mentioned a moment ago, God wants to get married and have a bride for His Son. But why would God pick as His bride the sinful human race over His holy angels? The answer is simple – opposites ATTRACT. We humans are one hundred percent the opposite of God in every aspect. Angels are too much like God and thus not a good match for a bride.

God, being a God of love, loves and is attracted to ALL human beings as marriage material. But just like us humans, He, too, is only interested in a soul mate who also loves Him back. Opposite attraction works both ways. God is 100 percent the opposite of us, and you would think we would be attracted to Him for that. But the huge problem is that humans have a sin nature that prevents us from being naturally attracted to God.

But because God has revealed Himself through ALL of His creation and through His word in the Bible, many humans DO see Him and fall in love with Him and want to get married to Him since He has made that possible.

As humans, most all of us desire to grow up, find our soul mate to marry, and hopefully have a wonderful and perfect, loving marriage relationship for the rest of our lives with each other. Our sin nature makes it less than perfect, but it seems that marriages between couples who love the Lord and are connected to Him do much better than those couples who do not know Him. Here is the best news: Our marriage to God “IS” the ONLY perfect, intimate loving relationship that is even possible, and it lasts forever. There is no divorce with God.

I am guessing that many of us have never even thought of our relationship with the Lord in these terms, but we will be officially married to Jesus when He comes for His bride at the rapture, which could be super soon. We will go back to celebrate with Him our 7-day/year wedding feast, and then we come back with Him for His 1,000-year millennial reign. If all of this doesn’t get us excited big time, I don’t know what will.

I hope this article has helped to not only show why God created the universe but also to show why He created us, which is to be a perfect, holy, loving bride to His Son and be joined to Him now and forever. There are simply no words to describe how truly GREAT He is, and the good news for us is that Jesus is coming SOON!

Maranatha, Lord Jesus.

