Hate or Happiness? It’s A Choice.

We at NoHateNoViolence.com want to say that Hate is a choice not an emotion. That important distinction sometimes gets lost when we see hate-filled peoples’ faces in crowds contorted with what may look like emotion. It isn’t. It is their soul showing on their face. The more we all understand this the more we all might think about how to minimize hateful thoughts, comments and behaviors.

Happiness is also a choice, and no matter where we are in life, we should try for happiness in every living moment. Being happy as much as possible in life means quite simply that a person feels better and finds it harder to express Hate in thought, word or deed!

We would like to share this article by Kimberly Mikesh with you – perhaps it will help you find a little more happiness to share with others today!

“While some factors that affect happiness are out of our control (yes, genetics does play a role, as do current life circumstances), there are always actions we can take to amp up our good vibes. Consider trying a few of these – or all of them! – and you’re guaranteed to give your day a little boost.
1. Crank the tunes. Try NOT smiling while blasting your fave feel-good song (or 5).
2. Write it down. Did you know that taking the time to write down 3 positive things each day will make you more optimistic and less stressed? (And yes, we have an app for that 🙂
3. Get outside. Just a few minutes of fresh air can give you a fresh perspective.
4. Walk it out. A 20-minute brisk walk gets the heart pumping and will decrease stress.
5. Make a statement. With your accessories. A bold statement necklace, your too-cool-for-school shades or your favorite kicks can be all you need to turn a ‘blah’ day around.
6. Give yourself a boost. Of healthy nutrients! We’re talking fruit, veggies and protein. When your body feels good your brain will follow.
7. Leave a note. Make someone’s day by leaving a “you’re beautiful” note on the bathroom mirror.
8. Do something. Whether it’s sending an email or clearing the clutter off your dining room table, just getting one tiny little thing off your to-do list and onto the ‘it’s done’ list will give you a huge mental sigh of relief.
9. Say “thank you.” Even this small act of gratitude will boost your positivity.
10. Learn something new. Whether it’s reading a wiki about a topic that interests you or watching a quick Youtube tutorial, the digital world is full of ways to learn things fast and on the go. Yes, even happiness courses! 🙂
11. Be a good listener. Seeking out meaningful conversation is proven to improve your sense of well-being.
12. Let it go. You can boost your happiness by detaching from past negativity.
13. Straighten up! Our posture dictates how we feel, so straighten up and walk like a boss!
14. Try something new. Break out of your routine and mix things up! It can be as simple as walking down a different street – anything to just get off of autopilot and be present where you are.
15. Spend money. The trick is you have to spend it on someone else to get the ‘feel good’ perks, according to Harvard professor Mike Norton.
16. Text a friend. Reaching out to a pal and letting them know how awesome they are will make you feel awesome, too.
17. Make plans. Having something to look forward to, even something small like making plans to grab a cup of coffee with a friend, makes you happier. Anticipation is like a secret weapon of happiness.
18. Help someone. Feeling down? One of the quickest ways to pick yourself back up is to do something kind for someone else. Bonus feel good points when it’s random and not expected of you.
19. Stop comparing yourself. Chances are you always pick those at the very top to compare yourself to. No wonder you feel like you’ve come up short! Focusing on the things you’ve accomplished is a lot more productive.
20. Smile. In one research study subjects who smiled after a stressful activity decreased their heart rate more quickly than those who didn’t. It even works if you fake smile!
21. Power color. While we’re partial to orange of course, whatever your favorite color is, embrace it. Bonus: when you’re feeling down, treat yourself to a flower in your fave color. It will brighten the room and your outlook.
22. Treat yourself. Sometimes a tiny little luxury in our day is all we need to break out of a rut.
23. Read something. Be it your favorite guilty-pleasure celeb gossip mag or nerding out on your favorite blog, taking a few moments to indulge in something you truly enjoy will give you a burst of positive energy. Plus you might learn something (refer to #10).
24. Cute overload. Seeing something cute makes us smile which in turn makes us happier. The Cute Emergency twitter feed will rescue a bad day as quickly as you can say “Golden Retriever puppy.”
25. Think positive. No matter how bad things may seem, be grateful. Warm water on a cold day? Amazing! Cold water on a warm day? Incredible! You really are very lucky when you get right down to it.”

