#like when he was alive teachers were allowed and a courage to bear their students

[bookshelfdreams]

hey do y'all ever think about the fact that Charles probably has told Edwin about being beaten as a child at some point during their 34 years of friendship? And that Edwin likely never found it remarkable enough to ask further questions because back when he was alive, beating children was completely normal

[aikatxt]

the making of the queen’s sword and shield

You have been fighting for your life since you were six years old. Kindness is a foreign creature. Whatever hope you had in life vanished the night they tried to drown you. Whatever innocence you held onto is still lost in the water. And yet. They expect you to play nice and soft, as though it hadn't been ripped out of you when you were left to fend for yourself, through quick hands and quicker feet, teeth bared and wild eyes locked on the exit. These horrible people, nobles with fake smiles and faker kindness, pulling you into their power plays. Adopting you because "A young girl shouldn't be living in the streets." The streets are all you know. With no father, and a fading memory of your mother, there has been no place you could call home. And though the house they take you to is large and clean, it is as foreign as kindness and twice as dangerous. You eat a full meal for once, all foods you've never seen before, savory and warm. You are given your own room and a maid that draws the bath for you. You are given a bed too soft to sleep on. You hate it.

Somehow, you endure. You can't call these people your parents, because you know they are not. But Madam Luice sneaks you sweets as she teaches you how to read. Ser Kadot answers all your questions no matter how bitter or cold your tone. They are endlessly patient with you, slowly get you used to three full meals a day and clothes that don't rub your skin raw.

Perhaps their kindness is fake, but it is still kindness.

With no children of their own, they've taken you into their house and named you the heir.

You don't expect it to last; you are no model child. Your language is too brash, you slouch and curse and know you are more trouble they you're worth.

Still, they keep you around, and slowly wear down your defenses.

(You can't tell up from down. The water muffles all sound; everything but your heartbeat is quiet. It's so cold. So cold. You want to cry out, beg for help, but the water swallows your voice and fills your lungs.

Is this how you die? Young and unloved. Broken and abandoned. Left to drown, knowing no one will save you.)

It's no longer hard to sleep in your soft bed. It doesn't feel like you'll sink into it and never emerge again. It just feels soft and comfortable.

You still flinch when you see hands move too fast, voices speak too loud, feel the servants watch you a little too closely.

But no one hurts you. Rather, they protect you. They bring out their fire, their claws and teeth, when other nobles come by and comment on your presence. Both Madam Luice and Ser Kadot, and the servants who have watched you grow from terrified, weary child, to guarded teenager.

"You are our daughter," Ser Kadot says, "I refuse to let anyone speak badly of you. No matter who they may be."

It's hard not to tear up when no one's ever cared for you before. It's hard not to tear up when this is the first time you've felt loved.

It's hard to say Thank you, but you manage somehow, and he doesn't mind at all when you cry onto his suit.

"Teach me how to use a sword," you demand one day, just a few months before you begin your first year at school. It's a fancy, prestigious school, meant to give noble children a more in-depth education, and serve as a space to make connections.

You know you won't enjoy your time there. You're too different. Growing up in the streets left its mark on you; it's hard to let your guard down, to trust in others, and see the best in people. Even now, years after being loved and cared for as the adopted daughter of a noble family, you see people as threats and never stop preparing for the worst.

If you're going into an environment where you'll be looked down on, you should be able to defend yourself.

Ser Kadot, one of the strongest knights in the kingdom, regards you carefully, then tells you to grab a sword.

You can't help but smile, though it may be sharp and dangerous.

You know how to fight. You have been a weapon far longer than you've been a girl. Though swinging a sword around is different from swinging fists, you've never been one to back down from a challenge.

Ser Kadot doesn't hold back, is harsh in his instruction, but he heaps praise and advice on you each time you hit the ground, and that gives you the strength to get back up again. Bruised you may be, you've never felt so alive before.

(You don't know how your survived. The shock of the cold and the water filling your lungs makes you pass out quickly. You remember how dark and murky the river water was, how the light scattered into nothingness once it broke under the surface.

Perhaps you washed onto the rocky shore. Perhaps you were saved by a passing stranger. Perhaps it is only luck that has kept you alive. All you know is that you can't look at the river without thinking about drowning, and that you are haunted by how fragile you are, how easily you can die.)

Just as you expected, you are mocked and belittled by your fellow first years. It seems the other students don't appreciate you getting some of the highest grades in the class while being a street rat. The fact that you've been adopted into a noble family means nothing when everything comes down to blood.