David Cogburn

THE TROUBLE WITH HUMANITY: GOOD NEWS

There are some fundamental Truths that have been hidden from humanity from time immemorial. The paradox of this deception is that it’s out in the open. One must always remember that intelligence and “intellectual pursuit” is simply the collation of information, facts and knowledge. The definition of wisdom is the same as intelligence; but applied within context and to an extent, pragmatic. The general example is the well-known “tomatoes are a fruit (knowledge) but not including them in a fruit salad is “wisdom”. For a long time humanity has pursued knowledge with voracious appetite. This is one of the great defining characteristics of the human race: curiosity . The yearning to learn and know. This attribute has been the impetus for evolution and cultural progress. While most of this progress has been positive, human history has been written in blood, conflict, self-interest and greed . The human has achieved great strides but at a heavy cost. The human race has over time lost certain insights to truth and light and consequently abandoned the path to truth, happiness and complete peace. The basic truth is that we are souls and spirit having a human experience. The lie has been that we are humans who happen to have some sort of soul. One of the main faiths of mankind states that we are created in God’s image. Thus, if we are all different facets of the same God how would we endeavour to harm the other? REINCARNATION: is a fundamental fact of life. Karma is also as much a solid fact as the existence of Mt Everest. Reincarnation: souls come to this realm in order to learn and grow. For them to develop empathy but above all, be the expression of LOVE. Thus death is nothing to be feared but it is just a doorway. Something to even look forward to. The Creator is not so cruel as to give You Life to enjoy, make it entirely short, give you one shot at spiritual evolution and then judge and cast you to the fire for doing the very thing She asks you to do. Then demand worship. No, this is entirely a false premise based on a doctrine of fear meant to manipulate the lost sheep to absolute submission and obedience. There is complete absence of Love and Light in that dogma and thinking. Listen: You are Energy composed of Love and Light. Energy cannot be destroyed but merely changes form. Death is the not the end, but a new beginning and entry point to the spiritual and ether. That is your true actual home. This is fact. You already have everlasting Life. You existed before coming to Earth. “I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb, I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Thus, because Home is a place of complete absolute indescribable Love and Bliss, it does not afford one the full array of options to grow through challenges, such as pain and suffering, physical limitation and fragility. It is a short stay, we are meant to realize and most importantly REMEMBER that it is a grand illusion, a play whose central theme is Love, in whatever shape or form. This play has cast and drama unique and specific to you, with the various characters connected to one another through lifetimes and karma. Remember: It is a matrix, but enjoy being in the matrix. Remember who You are: LOVE experiencing a human existence. LOVE: Love is the meaning of Life. Love never runs out, the more you give, the more you receive. It is the force of the creator and God’s very essence. One cannot be expected to graduate to the 4th grade if they have not learnt the lessons of the 3rd grade . The lessons to learn in this earthly realm are simple: Love unconditionally in-spite and despite imperfections Forgiveness Compassion Forgiveness: Once a person recognises that they are just but a beautiful divine soul full of light and God’s Love (which is inherent in all God’s creation) then they realise that they are already forgiven. No human is perfect but the task is to gradually and joyously work on one’s perceived shortcomings. Thus, there is simply nothing to forgive as You are a facet of the Creator experiencing life with all its challenges. The whole point is imperfection so you can joyously move at your own pace, enjoying the grand adventure towards the perfect Light of the Source. Its not a race. It’s not a requirement, either way, One day you will arrive. Everyone will. More than anything, one must forgive themselves and understand that they are not perfect. And that is perfectly fine. Then one should recognise and accept those perceived short comings, embrace them. Forgive yourself for it (including the past) and forgive others. You do not know why a soul chose to come to Earth and have a particular set of experience, so instead of judging, understand and look in the mirror. You will see the other person’s struggle in your own. It may not be identical, but pay close attention, You will see yourself in every person. Start LOVING yourself unconditionally. However, not in an egocentric way that hurts others. Just quiet radiant Love. We are our harshest judge and jury, and on that day of your life review, It is NEVER the Creator that judges; It is You. So be gentle and patient with yourself. Remind yourself you are like a child trying to learn to walk, you will fall many times, but eventually you will get there. Constantly forgive and Love yourself and get back on that horse. Don’t give up. Above all, Remember: YOU are LOVED ABSOLUTELY and UNCONDITIONALLY Thus when one Loves and forgives themselves, it radiates outwards and your light shines to inspire others. Be sincere to yourself .You are God’s creation, made in his image thus you cannot lie to God, because you will be lying to yourself. It’s not about being “holy”. It’s about acceptance and sincerity as a means to achieve inner peace. Moreover, when this perspective is achieved, one realises that judging others is selfpunishment as one should essentially be working on themselves, pointing a finger to another divine creation while ignoring one’s own flaws is self-judgment. One comes to Love and accept everyone and understand that we are all brothers and sisters having a human experience. And with this embrace of imperfections, comes tremendous peace and tranquillity. The blind prejudice of the ego gradually evaporates. When one gets to this level of Love and acceptance, what follows is Empathy. Because one realises that we all have difficulties in life and no one out of 6 billion souls on the planet is trouble free. We are all beautiful imperfections. When you develop empathy for all Creatures, then you have already started to realize that You are literally part of the Creator. You have extended your hand to touch the face of God. Because You see the Hand of God in everything. You lift another one by compassion, you lift yourself up and the universe. Hence turning the other cheek, for hurting another is hurting yourself. Thus the ultimate goal is LOVE and Empathy. Love and Empathy leads to Compassion. Do unto others as you would like it to be done to you. When one achieves this, they are in the doorstep of heaven (within) . These are the lessons of the Earthly realm, the purpose of Life. This is the true and pure dharma. Suffering: It is a very logical and rational question to ask, “Why should humanity suffer if God Loves us?” We suffer mainly for two reasons: Ego For growth and development. Life is 10% what happens to you but 90% how you react to it. You basically create your own karma. For every action, there is a reaction. The important thing is to remember the lesson learnt from the suffering and the positive that has come out of it. One must strive to rise above their current circumstances and turn it into a positive experience. A humble man with no income and financial security is more likely to be open to life’s lessons and have genuine relationships around him than a rich tycoon surrounded by sycophants . The kingdom of God (LOVE) is for the meek, the down trodden and the voiceless. Those who give with Love and gratitude. The key to the mastery of Life is walking the middle path as Guatama Buddha explained. In this specific context, have a productive life in the physical but continue to grow spiritually. As much as you indulge in the physical; having a career, a family, enjoying sport and music and playing with your child, remember your purpose is spiritual evolution and everything else is temporary, including even your family. Thus do not be attached to temporary situations, assets even relationships. Attachments result in enslavement. Appreciate what you have but do not tie it in with your wellbeing or happiness. True happiness is internal. Look for this. Recognize desire for what it is. Then weigh if it driven by Love or fear. However, You must remember to enjoy Life, for if you were to withdraw from society to focus solely on the spiritual isolated in the caves, You must ask yourself in what way have you contributed to the evolution of the human as a species and in the society. There must be a balance. Enjoyment and Awareness. Everything in the universe operates on a Ying and Yang balance, this understanding is crucial. Ego: The reason why there is so much suffering in the world is that the majority of humanity is driven by ego. Some attributes of the ego: Pride Anger Hate False Love (deluded) Bitterness Jealousy Insincerity Deception Modern society rewards those with ego with the highest accolades. A man with integrity and kindness of heart but little income will be ignored and often humiliated whereas a wealthy and powerful wicked man full of hate and pride with be given love and adoration by society. This has reduced the planet to complete utter rot. When one meditates and quietens the ego, they start to realise that that beautiful quiet inner voice is your Divine Higher Self. It is your divine eternal wisdom driven by Love and not ego. One must be humble and listen and learn like a child. A curious child does not let ego deter them from wanting to know. A child does not care if the teacher is young, old, atheist, religious, black, yellow, red or white. They just joyously receive. Ego blocks us from experiencing the beauty of Life and Love. Instead of seeing commonalities, we see differences. Ego is the separation from God/Love. Ego makes one feel superior to the other and this in turns destroys any chance of sharing, learning, peace and ultimately Love. The Creator seeks companionship, fellowship, unity and Oneness, like a beautiful flower in a garden full of flora and fauna, happy to share and experience the beauty of Creation, without possession or oppression. You will recognize power that is not divine because it will be divisive, it will be power Over instead of power With, instead of sharing, it will be jealously guarded and will never seek companionship outside its own kind. Hence power that comes from ego brings darkness of the soul and to the affected while that which comes from Love will bring Peace, Love and Unity. Man has been driven by ego in this age. Even while professing love for God in their religions, they have been busy fighting, judging, and killing each other over religions that ironically carry the message of LOVE. Thus the very institutions that should be advocates of peace and Love have been taken over by ego (greed, self-interest, bigotry, hypocrisy, guilt and deceit). Man has been enslaved by ego in all directions even when searching for his own redemption. Thus mankind has continued to pursue the elusive peace and happiness through ego. One cannot impose peace through war. Change has to come from within the individuals, then the immediate surroundings, society, nation and eventually the globe and even the universe. “Be the change that you want to see”-Gandhi. reflection and meditation. Reflection: To understand Peace, one must experience conflict. Ying and Yang. Thus when we are busy working on our own imperfections with humility, we become less judgmental and more joyous and accepting of those different from us. We realise that all races, are all different facets of the same: humanity. Ego destroys any chance of Love and racial or cultural harmony. The ego is ultimately “the devil”. From lower dimensions of fear, anger, pride, hate, guilt and deception. Taming the Ego A healthy ego is good for development (self-esteem) as long as it’s not harmful to others. One must embrace the ego within and learn to recognise it. If in an argument for example, and one gets angry (ego-perfectly human) one should try to understand the other person’s point of view. Empathize. Religion: Religion has been one of the ultimate failures of humanity. The central message of LOVE has been discarded and the tool of the message used as a weapon to subjugate, enslave and manipulate the innocent masses. Majority of the adherents of these religions such as Christianity, Islam, Baha’i, Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism etc are innocent people