Free Near-Death Experiences Book For Our Subscribers

Here at No Hate No Violence Press we’re excited to have published our newest book “Answers To: Where Do We Go From Here? Planning Confidently For The Next Life”, and we want you as our valued subscriber to have priority access to this groundbreaking publication for free.

A great short read, “Answers” offers dozens of fascinating and inspiring first-person stories of Near-Death Experiences. Every chapter features published clinical research along with personal reports of an existence beyond this life discovered by people who have died and then returned to life, often bringing with them detailed and sometimes fully verifiable experiences. The book covers every kind of human experience that brings people to death’s door including heart attacks, car accidents, terminal diseases, violence and murder, and suicide.

Whether you believe in the reality of Near-Death Experiences or not, everybody we hear from are people whose lives have been permanently and positively changed by having an NDE. Readers have written and called to tell us their stories, and we’re in awe at the depth of their new understanding. We didn’t realize how close NDEs are to the experience of finding faith in God, but we’ve now heard enough stories and seen enough impact on the lives of people to believe that this is a very real experience for them, and who’s to say it’s not?

One of the most profoundly moving chapters chronicles the experiences of Veterans who have committed suicide and then, often miraculously, returned from death. We believe in the author’s vision so deeply that we’ve made this chapter into our newest YouTube video. We hope this video will inspire viewers with thoughts and visions of the immense value of human life.

The changes that people make in their lives after a Near Death Experience (NDE) are often breathtaking – click here to watch, listen and hear for yourself!

This video reveals through narration and visual imagery the experiences of people who have committed suicide and then been met and urged to go back by long-lost friends and family on the other side. The stories told by these fortunate people who have been given a second chance are inspiring even for those of us who may never have contemplated the tragic, senseless act of suicide or its true consequences.

After you watch the YouTube video, we’ve arranged with Smashwords, a major international distributor, to make the full digital edition with dozens of hyperlinks to Near Death Experience research and stories available to you free – click here to get this free groundbreaking book!

We would also like to announce an exciting new way to experience this inspiring evidence of the afterlife. We’ve worked with renowned narrator & voice actor Tim Little, whose voice has inspired millions of audiobook fans, and who has narrated our new YouTube video, to produce a full audiobook edition of “Answers To: Where Do We Go From Here?”. We created the audio edition with the needs of hospice and nursing home patients especially in mind, and we’ve been told by families that the book had a deep impact on their loved one’s last days.

After you order your free E-book we urge you to please pass this offer on to your friends and family, especially if you know someone who might benefit from this book right now in these troubled times. Please don’t hesitate to share this with your Facebook and Twitter friends too!

We’re so committed to helping others in deep spiritual and emotional need that we want to give away a million copies, and that will take time and money. Can you help with a donation? Our costs so far run around 10 cents a book so a donation of $10 goes a long way. Thank you, and …

Let’s Enjoy Life Together. Pass It On!

Patrick Lockhart

Founder and CEO: No Hate No Violence Press

THIS ISN’T THE WAY TO TREAT EACH OTHER

We at NoHateNoViolence totally condemn what happened last week at the U.S. Capitol. We’re urging each of our readers to do the same, and to do everything we can to prevent further hatred and violence during the Biden/Harris inauguration. Sadly, because a few people got so caught up in emotions that they committed violence, it gives those who oppose Conservative values the opportunity to condemn everyone involved, including those who peacefully protested – the vast majority of those at the Capitol on January 6th.

One thing about true political Conservatives – they don’t believe that violence is the way to accomplish anything worthwhile. But in our opinion, whether or not there was disagreement, and there always is some, the issue must be dealt with in a peaceful and debatable manner and resolved so that NO PARTY can benefit from violence.