But you've dealt with cruelty before. You've heard people say horrible things to you, and without being able to curse, the insults that are thrown at you in the school have no bite.

You've survived worse. It'll take a lot more than this to keep you down.

Still, you know your manners reflect the house you've been brought into, and after all they've done for you, you can't bear the thought of letting them done. How strange and wonderful and frightening to know that you care for them just as much as they care for you.

So you gather your courage and face the most intimidating person in your grade: Anathia Rya, the future queen. Though she is still just the daughter of a marquis, the king choose her at a young age to be the prince's fiancee. As such, she's perfect in every way, training to rule a kingdom since she was a child. She has never spoken to you, for you are below her in social ranking, but you are willing to do anything to make your house proud.

"Lady Rya," you bow your head to her, "I am in desperate need of your help."

Though her face is still, composed, more smoothly sculpted than a statue's, her eyes aren't cold. They're bright, almost daring in the light.

"What is it you need from me?"

"Teach me. If anyone knows how this society works, it's you. Teach me how to behave, how to understand the unspoken rules of this life that I've never learned."

"I hardly think I am capable of teaching."

You glance up to meet her gaze and offer her a grin. "I didn't think you'd be one to back down from a challenge. Are you always so timid?"

Her shoulders stiffen. She holds herself taller. You knew it would work.

"We'll begin tomorrow. Meet me in the courtyard after classes are over."

Anathia isn't what you expected. Her manners are impeccable, she's the picture perfect noble child, and wears her confidence like a dress. It's clear that she's above most people just from a glance. She's the top of the class, always soft-spoken and patient, studious and disciplined.

But she's competitive and purposefully riles up others just to win arguments. She's always trying to prove a point and loves a challenge more than anything else.

She is also a terrible teacher.

It's not that she's bad at it. It's just that she insults you nonstop before she tells you how to do something right. If you hadn't dealt with worse people before, you'd be trying to tear her hair out.

"Again," she barks, once you pick up the fallen books.

You sigh, but allow her to stack the books on your head. You stand as still as possible, wanting to place your feet farther apart, but the first time you did that, Anathia kicked you. So you try to balance as best you can, hardly daring to breathe.

Once she's satisfied with your posture, she steps back and begins lecturing you again.

"We women are expected to be everything. We must be soft and fragile, but we must also be sharp with our words and strike fear in those who go against us. We must be aware of everything we do, from how we hold ourselves, to what we wear, to how we speak, but we must do these things so effortlessly so they seem natural." Anathia folds her hands in front of her and looks over you with a calculating eye. She turns and walks back to the bench you've both placed your bags on. "Now walk over here without dropping any of the books."

If you were able to, you would stick your tongue out at her. But you fear the movement will send the books crashing down. So instead, you focus on keeping your breathing even and steady, keep your chin lifted up, and take an unsteady step forwards.

The books shift and sway on your head. You freeze, then take another step. It takes time, and far more focus that you expected, but you manage to walk to Anathia without dropping a single book.

She takes them from your head with careful hands, then nods her head.

"Well done. Now sit, we have homework to finish."

And so it becomes routine. And somehow, you think you've found your first friend at the school.

(Your ears are ringing. They're yelling at you, but you can't make out any of the words. The world spins and tilts in strange directions. Everything in your sight has gone fuzzy, as though you're looking at a dream.

The throbbing in your head is brutal. You can't think. You can't move. Someone grabs your arm, shakes you. You must let out some sort of sound at the sudden onslaught of pain, since they drop you harshly back onto the floor. You don't understand. It was just food. You were just hungry. Was that really such a crime?)

No one bothers you anymore since Anathia has claimed you as one of her own and sticks by you as you walk from class to class. The snide comments had died down once she turned her cold, unforgiving gaze upon the speakers. Though you're sure other students still talk about you behind your back, none of them dare say anything to your face anymore.

With her help, you've gotten the second highest grade in the grade, right below Anathia. You're not making any more mistakes when you speak to others, few those times may be. The letters you receive from Madam Luice and Ser Kadot speak of how proud they are of you and how they plan on spoiling you once you come home, and you cannot help but be grateful that you went to Anathia for help all those months ago.

It hasn't all been smooth sailing since you began spending time with her, however. Though you've tried to keep it a secret, someone has spotted you training behind the dorms late at night.

He sneers at you, insults your stance and your movements, and the more you ignore him, the worse he gets. Normally, you'd just leave and train at another time, but he's insulting not just your movements, but the training Ser Kadot gave you, and that is unforgivable.