who yearn for peace and love but have been manipulated by those who have fallen far from the Creators grace because they worship their own ego to achieve their own ends, instead of leading the flock to the light. They insist on material wealth, misogyny, oppressive rules and laws and fear to exploit poor innocent Souls. This is why brother has turned against brother, mother against son, father against daughter, Muslim against Muslim, Christian against Christian, Buddhists committing atrocities, Hindus fighting their neighbours and so forth. Indigenous beliefs that revered the Divine Laws of Nature have been deemed as “evil”, “backward” and “uncivilized”. Yet the ancients had profound respect for the land, the sea, the environment and safeguarded it for the future generations. The ancients understood that they were just custodians and overseers of Creation but not the owners nor did they feel entitled to harness the gifts of nature for profit in order to the feed the ego through the greedy acquisition of wealth. On the other hand, organized religion has ignored the fundamental truths: 1- Love of God 2-Love of fellow man: If one Loved God, they would respect His creation .Both nature and fellow human beings. The question to ponder is: If we (as human beings) were created in his image (God) then how can one possibly harm another (God’s image)? Or worse, commit atrocities against nature. For the most reviled crime in society is crime against a child, yet even children have courts to protect them, nature doesn’t except to rely on the morality and ethics of the human being, unfortunately driven by money and obscene greed. It is paedophilia for profit. Simply put. We were created by the divine LOVE so that It (Source of Love, God, Creator) can experience Life through us. We are all simply different facets of the same creator living within us. From the water you drink to the stars at night, living creations having different forms and avenues of existence. Pay close attention. This is why Empathy is essential .Because everyone is on their own unique journey to learn, enjoy, and LOVE. It’s Not That Serious It is a short stay on Earth therefore it is important to be humble and to have fun. Like children out in the playing field at school. Think of this gorgeous animal, the Dolphin that is extremely in tune with nature, very intelligent, highly evolved and put in this planet to remind all and sundry about the joy of playfulness, companionship, appreciating nature, to see the humour of life, to be friendly to those who look different from us. Humans like to think they are the most evolved and intelligent creature, however this is like deciding the criteria for winning a sporting event and then awarding yourself a trophy. Its hilarious arrogance. Have Empathy, show gratitude and revere life, embrace and take care of the beauty of God’s creation: Land, Sea, Air, Animals, Microbes, Moon, Sun, Space and humanity . We are not entitled to any of it, we are just privileged to be guardians. State of The World Humanity has been programmed to think and act in a certain way that those who see the Truth for what it is have been repeatedly ridiculed ,humiliated ,called insane, creepy ,out of touch with reality ,hippy ,flower child, tree hugger and the list goes on . Most have paid with their lives or been derided to the point of withdrawal from human society. Calling someone “crazy” for non-conformity or because of little understanding their point of view demonstrates how little one’s Soul has evolved. It does not matter how well a pancake is cooked, It still has two sides. Do not reject those that dare to be different, appreciate them. This author has often been dismissed and rejected for his unorthodox perspective of the world. The society tries to hammer the nail that stands out, yet experience and history has shown that these rejects often become the corner stones of a great many societies and civilization. Again, judge not but show compassion and understanding. However, humanity condemns itself every time it extinguishes a light that shines to attempt to illuminate the Truth for what it is. Most messengers have been humble people with absolutely nothing to gain except spread peace and LOVE. Many of your sacred texts have foretold many of these messengers, and many messengers are sent to many communities and societies around the world. However, you shun them because they are different in appearance or conduct or lifestyle. You wait for prophesies to be fulfilled, however the time came and went because many were not paying attention. The messages are relayed in music, poetry and tales. The story of the Hobbit mirrors David and goliath. Some have agonized about the plight of Earth, wrote songs and poetry but we chose not to heed the message but judge the messenger. Or the other extreme; erroneously worship them. Open your eyes and discover angels among You. Some quietly healing the world, others more famous. They are there. Whether you believe it or not, it makes no difference. They sky won’t change colour because you deny its existence. Remember that: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”-Marianne Williamson. However the deceit of the world has blinded the masses with a cloak of ego (pride, prejudice, stubbornness) Thus humanity has made the choice to exist but not really live. The planet and humanity is slowly diminishing in its capacity to bring joy to future generations. In the constant struggle between Love and Fear (ego), as individuals, society and a planet, we must endeavour to ALWAYS choose LOVE. It is the path that leads home to Light. Nothing else. Everything comes down to a choice between those two primal frequencies. War There is no more profitable business than the business of war. War is also ego manifest. The same person supplying your enemy, is supplying you. You invite them to your table and break bread with them with your household. You share your laughter and secrets but they later use that as a potent weapon to enslave you in the long run. And they pretend to be your friend and fellow victim all along . The worse aspect of ego apart from fear and pride, is Deceit The deceitful few thrive on bloodshed and fear to create wealth and power. It’s a vicious cycle that the 99% of the world is caught up in, in an endless cycle of karmic violence while the few at the top reap all the benefit Laughter all the way to the bank at the expense of your sweat and blood. It’s not about race or religion. Those few choose to worship the ego. Which is pride, deceit and destruction. The devil. Fear. So what is the right religion? One should concentrate on Love. Be empathetic to fellow man Listen to great wise souls amongst them. Yearn to learn from other cultures Respect the Land .It is green. The colour of righteousness and conscience .It represents God’s creation. It is submission to God. How do I make a Difference? Put a smile on someone’s face. Show empathy to the less fortunate. Do not show off your good works but be stealthy in your fight for LOVE and Light. “Let not your right hand know the charitable works of the left”. Remember that: If You want to Know Why, There’s Life that cannot Lie, Love is strong, It only cares for Joyful Giving If we try we shall see, In this Bliss, we cannot Feel, Fear of dread We stop existing and start Living .-Michael. Racism: In reality, there are two races on earth. The haves (1%) and the have nots (99%). And if it was not for the ego, we would clearly see that we are one human family. Humanity should appreciate that they are different facets of LOVE and species, and embrace our differences as one species. For example: People of African descent (black people) tend to be very expressive musically and spiritually. Caucasians are a very curious and adventurous bunch about the world around them and love to explore Asians know the mysteries of the human body and the mind. Those from the Middle East are great theological scholars. Indians are great mystics of the spiritual. Native Americans and Aboriginals understand the divine spirit of nature and the Oneness of All. The Micronesians, Polynesians comprehend the stars and the seas despite the vastness of it all. And so forth. If Humanity saw this as different strengths of the same team, then humanity will be better off in the end. And what joy would that bring on earth! A blank boring canvass transforms into a gorgeous painting when all the various colours are applied in their various shapes and forms. Such is the Human Family world over. This wisdom can be achieved by regular meditation. Sabbath is time for meditation and reflection. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Martin Luther King, Jr. Atheists: There are divine forces in nature that we cannot conceive or perceive with our simple common senses but we all have an intuition there is a beyond what we know or perceive . For example, we know we need oxygen to survive but no one has actually seen or grasped oxygen physically. Source is not some grandfatherly dude far off and nonchalant in how we relate. Source is Love. The force of Life. God is everywhere and most of all inside you with your every breath. Thus ever single creation one sees is not accidental, it is the very expression of God’s Love. Everyone is God’s beautiful manifestation of Love. There is no such thing as a series of coincidences. Only a pattern of clues. However, Atheist are greatly admired because when they show acts of Love and Compassion, it’s not with the expectation of a reward in an afterlife or out of religious duty but done with heartfelt honesty There cannot be a higher ideal to aspire to. Nobody cares about piety and who has the correct dogma, It’s all trivial compared to caring for Creation and showing Love. Live, Love, Laugh, Play, Experience, Create, Dance, Cry….just Be. That’s all that’s required. The universe has a great sense of humour. It is the nature of the Source. It is inherent in all Creation. Make sure you laugh, Life is enjoyment without restriction as long you are not harming another. Concept of Free Will: We have been accorded free will for simply one reason. We are imperfect. We are human . Change has to come from within but in order to make the change, one has to make the choice to do so. If we conquer that fear and aspire to change, then automatically the world around us starts reflecting the change and our light automatically starts to shine brighter. Fear is ego. It makes us less receptive to what is unfamiliar, even when it’s the Truth and it speaks to our souls. Just the intention to make positive change sets things in motion to create a better world . If it was not for this free will, we would have been condemned for our iniquities Such is the grace of the Source. God is Love. He/She is your divine higher self. The quiet voice that whispers in that comforting voice and knows what’s right. Jihad The meaning of Jihad is NOT physical war. LOVE would not permit harm on another for the sake of Love. It’s redundant. Jihad is the internal struggle between good and evil. Love and Fear. Divine Higher Self and the ego (false sense of separation from the All). Jihad is the decision to do right or wrong. The burden of free will. Social Media Social media have largely been designed to take attention from the journey to self-improvement and reduced it to a constant state of judgmental. Social media when abused literally shifts focus from Love and Self-discovery to on one self (presenting the best of yourself for the sake of adoration) while continuously judging others. It is also detrimental for mental health as it assaults one’s self esteem continuously. However like any tool by man, it can be used to spread Love and positivity or as a potent to tool of hate and egocentric power. Ultimately, the ego of the user will be their eventual downfall depending on how they use it. Karma For every action, there is a reaction. Cause and Effect. You reap what you sow. An example: when you tell a lie. You have to keep the lie and before you know it, you are living the lie to sustain the appearance of it being the truth. When the Truth eventually comes out, the small initial lie has grown out of proportion and has become an untameable monster that starts consuming the liar. Because you can lie to others but NOT yourself and therefore God. Thus the insincerity and guilt consumes you (the liar) on a daily basis. That is what is called Karma. However, the universe and the Source approach to karma, is with very many big carrots for the good deeds and small sticks for the bad karma. You need not suffer bad karma if you have learnt from your bad deed and shown growth and change, much like a child need not be punished for a mistake already learnt from. The GOOD NEWS is, when we do acts of compassion and Love, the ripple effect is many many many many more times greater than the bad karma. Love wants you to grow, not punish. It is a fact.