Even though it’s going to be difficult to convey in this politically charged environment, we need to make sure that everybody gets the message that violence gets you nothing. We’ve proven that. We reject war with other countries – why tolerate it in our own country? What happened at the Capitol and around the country is perhaps rightfully being called domestic terrorism, but liberals would not label any of the violence that occurred in major cities across the country last summer as “domestic terrorism”. I’m not talking here about the peaceful protesters of police violence. I’m talking about the rioters, looters and arsonists – not the protestors on the streets or at the Capitol. I find this disconnect in perspectives hypocritical at best.

We must learn to talk to each other. I have high hopes as a long-time conservative Democrat that this new administration is trying to help bring us together. I had those same hopes in the Obama administration, to no avail, but maybe this administration can work harder on it. Additionally, both Conservatives and Liberals definitely need to be calmer and learn to talk more calmly using supporting facts and incorporating debating skills. They could learn a lot from the kids we work with in school debate leagues.

You don’t have to love your neighbor’s yard sign but you definitely don’t need to hate them if they think differently than you do. If you find yourself ‘hating that SOB’ then maybe you need to ask yourself why you have that hatred. You need to review why you hate somebody because they’re of a different political party. It’s crazy when you outright say it. Yet, we all do it. It’s just not an innate human condition. Hatred is something we had to learn and accept for ourselves because we weren’t born with it. And with hate, if it gets to a high level, it can definitely erupt into violence. Just look around the world. Do we want to be like Syria, China or other countries where the government is totally at war with anyone in its population who thinks outside the government-approved lines? I certainly don’t want to see that and I’m quite sure you don’t either. So let’s find a way to figure this out and get past it so that we can all think of ourselves as Americans, whatever our other differences may be.

STOP TALKING AND DO SOMETHING POSITIVE

Great Example Of How Debate Can Change Young Lives

As much as we would like to we can’t add to this New York Daily News article about the Brooklyn Middle School that just five years ago was down from 1200 students to a bare 165 students before Ben Honoroff and his staff turned the school into one of the best schools in the five boroughs by making debating a major driver of classroom education. The debate program has taken MS 50 from almost being closed down to being one of the best schools in New York City. We believe in the power of debate to change lives and this is one of the best examples of this principle that we’ve seen.

Principal Honoroff and his kids should be extremely proud and our hats are off to all of them – and their parents! This article shows how debate gives kids incentive to work harder and learn more while being easier and a lot more fun for the teachers. Our sincere congratulations to the kids of MS 50 and to Ben Honoroff and his great staff!

“Unlikely Brooklyn middle school debaters best in the five boroughs — and maybe in the USA”

By WES PARNELL and Larry McShane

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS |

Middle School 50 principal Benjamin Honoroff is proud of his debaters, including Grant Shan Jr, (left), 14, and Kevin Ascencion, 13.

(Kevin C Downs for New York Daily News)

There’s no argument here: The debate team at Middle School 50 is breaking down its opponents — and stereotypes.

The squad from the Williamsburg school, just three years from nearly closing its doors for good, is now one win away away from reaching the national championships in Houston.

“We constantly not only compete against schools with more funding, but we also win,” said proud school principal Ben Honoroff. “It’s working harder, smarter and longer … I leave school inspired every day.”

The Brooklyn school remains an unlikely launching pad for the fast-thinking youths who captured the last three citywide debate titles. Just three years ago, with the student population down from 1,200 to just 165 over the previous two decades, the school teetered on the edge of extinction.

Students debating whether junk food or healthy food should be served in schools in New York City. Middle School 50 in Willliamsburg, Brooklyn.(Kevin C. Downs for New York Daily News)

But the program, available for students in either English or Spanish, altered both the future of the school and its participants. Enrollment now stands at 300, with one in kids five enrolled in the debate program.

On Saturday, the team members hosted a debate for 100 students from seven local elementary schools as they spread the good word.

Student Diego Pena, a Dominican native who came to MS 50 in early 2017, cited the debate team for his metamorphosis from a kid with no dreams to an aspiring attorney.

“It teaches you how to think, how to analyze both parts of the argument,” said Pena, a star student who now works with younger debaters. “The debate is something grand that opens your mind to many things.”

