News Analysis
News: Living
>> = Important Articles; ** = Major Articles
Power of Positive Thinking Under Debate (920220)
10 Habits of Decidedly Defective People© (townhall.com, 050528)
==============================
This was written by a teen in Bagdad, Arizona.
This is incredible!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.
If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.
Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That’s no offense; it’s a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God’s name is prohibited by the state.
We’re allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They’ve outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the ‘unwed daddy,’ our Senior King.
It’s “inappropriate” to teach right from wrong,
We’re taught that such “judgments” do not belong.
We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.
It’s scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school’s a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen
If you aren’t ashamed to do this, please pass this on.
Jesus said, “ If you are ashamed of me,” I will be ashamed of you before my Father.”
Not ashamed. Passing this on.
======================================
NEW YORK — While the “power of positive thinking” is encouraged as a way to improve health and well being, new research shows that it may be more important to avoid negative thinking.
Researchers at Ohio State University in Columbus studied 224 middle-aged and older adults, half of whom were caregivers for a relative with Alzheimer’s disease. At one-year intervals for three years, participants reported their degree of optimism and pessimism, negative life events, depression, stress, anxiety and other issues.
The researchers found that optimism and pessimism, previously thought to be linked, are actually independent factors that individually influence stressed and nonstressed people. And one factor is more foretelling than the other.
“Of greatest interest, we found that pessimism, not optimism, was a prospective predictor of psychological and physical health outcomes a year later,” write Susan Robinson-Whelen and colleagues in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Specifically, pessimism predicted anxiety, perceived stress and self-rated health for the next year, while optimism did not predict anything. The researchers explain that negative life events may not impact caregivers as much as noncaregivers because caregivers’ outlook for the future is already influenced by the stress of caring for an ill family member.
Previous research has shown that optimism may affect people’s success in alcohol treatment programs, with recovery from coronary artery bypass surgery and breast cancer surgery, and in other health-related concerns. This new study, the authors conclude, emphasizes the need to also consider how pessimism affects such outcomes.
==============================
I’ve learned-that it’s not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.
I’ve learned-that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.
I’ve learned-that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I’ve learned-that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.
I’ve learned-that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
I’ve learned-that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
I’ve learned-that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I’ve learned-that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will be the ones to help you get back up.
I’ve learned-that just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.
I’ve learned-that your family may not always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren’t related to can sometimes take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again.
I’ve learned-that just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other. And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.
I’ve learned-that we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I’ve learned-that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
I’ve learned-that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
I’ve learned-that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
I’ve learned-that you shouldn’t compare yourself to the best others can do.
I’ve learned-that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I’ve learned-that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I’ve learned-that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.
I’ve learned-that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I’ve learned-that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I’ve learned-that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I’ve learned-that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.
I’ve learned-that you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I’ve learned-that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.
I’ve learned-that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.
I’ve learned-that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.
I’ve learned-that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better know something.
I’ve learned-that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I’ve learned-that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
I’ve learned-that you can keep going long after you can’t.
I’ve learned-that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I’ve learned-that sometimes when I’m angry I may have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.
I’ve learned-that you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.
I’ve learned-that it’s hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people’s feelings and standing up for what you believe.
I’ve learned-that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
==============================
Doug Giles
For people who are finding it difficult to ruin their lives, let me help you with 10 sure-fire ways to ram your chances of success solidly into a brick wall. Having covered point one, Be a Slacker©, in my last column, I want to continue to build on that foundation and further help the haggard pull down any chance of achievement in any aspect of his life. What lies ahead are not fluffy little feel-good debilitating ditties, but rather secrets . . . keys to developing The Disaster Master Mind©.
Yes, far from being unsubstantiated little quips for the uncommitted, these 10 Habits of Decidedly Defective People©, namely . . .
1. Be a slacker.
2. Blame others.
3. Embrace hopelessness.
4. Follow others mindlessly.
5. Be a wet blanket.
6. Hang out with morons.
7. Be a self obsessed me-monkey.
8. Stand for nothing.
9. Have an “it’s not my job” mentality.
10. Quit when the going gets tough.
. . . are solid and sure road-tested verities for the unsuccessful.
If you believe and obey the above, like a mighty weed . . . The Disaster Master Mind© will begin to grow and start the process of eradicating any chance for greatness in you and will eventually propel you—stratospherically—into the great compost heap of humanity.