PIEA POST YOUR ESSAY LMAOOOO

The 6th is about Taylor and 8th paragraph is about Harry. 

Images hold an intense power oversociety. Regardless of whether or not an image has been altered in a specificway, people will be hypnotized into making these manipulations into inspirations.These inspirations have been fueled by the well driven expectations of gendernorms. Bordo and Berger’s complementary essays create a timeline for thetransformation of images over several centuries. Berger focuses on the pastforms of images through the discussion of portraits and the discovery of thecamera. Bordo discusses modern day perspectives of images with advertisements.The bridge formed between these two essays gives an explanation behind theformation of gender norms through the use of images. Simultaneously, theseessays represent the slight progression of change taking place in society.

 “No other kind of relic or textfrom the past can offer such a direct testimony about the world whichsurrounded other people at other times. In this respect, images are moreprecise and richer than literature” (Berger 143) begins by trying to explainthe power of art. Society presumes that looking at a specific moment intime through art is more realistic than reading about it. Though,perspective comes into play when analyzing images. Artists can easilyleave out aspects of a specific moment to create their own version of a pointin time. The perspective of paintings is altered through the eyes of thepainter. Each brush stroke symbolizes the painter’s prospect. Photographs showjust as much perspective because the photographer is cutting out massiveportions of the world and focusing onto one fragment of an area.  

           Lookingat images in the past, it’s quite simple to spot the types of body languagesthat have been portrayed in pictures and paintings. It doesn’t come to asurprise that men held a stance of power and strength in most images, whilewomen were usually painted in a manner of nudity and beauty. Terms like“masculinity” and “femininity” have been formed because of the distinctfeatures designated to each gender. Masculinity follows the traits ofboyhood and manhood. It’s a set of attributes formed through sociallyand biologically-defined factors. Femininity follows thetraits attributed to females. These characterizations that have beendisplayed onto images over centuries of events and have led tothe consistent application of gender norms.

           Thegaze is described through the term ‘voyerism’ which explains the connection ofgazes between males and females. Even this concept has been formed through thedifferences of gender norms. Women specifically self-anticipate the gaze eachtime she may leave her home. “Men, both gay and straight, to be passivelydependent on the gaze of another person for one’s sense of self-worth isincompatible with being a real man” (Bordo, 221) was stated to bring attentionon the male gaze. Men have been known as the gender to actively work. So theyaren’t allowed the time to think about their appearances. Men are also definedthrough their actions, not their appearances. So for men to care about theirappearances makes them seem more feminine. On the other hand, women are knownto not be as active so they’ve become the victims of the gaze’s power. Womenare expected to be more concerned with the gaze since they have nothing betterto do.

It’s the 21st century and boundaries betweensocietal norms have been seen as questionable. Even if gender norms are stillapplied to everyday society, there has been a decline in use for these norms. Theessays by Bordo and Berger were written approximately a decade ago and they arecapable of showing how society has slightly shifted away from gender norms.Women work just as much as men and in the same fields as men. The underminingof women still take place in all industries but it shows a progression insociety. Women have gone from the inability of voting to the capability ofrunning businesses and working in fields that are male dominated. Progress willnever end in society because a perfect society can never be reached. The roleof gender norms is never ending but it will minimize in importance with timepassing by.