The Texas trip is not the first national attention for the MS 50 debaters. New York’s Democratic Rep. Nydia Velazquez previously honored the team with a speech and a plaque on the floor of the House of Representatives.

The program began with just four students in 2013. While morale and membership exploded, not everything has changed: Nine out of 10 of the school’s poverty-stricken students still qualify for a free lunch.

Janier Espinal, a fifth-grader, hopes to join the MS 50 squad next year. With the aid of the older students, he notched a pair of first-place finishes Saturday in Spanish-language and individual debate.

“I feel like I’m doing something big,” said the Dominican immigrant, who one day hopes to work in the White House. “I always wanted to come here to learn English, help my family and get a better life.”

A student from Public School 34 debating team is joyful after winning a medal.(Kevin C. Downs for New York Daily News)

Eighth-grader Kevin Ascencion, 13, recalled how the competitions boosted his self-confidence and ability to handle pressure.

“It’s really nerve-wracking going against top-ranked schools,” said the son of two Mexican immigrants. “But it helps you to be competitive and teaches you how to step up.”

Parent Steve Guerrero, father of 10-year-old debater Juaquin, was stunned by the composure of the kids.

The members of the MS 50 debate team are seen at the school in Brooklyn. (Kevin C. Downs for New York Daily News)

”I would have never expected kids of this age to be this articulate,” he marveled. “I would have vomited and started crying if I had to do this when I was 10 years old.”

MS 50 teacher Caroline Hidalgo, who launched the Spanish language team, recalled breaking down in tears when Pena told her about his hopes.

“I never thought I created a difference like that,” she recounted. “Now every time I wake up in the morning, I wake up with more life knowing that I am making a good impact.

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART ABOUT FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS LISTENING

Hate-filled and disrespectful “free speech” is alive and well in the Democratic Party, which has been my party for 50+ years. The so called “debate” the other night was filled with nasty and embarrassing moments – again. No order, no self-control, no facts or fact checking, way too many straight-out lies, and the moderators quickly lost their grip on the process – again.
Who runs the best debates – go back and look. Who asks hard questions of all candidates, enforces the rules of debating, and never lets people talk over each other – all to make sure the audience can hear and understand what is being said. Whether you like what is being said or not – that isn’t the point here.

Saying what you disagree or agree with using facts and reasoning with respect – that’s debating. Pushing forward just points of view and facts that you like and ignoring, rejecting and disrespecting everything else – that’s not debating or helping the voters learn.
A debate should be about people discussing facts and ideas, making reasonable even if passionate arguments, and listening to each other. We did not hear a debate the other evening because of the lack of control by candidates and moderators alike, the hateful bickering, accusations and innuendos, with all the shouting and “look at me” grandstanding to grab attention. Again.
We at NO HATE NO VIOLENCE believe in debating done correctly with good facts and respect.

Who is No Hate No Violence?

A letter from our founder on the importance of free speech and debate theory:

I am 71 years old and I have experienced and have seen a lot in my lifetime. I’ve watched our world evolve in so many ways. Because of this I know that we are fully capable of changing from a bad attitude to a good increasing our happiness. And I know we will continue to make this world a better place for future generations.

This is why I started the No Hate No Violence blog. I started it because I truly believe there is no place in the world for hate or violence. I believe we CAN make our world a better place. And I want to help do this. So, I began by writing posts trying to encourage others to embrace this ideology. This is my pay it forward.

Our team here created NO HATE NO VIOLENCE signs and took them to the streets to be carried at the different marches and protests. All in the hopes of reducing the tensions and encourage peaceful demonstrations and dialog. I’m not going to lie. It was intimidating for us to do this. But it was successful. We found that it didn’t make a difference what position a person stood on in the matter. Most were receptive and wanted to hold our signs. This gave us hope.

But, in my process of learning how to be a blogger (and yes, I am still learning how all of this works), I have spent many hours researching various topics. And as does everyone, I too have my own personal beliefs. But above all I believe in free speech. So, when I came across debate teams and the rules of debate I thought AHA! This is what we need. This can help!