"You have no right to speak badly of me if you can't beat me in a duel," you say, voice just a little too calm.

He takes on the challenge with a laugh. "As if a girl like you would win! Fine, I'll enjoy publicly humiliating you. Tomorrow during lunch, we'll have a duel out in the fields behind kitchens."

You agree, and sternly tell yourself murder isn't acceptable.

Anathia scolds you for training at night when you should be sleeping, then walks arm-in-arm with to the the fields behind the kitchens and tells you to kick his ass.

There's no way you can lose now that you've got Miss Perfect to curse at least once in her life.

The crowd grows quickly, full of people who want to see you thoroughly beaten, money being passed around as they place bets on how long you'll last. You hear Anathia bet a ridiculous amount on your victory, and, so high on excitement, most students just laugh. After all, how can a street rat of a girl beat the son of a knight?

The answer is: very easily.

He has been trained, yes, but he does things formally, elegantly, strict on how he holds himself and his sword, how much strength he puts behind each swing, how he moves with clumsy feet. He's been trained but he has no experience in a real fight. This isn't a friendly spar. The two of you will fight until someone draws blood. You both aim to inflict pain, and that's a fight you're all too familiar with.

You've live half your life on dirty streets, fighting tooth and nail for a little bit of food. You've dug your nails into flesh, bit hands that reached for you, know where to hit to knock the breath out of your opponent. You know how to fight for your life. The son of the knight only know how to fight for show.

You use your body alongside the sword. There's no playing fair here. You swing and slice and kick and bite. He's stuck on the defensive, panting for breath, eyes wide with shock. You dance around him easily, smiling at the thrill of the fight, heart pounding and feeling alive.

He hits the ground and you carefully draw your sword along his hand.

The blood wells up slowly; the cut is shallow. Your control is nothing to laugh at, after all.

The crowd is silent. When you look up, Anathia looks at you proudly, and holds a hand out for all the money she won betting for you.

"I wish you would have told me about this," she says as you walk back to the dorms. Every student has been careful not to speak of the duel; though teachers often left things for the students to figure out, they would punish everyone for a fight like that.

"I don't see why I had to. It's not like a girl training to wield a sword is something most people would believe, anyways."

"I would have believed you," Anathia says without hesitation.

The admittance makes you blush, a little too happy about her belief in you. You can't help the smile growing on your face.

"Then I'll be sure to win every duel for you."

You should have put more faith in her, as well. Somehow, behind your back, Anathia pulled some strings and got permission for you to become a knight.

"Only if you want to," she says, handing you a letter of permission from the King himself. You're sweaty from an hours worth of solo training, and the cool night air is a relief against your hot skin.

"I'll do it if you want me to," you reply. 'If I can use this sword for you, let me. My life will be yours, always. I'll make sure no danger ever befalls you."

"Then I shall appoint you as my personal guard, my sword, my shield."

You shouldn’t be so surprised when she tilts your face up and kisses you. It feels as though you've been moving towards this all along, from the day you first met, to every day afterwards.

"The prince--" you try to protest.

She grins, a cold, daring thing. "He has his eyes on other girls. Why can't I?"

And when she kisses you again, you lean into it, into her, and fall headfirst into this tragedy in the making.

(Your mother never looked after you, not after the first few years. She became more and more distant, a ghost of herself. And one day, she vanished.

You have been alone ever since. You have no memory of kind touches, of a safe embrace. You can't imagine what if feel to love and to be loved. You stay quiet and hide in the shadows and listen to curses fall from the lips of strangers. Everything is too cold, too hard, too cruel and that shapes you into a strange creature, small and deadly, desperate and always alone. The alleys and the rooftops are familiar to you. The main streets are too dangerous for you to inhabit. So you hide yourself away and steal to survive and stop dreaming about what a home would feel like.)

Anathia marries the prince a year after graduation. The whole time, you are by her side, training with Ser Kadot and able to best even the best of the King's knights. You earn a reputation for yourself; not a street rat, but a dangerous weapon, forever by the future queen's side.

It's at the castle, where she learns how to be queen, that she asks you to teach her how to defend herself. It's a strange role reversal; the first year at the school, you ask her to teach you how to be a lady, and now during the first year at the castle, she asks you to teach her how to be a weapon.

Her soft hands aren't meant to hold a weapon. The only harm she should do is with words.

But she has told you of being kidnapped and poisoned, assassins after her to harm the future of the kingdom. It's hard not to imagine her as a child, young and weak, struggling to breathe as the poison slowly stills her heart, as she's blindfolded and taken away. It's hard to fight down the horror and rage at learning what has happened to her.