Vanity Fair released an advertisementfor it’s brand in a SoHo subway station. Keeping the intention of theadvertisement aside, there were several characteristics about the image thatwent against the norms of genders. The woman was displayed as moreauthoritative considering she is the actual subject of the photo. Her hands restedon her hips displayed a sense of fearlessness and dominance. It’s a commonstance for men to use as a method of making themselves seem more noticeable. Meanwhile,the man in the background is being perceived as the sexual accessory. He’s theone that being used for his sexual appeal instead of a woman. The male model ishidden away in the background of the woman with his shirt unbuttoned and hisabdomen peeking from the corner of the advertisement. The most interestingdecision done with the advertisement was the action of the male model assistingthe woman with her black mesh fish net accessory. It almost goes against thetypical norm of a wife helping her husband wear his tie before letting himattend a long day at work. Their gazes went directly against the standard normsfor male and females. Her gaze was aimed straight towards the camera, implyingthat she wasn’t scared about the judgment of others. On the other hand, themale’s gaze isn’t even in the direction of the camera. His gaze and attentionhas been given towards the female model. Several things have been reversed inthe image between the two genders, though it still containts typical aspectsthat are routinely applied to each gender. Some expected characteristics wouldbe the female model wearing a deep v-neck dress, being adorned in jewelry andwearing red nail polish. Even with these foreseeable aspects, this imageappears controversial towards gender norms.

Gender norms are entirely based onheterosexuality, which is now being challenged by homosexuality,transsexuality, pansexuality and more. With the different types of sexualorientations that have been discovered, it makes the idea of gender norms a lotmore complicated. The barriers of genders have been slowly chipping away aspeople go against expectations of society. Though, it doesn’t stop arrogantindividuals to act out in rage of the idea to go against heterosexuality ornorms of society. Rebellion and arguments are the first few things that lead toadvancements in society. Without progress, there isn’t any change. With eachindividual that goes against societal expectations is another doorway intoprogression.

In 2016, Another Man released an advertisementfor it’s new Fall collection. The subject appeared to be very androgynous whilesitting upon the counter of a kitchen, a well known room for only women. Hislegs crossed, arm draped over his waist and fist under his chest are allfeminine aspects of body languages. The manner of his body being curled inwardmakes himself seem small and feminine rather than boisterous and masculine. Thetexture and colors of his clothes were also intensely experimental. Femininestyles of fashion are inclusive for being more colorful and unique. Hence, hispastel fuzzy sweater with an intricately designed pair of jeans goes againstthe typical masculine styles of fashion. As mentioned before, the male gaze isexpected to be straight forward and dominant. Though, the model presented onthis advertisement displays a doe-eyed dreamy appearance. His gaze gives animplication of wondering about something and seemingly curious about whatpeople may think of him. Even though, there are many aspects of the image thatgoes against the standards of norms, there are still predictablecharacteristics. The length of his hair reminds the audience that the model isa male and his inactiveness of using the kitchen in a useful manner also areminder that he’s not a woman. Overall, the complications of characteristicsthat go against gender norms overlooks the typical norms expressed in thephoto.

Recently, advertisements have beenattempting to be inclusive. Vanity fair attempted to be inclusive for workingwomen while Another Man expressed its inclusive attempt for non-heterosexualpeople. Brands contain multiple different types of categories for theiraudiences. So in order for an advertisement to be successful, the brand has tobe as inclusive as possible. Though, misrepresentation is one category seems tostill be a trend in the advertisement industry. Misrepresentation hasn’t seemedto shown a progression from the time Bordo had written her piece. Bordoincluded many aspects in her essay that made her audience think aboutadvertisements differently. Her writing shined a light towards the power andimportance of images. That being said, she also steers away from certain topicsthat should have been mentioned. “Under slavery, white ownership of blacks wasasserted in the most concrete, humiliating way around the display ofthe body on the auction block” Bordo mentioned her knowledge ofslavery having an intense impact onto black people. She continues her essay bydiscussing the types of black fashion statements. Though, she doesn’t show herawareness of misrepresentation in advertisements. The lack ofnon-Caucasian individuals in the advertising industry should have beenpointed out. Because misrepresentation has always been a trait foradvertisements. History has given privileges to Caucasians and Bordoshould have made a connection to that in her essay. Bordo’s presentation ofadvertisements also showed an immense lack of representation. She used 9 imagesof Caucasian men, and 5 images of African American men, only Caucasianand African American men. Her intentions of being aware about the existence ofdifferent races have been blurred with her ambiguity of misrepresentation.

Thecomplementary aspects united through Bordo and Berger’s writing essentiallyproved how an image can speak for a thousand words. Images condone powerfulmessages and it’s important to be mindful when advertisements are created. Theapplication of gender norms in advertisements is one of the many issues thathave been served by the advertising industry. There are several other types ofissues routinely displayed onto images given to consumers. Issues such as bodyshaming, skinny glorification, misrepresentation and more. The closest societycan get into fixing these issues is by the attempt of trying to advance itself.Rebellion and communication are two aspects of an attempt for society toimprove. If individuals just follow the standardized regulations, then therewill be no change. Without communication, people will lack compassion andperspective. Progression will continue to be displayed onto society as long aspeople keep dismissing these norms. The world would just be unacceptable todiversity if it weren’t for unconventional individuals. Even if a utopia maynever be reached, it should always be an intention for society.

INAPPROPRIATE

     Weinstein, Al Franken, Louis CK, Tom Cole, Blake Farenthold, Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, Donald Trump. The list goes on and on. I wonder where this road lead is leading. But first a disclaimer:

Predatory sexual behavior is not okay. Sexual assault is not okay. Sexual harassment is not okay. Abuse of power and aggression towards women is definitely not okay. In no way am I demeaning these very serious things. And in no way am I excusing these behaviors. Or mitigating the actions of the perpetrators.

     I humbly make this disclaimer as a plea for conversation. To say that we should never be above a worthy discussion or deem a subject below our effort. I only ask for a discussion free from the dogmatic judgment and reactionary anger that clouds the conversations in our society. 

Too often, at the first chance we get, we label any person or idea as either friend or foe, no matter how premature or inaccurate these labels may be. Some of you may even be doing this as you read these words, even before I've said much of anything. I simply wish, as much as is possible, to make observations about these 'hot button' issues without stirring the self righteous rage or reactionary indignation that drowns out voices and blinds our vision. 