No Hate No Violence believes in free speech with open and respectful dialog. So, we began developing the No Hate No Violence Debate Forums.

If we could promote free speech and reduce today’s angry rhetoric using facts we could encourage people to actually listen to each other.

We could get people to really hear different points of views objectively. What better way to start than to encourage healthy respectful debates. Especially in our youth.

In today’s world when we follow our politicians and media we become more and more exposed to so much negativity, mistruths, and corruption. Sadly, we are teaching our youth how to be corrupt, how to lie, how to be self-absorbed and how to be closed off to differing points of view. Much of our society claims to be enlightened and open-minded in today’s age, but in reality, many have become more intolerant.

I think that our issues with bullying alone, is an indicator of what our society and social media is teaching our youth. Our political leaders and their rhetoric spread all across the media spectrum just screams intolerance and is the epitome of bullying.

We want to change that. We want to bring the fine art of debating back to the forefront of American society. We want to re-open the dialogue.

Let’s encourage and support the benefits of debating. Debating promotes open dialogue and respect and tolerance for others. It teaches people how to think objectively and quickly. After all, to be objective you must be able to hear both sides of an issue.

The more we thought about debating the more we realized that we need to expand and promote these programs nationwide from grade school through university. Especially to those schools needing assistance. We want to get these debates recorded and publicized to provide ongoing education and awareness to the general public.

There are so many benefits that debating can offer.

Teaching our children to debate at the grade school level will develop their cognitive skills giving them greater confidence and self-esteem. It will improve their study habits and encourage them to take more interest in subjects they may otherwise shy away from. Click on this link to check out 3rd graders debating!

Debating at both the grade school and high school levels gives the teachers fun opportunities to engage their students in some of the more challenging or “boring” topics. It’s also a great avenue of redirection for kids lacking in social skills. The child identified as a “bully” could redirect their aggressive behavior in a more productive way. And the “shy” kid can find their voice.

These skills carried through high school and college will provide far better opportunities for success in life. High school debaters will improve their future college and scholarship opportunities. And those who choose not to go to college have gained invaluable skills to promote themselves in the workforce and their future careers.

Benefiting our youth with these skills benefits our society.

As you can probably tell, we are very passionate about this. But we are small and have been self-funding everything. We need your help. To fully make this a reality we need volunteers and donations to enable us to develop and distribute our systems, market the program, provide outreach and training, and to fundraise and secure sponsors. We hope you will join us on this journey to pay it forward.

There is no debate…debating can make the world a better place!

D-Day—What We Can Learn From History

Recently we celebrated the 75th anniversary of D-Day with most of the world watching the coverage showing the sacrifices the people of Europe and the United States made.

It is absolutely incredible, and we should be teaching this more to our kids, really driving home the price of freedom. The price of freedom is huge, and we are very blessed to have it. We need to continue to celebrate it and for me, there’s a big lesson for all of us that can be learned from history.

We all know that history can repeat itself both in a positive way and a negative way. But let’s think about the positive. Look at what happened between Europe and the United States. I think it’s a great historic reminder for what the possibilities are for us to do in the Middle East, Iran and Korea. Sometimes there has to be intimidation and sometimes there has to be conflict to defend those who cannot defend themselves and that’s what we are doing or trying to do. We have not always done the right thing, but we have tried. I believe the intentions have been good. We’ve had bad intelligence in some cases. And in some cases, we just flat out made bad decisions.

Again though, look at our history. Europe was our adversary.

We fought a war to get away from them. We lost a lot of young American lives and we are a country that is extremely young relative to Europe. For the naysayers to see the United States be the greatest in the world when you consider Europe is thousands of years older than us, how did that happen?

Well, let’s go back to the wars, and where we fought Britain mainly, some France, and then some of them came to our aid so we could become a free country. In World War I, we fought for freedom again but World War II for me is another one who are now our allies. Who ever thought in 1944, that Germany would be one of our greatest allies and one of the best countries in the world after we disseminated them and got rid of the Nazi’s?

It’s unfathomable what the Holocaust did.