Before we plow on, remember: ruining your life is easy. Get it out of your mind that this is difficult stuff. Success is what is difficult. You have chosen that which is easy, so . . . let’s get busy fleshing out your failure with Habit #2 of Decidedly Defective People©:
Blame Others.
Another way to assure that you never get a life is to continue to blame others for why you haven’t accomplished anything yet. [Losers love this lecture.] A must in developing The Disaster Master Mind© is to convince yourself that your sad lot in life is because “they,” “them,” and “the other guy” have all conspired against you. Yes, you have to believe that others have wronged you, and they . . . they are the reason why you’re an unemployed cross dresser who keeps human body parts in your refrigerator.
Blame shifting is a non-negotiable if you want to lock in The Disaster Master Mind©. For those finding it hard and somewhat silly to affix blame on others, let me assist you. Try this: If you had a rough childhood, or possibly were even rejected in the womb, then magnify that and milk it for everything it’s worth and use it to have people forever pity you and never expect anything from you. See how easy you can take something other people have done to you and use it to opt out of life? [Craving perpetual pity is also a good thing to add to your jacked-up arsenal. That’s a freebie!]
Think about how many miles you can get from blaming others. Float this stool the next time people come around you and expect something out of you. Tell them your parents neglected you and that they did not pay enough attention to you and your silly antics while you were growing up because they were obsessing on stupid things like putting food on the table and keeping a roof over your goofy head.
Your parents disenabled you and, therefore, you hate them for not orbiting more closely to your little world. Yes, use your parent’s lack of giving you quality time as the reason why you lack quality of life.
Also, your bad behavior may be caused by a chemical imbalance, like low blood sugar. If it is, or if you think that it possibly could be the reason, then ride this little hobbyhorse away from accountability and blame all your bad behavior on the fact that you didn’t have your daily Butterfinger.
Are you a Christian? Well . . . you can be a big time loser, as well. The under achievers needn’t be just in the secular realm . . . the saints, too, can lead a sucky life. “How?” you might ask. It is easy. Blame the devil for all your mistakes and failures. And don’t forget, you also have the evil world to fault for all its seductive evilness.
Yes, the world and the devil are the primary cause for your continuous lapsing and lackluster life. You see, you want to do right, but culture and demons keep you from doing it. Whew! What a weight off your shoulders, eh Christian? It’s the culture’s fault and the devil’s fault that you’re coerced to live in the warm womb of Wussville. It’s not your fault. It couldn’t be. You’re an angel.
Yes, in order to get The Disaster Master Mind© maximized in the religious sphere, the Christian must never believe that he is remotely guilty for being a dipstick, and he must disbelieve the plethora of biblical passages that promise victory over demonic deception and ascendancy over an acidic society.
In wrapping up point two in my godly attempt to help you affix failure to your funk, remember this: you can never let the thought cross your mind that you actually have a say in what happens to your life. Commit to your personal credo that you have no capability or responsibility to change yourself and live by your plan and not the prescription of others. Do not entertain the thought that you can pursue happiness. Stay away from biographies, movies, music and narratives that show people overcoming way worse crud than you have had to shovel. Beware of people who have blown off what others have done to them and what others think of them, and have, in spite of all odds, accomplished worthy goals—because that could possibly empower you to quit being a weasel.
Bear in mind that accomplishment is a communicable disease that can transfer from people and can be inspired through film, music and literature. So beware whom you hang around, as well as what you watch, read and listen to. You don’t want greatness anywhere around you.
Lastly, I need you to say this out loud—and right now: “I am a victim. I am a butt. I am a casualty.” There you go. Can you feel your personal power draining from you? That’s good. You must declare this over and over, both out loud and in your mind, until culpability for any personal lack decisively leaves your conscience.
Also, work on a daily basis to convince your friends that you’re an incurable poor dupe so that they can enable you to be more disabled. Remember: personal power and duty are a detriment to The Disaster Master Mind©, so avoid any thoughts regarding liability for your life.
Additional Habits of Decidedly Defective People© to follow . . .
Get Doug’s book Do You Have a Pit Bull Attitude? Pit Bull Attitude is ten chapters of uncut, bulldog adrenaline, guaranteed to give people who are serious about changing their lives both the incentive and practical tools to do so.
==============================