This is just a plea, to put down our preconceived notions and emotional baggage, so that we can talk about the issues that we face as a society. Because we must come to some understanding.

This disclaimer might be misleading and it's unfortunate that it is even necessary. It might lead you to assume that I will have an offensive position or controversial stance. Something that will stir the preverbal pot, but this isn't the case, or at least it isn't intended to be. I sincerely pose these questions with humility and compassion, intended, only to spark conversation. I have no real agenda or preference for the out come or the answers put forth. 

I've come to see that our need to view issues as either 'completely black or white' is more of an illusion than a reality. So once again it is our responsibility to hash out the causes, the repercussions, and the solutions to the problems we face. 

We all know that this type of sexual behavior is a problem, or at least we should, but almost everyone I hear seems to be content with just claiming a superficial outrage. This is the safest and easiest stance but it does little in the way of a pragmatic analysis of the root causes and possible solutions to these harmful actions. Unfortunately this is all too common these days: Safe and easy, over, difficult but necessary.

Regardless of our preferences, there must be a line drawn when it comes to the issue of indecent sexual behavior. Especially in the work place. This piece is me, simply wondering out loud, where the line is to be drawn and what the consequences should be for crossing it. My attempt at a conversation that I can't have in here.

With that being said I want to make a prediction: That the nearly constant revelations of celebrities accused of sexual harassment will not stop anytime soon. At some point I think we will find that, in many instances, if we dig deep enough and reach back, far enough into someones past, that most people have had at least one moment worthy of shame, disgust, and embarrassment, depending on where our ever changing level of acceptable behavior currently settles. Especially when it comes to something as complex as human interaction.

Because most men, at some point in their lives, are flawed, confused, flailing idiots, stumbling through life trying to figure out how to deal with other complex people within social conventions. All while trying to figure out how to orchestrate the awkward, nuanced, and often ridiculous dance of courtship and sexuality. And like most bumbling idiots, many people get it wrong. 

It's obvious that, 'getting it wrong' or making mistakes is entirely different, than a habitual pattern of sexually aggressive or abusive behavior. I'm just wondering how low the bar will be set for an 'indecency' worthy of severe repercussions. If set low enough, we will find, few who are able to clear it.

OK, as I'm writing this, with my TV on in the background, more details involving the Matt Lauer accusations are being revealed and I can no longer continue this piece in the same direction without addressing these overt behaviors. I still have the same questions but his actions are ridiculous, seemingly ongoing, and overtly irresponsible. This asshole distracted me from my whole point. 

So with that being said I guess I'm going to have to be completely specific with my references as not to be confused with these types of acts. Dropping your pants and expecting someone in the workplace to give you a blow job or giving a sex toy as a secret Santa gift with a detailed and explicit note of suggested use is pretty indefensible.

But I guess that brings me to my first question: Are all acts of sexual harassment/inappropriateness equal? I'd assume not. First of all we must make clear that sexual assault is different than sexual harassment, which is different than sexual indecency, right? One is criminal in nature another other is 'wrong' and out of place in nature, and the last is 'creepy asshole' in nature. No doubt they are all wrong in varying degrees.

When it comes to, say Al Franken pretending to honk a pair of boobs over a flack jacket vest while smiling for a photo, compared with Matt Lauer having a secret button installed on the desk in his office, allowing him to lock the door without getting up, so he could drop trow without worry of a coworker escaping before getting a regrettable eyeful of 'unwanted Lauer', Are they equal? And if they're not equal, should the punishment or repercussions be the same across the board? 

The next question is: where do we draw the line? Sexual assault, is clearly not okay. Sexual harassment? Not okay. Sexual 'indecency'? This is where we need to figure out where to draw the line of what is unacceptable. And once we deem something unacceptable is it also unforgivable?

This is where things can get blurry. Indecency, is relative. Right? What one person views as acceptable behavior, another may deem as offensive or indecent. And if a vague 'indecency' is where the line in the sand is drawn, we will continue to see men of every position, in every industry, of every age and of every class outed as predators and ousted from their place of employment. Because, by definition, nearly every man, at some point in his life, has probably done something that could be considered sexually indecent. Depending on where you set the bar. 

A major part of the problem that we face is that people want to have sex. It's a fact of life. It is THE fact of life. And as long as people have this desire, the initiator of an unreciprocated advance will wind up as the asshole in the situation. Which is fine, I guess, but should the consequences, no matter how far in the past or regardless of the severity, be: public shaming and the taking of livelihood? 

I'm honestly asking because I'm not sure that we are all on the same page.

Should Lauer lose his job? If the allegations are true, which they seem to be. Absolutely. Should Franken lose his job, for an 'indecent' though obviously non malicious, prank photo? I'm not so sure. If he was asleep and a female comedian, like Amy Schumer, posed for a picture pretending to grab his ass, or crotch, should she lose her job? Is there a double standard? Should there be?

Another aspect that makes this subject less clearly defined is the 'wanted' versus 'unwanted' advances. 

Can a phrase or act be defined as appropriate or inappropriate depending on the reaction of the recipient? If that's the case, it can be a roll of the dice whether or not an advance is looked on as innocent flirting or an unwanted act of sexual indecency. And, in those questionable situations, where it is unknown whether or not an advance would be reciprocated, what should one do? Is the appropriate response to never risk it? This seems to be the intelligent and responsible way to behave in a professional setting, and that is fine. Why risk it?

If we do draw a clearly defined line between appropriate and inappropriate sexual behavior, is the line retroactive? Can someone, who committed an act of insensitivity or made a tasteless advance twenty years before the line was drawn, be held responsible for a line that he or she didn't know existed at the time?

I ask these things with honest curiosity. Because these are the questions that we need to answer as a society if we are to move forward. I worry that without some honest and pragmatic discussion, free from overwhelming emotion, we will get caught up in a reactionary lynch mob mentality, in which we will blindly equate all acts of indecency, sexual harassment and sexual assault. In our understandable fervor and outrage, will we lump together any person who has made a crude joke, an insensitive comment, or idiotically misread a situation at some point in the past, with those guilty of sexual assault or rape?