It was one of the most horrible times is world history (and now we have the Middle East and ISIS). Yet, in Germany, once we won the war, we helped rebuild the country. Look at it today. It’s one of the strongest, best countries in the world. We did the same with Japan who attacked us first at Pearl Harbor.

But more importantly, all of Europe and Japan are our allies now, when they were once our enemy. Germany is one of our best allies and they were once our enemy. We need to learn from that. We can do the same in all of the Middle East. Yes, we have to get rid of the bad actors. But we can do it without war now because the United States is the strongest economic power in the world. China is coming at us, but China also can be our ally because we can do it with economics. We don’t need to do it with wars or hate and violence.

I’d like to believe that most people don’t hate the Middle East.

You might hate their governments and the wrong things they do and a few of their leaders but I don’t think most people hate the people themselves. I dislike the leaders that lead their people into the wrong direction or into the wrong economic model that only can hurt them in the long run, and I am

talking about communism and socialism.

Those are just covers for wanting to control the people for some groups own benefit. Look at what some countries do. They starve their people while they build military weapons and nuclear weapons. They actually starve them. Those aren’t things we can sit back and watch but we can negotiate them to a peaceful level. 1940’s Germany was a great example of a bad leader. But look at them now.

They wanted to have a peaceful nation.

So, if you have some pride and a job and are able to support yourself and/or your family, you’re more than likely not going to want to go to war. You’re not going to want to kill your neighbor to get some food. You’re not going to listen to people who are trying to get you to load a bomb on yourself and go blow yourself up because they’re going to take care of your family. Those are things that wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the way they’ve been manipulated into economic peril.

A lot of the leaders of these countries are keeping their people in economic peril for a reason, so they can control them. We can help with all of that. We don’t need to do it with guns and war. We can do it with economics. Make it tougher on them to do things and then help them once they agree not to be terrorists or nuclear threats or things of that type.

Let’s make our worst enemies our greatest allies. What a concept. Wishful thinking? I don’t think so. Just look at what our great D-Day heroes did for us in 1944.

For all who served and sacrificed for this great nation and the world, we salute you.

Debating: Not Only An Artform

A lot of people comment that debating is an Artform. I agree with them completely, but I also like to think of debating as an intellectual sport. But much like viewing art that hangs on a wall, or watching a sporting event on television, you need to understand what goes into what you’re seeing to fully appreciate it.

I’m not an overly educated person when it comes to art. There’s some art I like, and some I don’t. But I do know there’s more to art than what I see. If I don’t understand or study an artform, like I do with debating, I won’t appreciate a lot of pieces because I won’t understand what to look for or know what goes into creating something. This is similar to watching sports.

Take a soccer game, for instance. If you don’t understand the rules, you won’t like the game. If you do understand the rules, the complexity of the game is pretty enjoyable. This is how my brother and I are when it comes baseball. My brother loves it and I don’t. But he could tell you all about the sport, and I couldn’t tell you much at all.

Using rules and stats, for example, he could explain why someone is in a batting lineup in a way that exemplifies coaching genius! As far as I’d know, the same batting order could be organized according to the alphabet! But ask me about football, and that’s a whole different story!

Joking aside, to best appreciate debating, you need to understand it. Much like an artform, it has its methods and characteristics. Similar to a sport, there are rules that make you have to think on your feet. And when a debater combines these things together to craft a fantastic argument, it’s a beautiful thing to watch. You’ll begin to see the art through the artform and the agility in the intellectual sport.

So the next time you see a debate and walk away with a few facts you find agreeable, you may have just had a pleasant evening. However, you leave the same debate and keep mulling over facts you disagree with, but want to know more about, then maybe you’ve been moved by the art of debating.

And if you watched a debater swiftly outmaneuver their opponent’s argument with a skillful examination of its premise, then you’ve witnessed some agile footwork. And if you can’t stop smiling because a debater surprised you, taught you something new and made you laugh – all at the same time – then you’ve just been entertained by the personality along with the process.

So much goes into building, presenting and defending an argument, that, even for those just watching a debate, it’s a sight to behold. The more you know about it, I guarantee, the more you’ll enjoy it. Debating has it all!

