Aptiva

Surely Dear Reader, how one handles defeat, must be as equally important, if not more than how how one handles success, for, in the main, we will experience the sensation with greater frequency. Some, more mature individuals look at each lack of victory as a way of growing and stretching themselves to newer heights, propelling themselves towards their preconceived goal which will, in their mind be achieved. Others are so crushed in spirit, that one more loss in life just adds to the junk heap already poured so deep upon them, that like some mythical turtle which carries the world upon it's back, they strain with all to move just a few steps, before collapse. The question then Dear Reader, needs to be reframed. For we now live in a world where success, or namely lack of it, has sapped our self esteem. Consider, if i take an action, with honesty and integrity, but fail in it's endeavour, am i any less a human for trying yet failing to achieve? The world may call me so, and loudl

It is well to note, Dear Reader, that the most powerful of men or women started as a mewling babe. Reliant upon the kindness of some guardian or another. That while they might assume their present position is due to sheer hard work and tenacity , upon reflection, they might find more was offered to them than they at present share with others. For in our beginning, we had not option of choice of mother and father, place of birth or choice of residence for growing up. Some suffer terribly because of this, many others benefit but fail to acknowledge their blessing. The fact we seem in this western world able to choose our own endings, should never deny that we did not choose our own beginnings. Dear Reader, you may wonder at this obvious statement and it's relevance to our lives. It means that we now exist because another willed it so. From teacher and educators, to relations and older siblings, to parents or guardians, and finally i would press to a creator of all. All took part in r

Marriage dear reader, is oft talked about, much maligned, ridiculed and misnamed. For what in many's eyes is seen as merely an institution at best, and entrapment at worst, is I propose instead a blessing and a gift, which can bring enrichment, release and freedom. It may seem strange to include the word freedom with marriage, but that I suspect that is because, dear reader, we have forgotten an essential truth, true freedom only exists, when recognized boundaries have been kept. It is worth noting at this juncture that false freedoms present themselves. In many and varied forms they do disguise themselves. Monogamy is presented as restricting, preventing one from skipping from one partner to the next without such guilt as tends to accompany such activities. Yet nothing is ever mentioned of the loss that extramarital activity brings with it. I need dear reader, to clarify at this point, my meaning of extramarital, for some assume I mean an affair. While this definition is i

We are Dear Reader, all disciples of one sort or another. Some are more obvious than others, i agree. However in truth we all follow something, it just remains to be seen what? or who? For dear reader, a disciple is one who follows a person or idea, and all do so, it is just most do not recognise it. In times past whole countries have followed teachings of now famous leaders and come to be communist in their thinking. Others have stood against this thinking so strongly that far from the freedom they so strongly proclaim, their teachings have led their countries down paths of bigotry and fear, a nations of disciples where any signs of communism was met by loss of work! Now Dear Reader, while we scoff and laugh and consider the foolishness of these extremes, can we pause to consider where and how we live, and ask what are we disciples of? Not what we would loudly proclaim from roof tops as our statement, but that which our lives loudly proclaim by action. For what a person does, that i

It appears , Dear Reader, that one legal definition of covenant is: " covenant no consideration is necessary to give it validity ". To which this means Dear Reader that one or more of the people entering into the covenant can have no benefit in doing so, often in these cases, they are worse off for said choice! A contract one would assume is the opposite, where the parties involved, do have some benefit from joining in this legal document. So then, why does a covenant even exist! What earthly reason is there Dear Reader to make such a joining? This question is answered i believe not on earth, but far from it, in higher and more heavenly realms. For i argue Dear Reader, that all covenants we see are mere copies or in some instances sadly, mockeries, of a spiritual covenant which was pre -existent, and then all others flowed from it. For in our world, divine remnants have left and keep leaving guidance to suggest that our creator although one, is also three, oft called, and o

We can be many things, dear reader, but, for growth to occur, one thing we ought to be is honest. Honest to ourselves, to recognise the truth of the situation we presently reside, be it in splendour, squalor, or a mixture of the pair. For if truth be told, most on this mortal coil reside not in such desperate hell that they cannot abide, yet far from the heaven they so believe they deserve! No we reside in that strange place, that no mans land, which upon reaching, we tolerate. Neither fully enjoying, nor despising both, but vacillating between said extremes on issues which differ wildly from each other. It matters much what culture and circumstance from which we come, but those who find themselves in such affluence as to be lifted from the cares of the normal world must first check, their honesty. I am not suggesting dear reader, that such gain was the result of dis honest work, far from it, merely that such gain removes perspective on such areas as truth needs to be applied. For exam