I want to make a few things clear: When it comes to sexual harassment and indecency, the bar must be moved to reflect the equality that we like to consider ourselves worthy of. No one should have to deal with such avoidable bullshit in the workplace. Assault of any kind, and specifically sexual assault, is unacceptable and we, as men, must listen and be empathetic to the experiences of women, both in and out of the work place. We as human beings must listen to each other, no matter our differences of; race, age, sexual orientation, or gender. For, without the ability to view the perspectives of others, we will continue to be brothers and sisters divided. Don't ever think that this need for a glimpse into someone else's perspective doesn't apply to you. It does. Victim or perpetrator, hero or villain, male or female, black or white, none of us are above our responsibility for empathy. And I pray that none of us are above the desire for more understanding. 

What does it mean, that sexual indecency, sexual harassment, and sexual assault is unacceptable in the entertainment industry but is acceptable when it comes to our politicians? Where are we as a country when we ask more from our celebrities than from our elected officials? 

The fact that numerous accounts of alleged sexual assault isn't enough to disqualify someone from the highest office in our county, disheartens me to the chances of reaching an agreement of what is acceptable and unacceptable sexual behavior. When pedophilia can't be agreed upon as a disqualifier when running for senate, as the nominee of a major political party, then what are our chances for agreement? 

This is yet another symptom of refusing to look objectively at issues. We have become so tribal and so unwilling to do anything against those we view as our 'team mates' or 'tribal members', that we have placed tribe loyalty over our own morals, decency, virtue and justice. 

So without the leaders worthy of leading or, more importantly, without the citizens capable of viewing issues objectively enough to intelligently elect the officials, worthy of the positions they seek, it is left to us. 

The responsibility is on those of us capable of putting our egos, our emotions, and our tribalism to the side to discuss the issues we face. As difficult as it maybe, as uncomfortable as it may feel, we must do the work of engaging in honest discussions of any and all subjects. We mustn't use shame or spite as weapons. We must remove the vitriol and emotion in order to pragmatically discuss, and, or debate, in order to agree upon a direction to move in.

So where is this road headed? There is no doubt that a reckoning is taking place. A reckoning that stems from a righteous cause.. But I wonder, is there anyone at the helm? Is it being steered or guided by anything other than raw emotion and vengeance? And if not, haven't we learned anything from the past? 

When a movement is left to be driven by emotion, vitriol, self righteous indignation, and the fervor of a mob like mentality, no matter how genuinely positive its roots are, it always loses its purity and becomes ugly in it's results. Such a powerful and unguided motor inevitably pulls unintended and undeserving victims into its gears, crushing them under the justification of a righteous cause. 

The true righteous and lasting endeavors of history were compassionate to all involved. Oppressed and oppressor, victim and perpetrator. Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Jesus, all let the righteousness speak for itself to enact the lasting change that was necessary. Their missions were never tainted by the smog of emotion, because they realized the tendencies of human nature, to become defensive and to relinquish control to such strong emotions. 

As transparency grows, seemingly exponentially, with the information and accessibility of the internet, I suspect that we may eventually be brought together by our common bond, of our flawed nature. As time passes, our weakest moments and our, once secret, indiscretions will become exposed. And as terrifying as this may sound, I believe it can be a good thing. Hopefully this vulnerability will shower us with some much needed humility. With such raw exposure maybe we'll have less places to hold our critiques and less right to pass judgements.

Here in this present moment, in the midst of this reckoning, we must be willing to learn and also willing to teach. We have to come together to understand the affect that our words and actions have on our sisters and brothers. We have to discuss the parameters, with reasonable expectations, for defining unacceptable behavior. 

Or better yet we should teach and practice empathy, so that there isn't a need for a universal, all encompassing rule to guide our every circumstance with every person. This way we can treat each other as fellow human beings and discover where each persons individual boundaries lie. Where we can get to know and understand each other. Maybe we can stop seeing each other as objects or villains and we can listen to each other. 

Hopefully we can also release our expectation to go through life without being offended. Bad things happen to everybody and though this fact shouldn't stop us from doing what we can to curb these experiences, and hold people accountable, but it should prevent us from being irrevocably damaged and defined by those negative experiences. There is a huge difference in perspective between a survivor mentality and a victim mentality. 

This life is a chaotic, messy, and often painful ride. We all are a part of this experience, where none are veterans and all are rookies. The best we can do is to lean on each other (please, no groping!) using compassion, empathy, brutal honesty, and love to learn from our mistakes, fix what we have broken, and to become better brothers and sisters to one another.

This is just my plea. A plea for conversation...

How Jury Selection Illustrates a Fascinating Approach to Unbiased Recruiting

Watching a court room situation unravel is an eye-opening event. Exactly what you could not recognize is that jury choice illustrates a remarkable strategy to unbiased recruiting. Just recently I was called after to act as a juror on a criminal situation. Certainly, lots of people dread starting that notification in the mail. I located the encounter interesting. As well as one of the elements that interested me most was the jury selection procedure, or "voir dire" as it's employed legal circles. There are many components entailed in this vetting and speaking with vehicle that we could possibly incorporate into our very own hiring approaches. With a little creativity and also adjustment, I think voir dire offers us with some outstanding methods for establishing an unbiased, informing and results-oriented method to prospect interviews.

Voir Dire - A Vehicle of Objective Recruiting

One of the cornerstones of the American justice system is an accused's right to a jury trial when dealing with criminal charges. This right is guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as well as the regulations of every state. Whenever we see lawful dramatization play out on movie or tv, they normally start with lawyers, sufferers and the implicated entering a packed courtroom. We're greeted by stress in the atmosphere, the demanding demeanor of a sheriff, the smart and also looking at face of the judge, and a row of jurors. Which's the part we typically miss out on - exactly how each member of the jury wound up there. It's not an easy issue of reacting to a summons, it's a deliberate and systematic choice process.

Not only do I assume voir dire associates to how firms could select skill, I think it could instruct firms a thing or two about how you can deal with bias from hiring. So just how does it work?

First, the court opens up the process by asking prospective jurors regarding their opinions, perspectives and backgrounds. He or she likewise tries to discover whether these thoes have any pre-existing understanding concerning the instance itself. The questions are made to elicit and also find any kind of predispositions that may avoid the court participants from making a reasonable as well as impartial choice in the situation, based solely on the evidence.

The judge in my situation did much more compared to that, nonetheless. He took time to explain the entire procedure to us in advance, aiding us recognize the questions as well as why they were being asked. He supplied a riches of context that eliminated any type of uncertainty or anxiety we could have about our roles.