So you teach her. Pressure points and nerves, how a simple twist of the hand can have a grown man on his knees from the pain. You teach her how to fight dirty, how to fight without strength, how to take out someone in seconds so she can escape.

Anathia is focused and perfects everything you teach her. She throws you to the ground time and time again, brutal and hard-hitting. She leaves bruises on you, but that's alright. She spends the night pressing kisses to them afterwards.

You will never marry. Not when you have already sworn to spend your life by Anathia's side. Ser Kadot and Madam Luice say nothing about grandchildren. They bring up marriage only once, and when you say Anathia's name, they only smile knowingly, and change the subject.

It's strange to look back on your life and remember the long journey it took to reach her side.

You were an orphan in the streets, desperately fighting to survive. You hated the nobles who took you into their home, then slowly learned to trust in them. You remember the cruel, cutting words of others, dragging your name through the dirt and insulting your family. You remember how you were always filled with hate, with fear, waiting for the other shoe to drop and to watch it all come crashing down around you.

You remember drowning, and being saved, and fighting to defend yourself, and making your way into Anathia's life.

After everything that's happened, you can't imagine life without her.

She gave you courage and love, helped you find a reason to live. She defended you with scathing words and never backed down when you were in trouble. She did all you asked of her, and more.

It's only natural that you give all of you to her; body, mind, and soul. In kisses and sweet words murmured in the dawn's soft light, in the clash of swords meeting and the blood that's spilled.

You are the queen's sword and shield, after all. You were always meant to be by her side.

[carrietrekkie]

Crossroads

Part I - I never wanted to do that.

Hello!

This one starts with a difficult decision and a little less Chris in it(Sorry for that, but he has his big moment in the next one.) Its three parts long, here is the first. Belongs to my Pike x Cathrin(OC) Story.

Warnings: Blood, violence, death,…

Tags: @bold-brave-courageous @allthetrek

Leave me a little fb, if you don´t mind.

Tyler’s eyes had something of a teacher who didn´t know what to do with his student. Like me, he stupidly had no choice.

The whole thing had started as kind of flight lesson, but then we had received a weak emergency call and since the shuttle was already on the move, Pike had decided that we could take a look at it. We all counted on a false alarm, but were instantly better informed when our shuttle exited Warp. The small cargo ship in front of us drove impulsively in the room, didn´t respond to our calls and the scans indicated that his crew, apart from a few, irregular signs of life, was no longer available. Tyler had dropped the shuttle in the hangar and continued to direct me into my first field mission. “Okay, I don´t like it, but I cannot look around in it all by myself.” He pulled out a gear belt, put it over me and closed it in front. “Too tight?” “I don´t know?” I watched him, a mixture of excitement and naked fear dancing tango in my stomach. “What should happen with it?” “Communicator.” He held out the box to me, I put it away. “Tricorder.” I reached for the device. He sighed, then slipped something into my belt, dropped slightly to his knees, and fastened a strap around my thigh. “Phaser.” He turned and picked up one of the weapons from the wall.

“Great.” I joined his sigh. “Must that be?” “It’s regulation. You will not need it.” “Your word in God’s ear canal.” I grinned at him, then I looked at the black weapon in my hand. “It’s set for stun.” Ash just put his own gun away, then leaned in to me. “So you change the attitude, well as I said, we don´t need that.” “But good to know.” Then I grabbed the phaser and looked at it. “And now?” He activated the opener for the ramp on the small spaceship, lifted his phaser lightly and we watched as it lowered and dulled on the ground. Slowly we left the ship and entered the freighter. Tyler threw a small ball in the air, which immediately began to collect data. “I’m not a pro, but it’s pretty quiet here.” I turned briefly around my axis, it was dark and cold. “Which would made our theory that the com system just has failed, for the ton.” Ash nodded towards the exit. “Let’s start on the bridge.” “What’s that thing?” I looked at our companion. “An observation drone. It tracks our movements and can help us if we lose our bearings. ” “That would be my part then.” I smiled at him, he returned it, then we moved on. Also out here it was very quiet. The lights flashed and some sparks flew through the area. “What happened here?” “It looks like an overvoltage has damaged the wires.” Ash glanced at one of the displays, which, too, flickered only lightly. He typed something in. “But the computer doesn´t give anything.” “So in the old-fashioned way.” “I allow myself to claim that we both understand two completely different things about that.” “That could be quite possible.” I glanced back over my shoulder. “How big is such a cargo ship?” “That depends on the class.” Tyler pointed to the left. “There are some that are just big enough for a few containers, some so huge that they can transport all the equipment needed to rebuild a colony.”