There are dear reader many things in this world which are fragile. Some deliberately so, because of its design. The very nature of the object in question can only be displayed in its full glory, if it carries with it the essence of its own possible demise. In more than one household, I suspect, dear reader have cries of dismay arose as favourite pieces of pottery, woodwork and such like have smashed asunder by a simple mistake upon its owners part. Yet other things can be just as fragile, for different reasons. Some because they are coming close to the end of their time, and constant use has worn them out. Bringing to breaking point, what once was so secure. The other is opposite in its extreme, and is but newly formed or forming. Like a child in the womb, or a new-found friendship. Where any simple pressure upon these new things, may well bring forth its loss. Yet most insidious of all is something which looks strong, robust, in fact, but in truth, upon closer inspection is fr

There is dear readers some strange fable which often will raise its head to stake its claim a new upon fresh and susceptible minds. Innocuous in its phraseology, it can oft do more damage than all wars combined. This simple phrase is thus "all religions are basically the same. " Once uttered, undiscerning minds accept and move on without giving due consideration to the truth of such argument proposed. Yet forevermore allow their life to be dulled and turn never again their attention to the concept that a divine being so exists and seeks to Council his creation, yet other more malicious minds seek to corrupt the selfsame message. For, like most artful lies they contain the modicum of truth. Let me give you an example dear reader. A cart and horse and an aeroplane, can both be used to transport people. If I chose to advertise "transport available for hire" you would be wise to enquire deeper if I were the owner of the aeroplane or the horse and cart. For each w

Humility dear reader is often talked about but so rarely seen. Obviously, by its very nature it draws not attention to itself. The very greatest of examples for us to emulate being those selfsame people, who false world would think they should deny said attribute, but who in themselves have realised acceptance of in manner of humility is part of the demonstration of the truth of it. So dear reader, it is not that humility has gone from this world, yet rather we, in such prideful state fail to cast our eyes around, with true intent to find and learn. Humility then has become like a lost art, which all agree was wonderful in its time, but has no place in our present life. A humble person is about as sought-after for their knowledge and teachings as a blacksmith, who resides in our great sprawling metropolis, who has many skills to shoe a horse, yet little clientele. Yet like a doppelganger, who imitates and conceals, we find humility, twice hard to find. As so many actions can be d

Beauty, so they say is in the eye of the beholder, and observation lends some strong evidence to support this view. For I have seen in my time, dear reader, things of strange persuasion, which in my mind's eye, when peered upon offer up little in the way of encouragement, skill or beauty. Yet once placed upon the open market command exceptional price from those who would offer and pay. It can seem to me, strange, nay, sometimes......... offensive that such large amounts of money, which for most in this world would represent severe and hard toil, can be so squandered upon something apparently bestial or mundane. And while my offence at such transactions can be blamed upon supposed righteous anger, of the evils of the world which could have been so expunged had this money been redirected. It would be more truthful, though painful to admit that the greater part of my ire, stemmed from simple jealousy, that others resources so far outweighed my own, leaving them this choice denied to

Dear reader the very phrase of "a wing and a prayer" immediately conjures to the mind, a venture taken on the basis of faith. I assert, dear reader, as you read this, you do have faith. It may be the faith of a clear clarion call to worship some recognized deity within this world. For those in this position, please join with me, as we will consider in coming weeks the nature of any such deity. It is however, dear reader, to those who would claim no such adherence, to whom the very suggestion of a higher being or intelligent designer causes consternation, irritation or downright anger. It is to you, that today's question will be placed, "what is faith?". For some, faith must be in the wild and the unseen, the intangible and often in onlookers minds the unknowable. It can dear readers seem, that the more extreme and ridiculous a situation, idea, or deity, a person forces themselves to place their faith in, the happier they are. For those who consider the

Gone is the day when a person's word was their bond. We live in an age where the celebrities of today develop pre nuptial agreements before they give their word in marriage. This seems to me an oxymoron, a person who promises to forsake all others and offer themselves second to the one they love, has no need of back up clauses or documentation in case they don't keep their word. The very existence of such agreements, in my mind disqualify all those who would seek to enter marriage from ever understanding the true gift that marriage is from God. What hope then is there?, For if we now exist when the most personal of promises means nothing, what other levels have we fallen to. I am told in days of old, a spit in the hand and a shake was the required level of trust for major transactions, now lawyers abound, and courts are blocked with ever increasing litigations against one another. So what dear reader has gone wrong? The wrong questions society has asked is "how can we le

We seem to live in a world which thinks that asking questions is wrong, not all questions mind you, just one's that mean something. It's okay to ask inconsequential questions, or questions that no one really wanted answered anyway, we just have to look to gossip magazines for those. However, important questions, questions which affect the way people really think and live their lives seem always to be put on the backburner or ignored. This always seems a great tragedy to me, that the species so gifted; (We can hurtle men through space, discover the depths of our ocean, and create weapons of such destructive force that entire cities are turned to ash), cannot ask without censure, does God exist and if so should the actions we are so apt at doing be carried out. It is not of course that these questions are not asked, it is just that they are asked so infrequently or in a manner so curtailed that the possibility of answers to large amounts of people in this world becomes unlikely