Next, lawyers from the prosecution and also protection asked comparable concerns, likewise made to reveal encounters or qualities that could possibly create a juror to favor one side over the various other. In my case, each attorney asked the same inquiries, in the very same format. They were constant, well created and mutually agreed upon.

During these job interviews, counselors for both celebrations are likewise permitted to excuse prospective jurors through two sorts of obstacles: peremptory challenges as well as obstacles for reason. A peremptory challenge needs no reason. An attorney could try to reject a prospective juror that is certified to offer yet appears most likely to favor the opposing team. Legal representatives could not make use of a peremptory challenge to excuse prospects for the jury based on discriminating elements such as race, gender or class.

Challenges for source obtain even more nuanced. The most uncomplicated example would certainly involve a prospective juror that falls short to fulfill the fundamental standards to offer: age, residency in the jurisdiction, citizenship, capability to rest with as well as understand the trial, and also so forth. Beyond minimum qualifications, the majority of difficulties for source arise as the result of actual or suggested biases.

Actual biases materialize when a candidate for the jury confesses that they could possibly not be objective. Some spiritual beliefs avoid their followers from resting in judgment of others. A those that reveals this belief would most likely be excused for cause.

Implied bias is a little more difficult. This kind of obstacle comes when possible jurors have character qualities, jobs or individual encounters that make it not likely for them remain unbiased, no matter of their reactions throughout voir dire. An example would certainly be a retired law enforcement agent considered for a jury that will determine a case on cops brutality.

So how would certainly a court option model operate in employing? I see it as a two-part process. Since voir dire is meant to weed out prejudices, it would apply most straight to the way we pick our interviewers and decision-making boards for recruiting. There are also some vital components we can make use of for candidate selection.

Selecting Your Court of Interviewers

Poor hiring choices have extensive influences on company society: reduced spirits, winding down motivation and even deterioration of a work brand. Eliminating predisposition from the working with procedure is crucial. One of the very best methods to accomplish this is to create a jury of interviewers.

Create a decision-making board or hiring group, as well as after that exercise a collection of questions (no greater than 10) that you would certainly all ask prospects. Just as lawyers throughout court choice, your intention is to establish a consistent set of efficient inquiries with a global layout for all candidates. Additionally think about the notion of difficult employee for cause - noticeable prejudices that are real or implied.

For circumstances, say a hiring manager in the group confesses that she prefers to work with "individuals I can connect to, with an advanced education from top universities." This would likely count as an actual bias. Having a postgraduate degree or attending a prominent college is no warranty of efficiency, capacity or also a good fit with the company's broader society. By dismissing other qualified applicants with various skills and also academic backgrounds, this interviewer is overlooking the advantages of taking into consideration an extensive range of profiles. In doing so, she risks creating a destructive gap between the familiarity of the new hire and also the finest abilities for the job.

You could also uncover the capacity for indicated prejudices. Let's visualize that an additional member of the board is a young male from New york city with a previous background in sales. Despite the fact that he supervises the accountancy division for your organization, you discover that almost all of his hires are also male, never older than just him, come from the East Shore and all have previous job experience as salespeople. It's clear that he has a suggested prejudice, which could be costing your company the loss of far better matched employees with better ability sets.

Meeting in this fashion and also challenging for source provides you the possibility to identify and also extract predispositions within the group, systematize speaking with inquiries and also develop appropriate assessment standards that everybody could agree with. This procedure ensures that interviewers are on the same web page in determining just what a suitable candidate looks like. Much more significantly, this approach helps you formalize a set of checks and also balances.

Jury Selection for Candidates

Naturally, candidates are not visiting be grilled for talking to prejudices. Their situation is distinct due to the fact that, in this metaphor, they're not jurors, offenders or witnesses on the dock. Prospects typically aren't potential jurors undertaking the voir dire, yet being grilled by a hiring supervisor could evoke the sensation of a lawyer digging for dirt. As well as while they're not on trial, an interview can occasionally really feel like one.

In either case, the interview is a nerve-wracking experience that involves some level of uncertainty and judgment. My experience in jury choice instructed me some important lessons in exactly how to reduce this process.

First, like the judge, we ought to open up the procedures by asking candidates about their backgrounds and also perspectives - in this instance, that suggests past encounter, goals, occupation objectives, passions, skills and also success. We could additionally find whether candidates have any pre-existing expertise regarding the task itself. This can reveal a good deal: does the prospect understand the firm goal, the function, the society, the work brand etc? Is that those's assumption favorable or negative?

As the court in my instance did, we need to make the effort to describe the whole process to candidates before the concerns begin flying, helping them understand why they're being asked. If we give the same level of context, we can eliminate any kind of question or anxiety prospects could have concerning the position, firm or employing process.

When we finally start asking the questions, we'll currently have a consistent layout that's thoroughly developed, objective and agreed after by everybody in the employing committee. If we do our works properly, we'll quickly have the ability to recognize concerns that would certainly lead to challenges for cause. We could even discover "prejudices" of sorts.

Sometimes, a wealth of experience comes with an inflexibility towards change, or practices that could not contribute to a new market or company environment. It's less complicated to show excellent behaviors to new talent compared to force seasoned employees to unlearn theirs.

Too usually in the industry, we see employers homing in on job titles and also keywords, all which could be deceptive. Firms have actually relocated far from commonly approved titles for their positions, making it difficult for a resume to properly stand for the genuine skills of the ability. In some instances, towering and uncertain titles do not tell a reputable story. In other situations, overly simplified titles could mask the worker's real strengths. Because of this, some employers never ever straight test a candidate's capabilities, they just think that the lack of specific key words or titles means a risky hire.

The Decision: Mirroring Jury Selection Can Enhance Hiring

Selecting the best juror is a tough choice for any sort of judge or litigator. They have to find thoes who can be unbiased, reasonable and also joint. Choosing prospects, or even those who interview them, needs the very same degree of preparing, thoughtfulness and process. When we eliminate bias from employing, we reach the heart of what issues most: discovering talent who execute at the highest degree. We reveal our organizations to ability of all abilities, backgrounds, abilities and societies. We bolster variety and addition. We stimulate fresh ideas and technology. And we could also find that what an employee may lack in terms of recognized skills or durability, she or he makes up for via motivation, a readiness to learn and a drive to achieve.