Snowplow Parenting: The Decline of Our Society

Helicopter parenting, snowplow parenting, all the different versions of it, protecting our kids from having any anxiety as children, is probably the largest source of depression in our country.

These ways of parenting are not preparing your children how to deal with their future anxieties or how to deal with life in general. We need to shift our attitudes.

Graham C.L. Dewy Davey, PhD talks about the anxiety caused by this in his article “Helicopter, Snowplow, and Bubble-Wrap Parenting – How is anxiety transmitted from parents to their children?” Many times anxiety ultimately ends up in depression. And we wonder why these kids end up depressed in their 30’s and 40’s. Well it came from our coddling them too much.

There is another version of parenting, which is the old-day proper way called hold your child accountable parenting. It is a lot firmer and doesn’t let children get away with things. It holds them accountable as much as possible. For one example, it restricts their use of social media. Social media has been known to be a huge source of depression and suicide among children and students. The bullying alone is enough reason to limit your child’s access to social media.

Parents have also got to stop trying to get them into colleges they shouldn’t. Stop snowplowing their way in.

Not all kids should go to college. Think about it. You could go to college to be a teacher making about $45,000 a year. Or you could spend two years in a trade and start out at $80,000 a year.

You could go to work for Google right out of high school. They won’t pay you but $20 to $25 an hour initially. But they will pay you $60 to $70 an hour after two years working there. It’s like Walmart. Everyone raises hell about Walmart, but their average income is $25 to $30 after three years of employment.

The point is there are many successful people without a college degree.

The main thing today is we’ve got to stop this snowplowing and helicoptering and coddling our kids.

For single parents, we need to figure out how to help them get role models for their children. They don’t have to be the same ethnic upbringing, just a good person who will volunteer to “adopt” a single parent family. There are thousands of great people out there who want to help. Everyone is trying to be White on White and Black on Black and I firmly disagree with that theory. If somebody helps make a family stronger, I don’t care what color they are. I think we should live in a colorless society.

The one thing I’m sure of is that we’ve got to practice more discipline and accountability.

Anyway, let’s get rid of the helicopter and snowplow parenting. And let’s take responsibility and get these darn smart phones out of our young children’s hands.

There is a great article from Business Insider, “Silicon Valley parents are raising their kids tech-free – and it should be a red flag“, that shows the reason their kids are tech-free. I think they’re right. We need to limit our children’s use of technology. They shouldn’t have a cell phone until they are at least 12 years old. And even then it should be limited use. Make your kids earn their tech time. Only allow them to use it after all of their homework and chores are done.

Don’t be afraid to hold your children accountable. Quit snowplowing or helicoptering or bubble wrapping them. They will love and appreciate you more because of it.

United We Stand Divided We Fall

Updated article from November 1, 2018

So much in life revolves around attitude. And only we are responsible for our attitudes. The world presents us with situations. But it’s our choice. We choose how we will react to it. No one else makes that choice for us.

In a time when so many are certain that our country is divided, I think we need to take a closer look at ourselves. If this country is truly divided, then it is our own fault. We have no one to blame other than ourselves for allowing ourselves to react the way that we are.

The world is never going to agree on everything. That is what makes it so beautiful. If we were all the same there would be no uniqueness and life would be boring. So, why is it so hard for us to not accept others for who they are? We need to embrace our uniqueness.

The great thing about attitude is that you can always change it. It’s never too late. In a constantly evolving world that continues to become more and more enlightened, we always have the ability to change things.

One of my favorite presidential quotes is from Abraham Lincoln: “I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.” Imagine how much less hate and violence there would be in the world if more people adopted that mind set? If we took the time to learn about someone rather than cast hate toward them because we don’t like them or what we think they believe, or we don’t understand them.

It seems fitting that perhaps we should reflect on what our country’s great leaders have told us. The following quotes are some of my favorites:

“To be good, and to do good, is all we have to do.”
~ John Adams

“If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.”
~ Theodore Roosevelt

“Pessimism never won any battle.”
~ Dwight D. Eisenhower