“Wow, like a ship of the galaxy class?” I took a quick look into the corridor that went off to the right, this was empty too. “What’s a galaxy class ship?” Tyler raised an eyebrow. “Well, the Enterprise.” I looked at him. “Um no.” Now he came up to me. “The Enterprise belongs to the Constitution class.” “Oh.” I pulled my eyebrows together. “Are you alright?” “Yes.” I didn´t take my smile off myself. “Yeah, all right, that just happened to me somehow like that.” I kept pointing, then I started walking and he followed me. “Do you have that more often?”

“This was the first time since Talos.” I thought for a moment. “And the first time it relates to anything other than the people I met here.” “What do you make of it?” “I don´t know.” I squinted at him. “Above all, I don´t know if I should tell you.” He laughed briefly. “It was enough for me Prescot missed a hell of a trip, I don´t want to know what Leland comes up with.” “Captain Leland is a lot less bad.” Tyler shook his head for a moment. “You know how that sounded?” “Yes, but it was already out of my mouth.”

We turned a corner and both stopped dead in our tracks. In front of us, a trail of blood spread, which quickly ended in a pool of blood. “Oh, bad.” I glanced at him. “Okay, you need the phaser.” “I was afraid you would say that.” I did, however, comply with his order. Slowly we moved on.

“Carefully.” Tyler made me understand that I should stay behind him, then we started. As we passed the bloodstain, I lit it with the Phaser’s faint lamp. "Is that pink?” Again my brain threw a rag and I answered myself. “Klingons have pink blood.” “How do you know that?” I raised an eyebrow, he did it to me. “Yes, right, sorry. However, that does not make our situation any better. ” “I thought there was peace between the Klingon Empire and the Federation?” I had to see that I got on with my research. “That’s the way it is, but not everyone sees it and there are always black sheep´s. Even in the Federation. ” “Ohh, that I know.”

“Stop.” He stretched out his arm and I ran into it, then saw what alarmed him. A few feet away, a body lay on the ground. “I hate to say it, could be your responsibility.” “My responsibility?” “Medicine and so on? I’m not up to it.” “Mmh.” I followed him to the body, then dropped the phaser. “I don´t think I’m comfortable with it.” Slowly, I went to my knees and pulled the tricorder anyway. Tyler had been so far-sighted as to give me a medical one. “And I don´t think this thing is familiar with it either.” I tried to get out of the confusing data that the device showed me. “Okay, he seems to be dead.”

Tyler didn´t say anything, instead he stood behind me, his weapon at the ready and alerted to the tips of his hair. “Do you see why?” “I cannot see any big injuries.” I knelt down and leaned over the dead man. “Or something that looks like the hit of a weapon.” “But?” He looked over my shoulder. “He looks sick. He has bled from the body orifices I can see. "I refrained from pulling up his eyelids, but I was sure they would be bloodshot. "His skin looks swollen and sore.” I raised the phaser and lit it up. “Apparently he has also bleed out of his digestive system.” Now I lit Tyler. “I suppose Klingons have such organs?” His answer was another slate look. “Hey, I’ve never seen a real Klingon, so apart from you and I think that doesn´t count.” He started walking up and down a few steps. “Maybe 50 percent.”

“Do you know what a hemorrhagic fever is?” Now he looked at me questioningly. “It is a virus form on   Earth, maybe something exists on other planets, unfortunately I don´t know that.” I got up again. “It’s a cruel way to die, the organs liquefy, you bleed from all orifices in the body, and if you don´t burn till high fever, you’ll suffocate your own blood or bleed inside.” “Get out!” “I didn´t touch him.” I stared at Tyler as he came to me wide-eyed, grabbing my arm and starting to pull me away. “Ash, what’s up?” “This is not a good sign.” He pointed to the corpse. “It’s contagious and far more dangerous than what you’ve just told me.” When I finally adjusted to his pace, he let go of me. “He was certainly not alone.” “If you wanted to scare me.”

Then something crashed into Ash with unimaginable force, knocking him off his feet, flinging him against the nearest wall, before twisting with a gruesome growl.

“Oh, great God.”

I backed away as my brain caught what was building up in front of me. So that was a Klingon, alive and apparently angry. “Ash!” I looked around frantically, then my eyes fell on the phaser in my hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tyler wobbly on his legs, shaking his head, then running and leaping with all his might against the attacker in front of me.

The Klingon swung a kind of sword. Tyler bent down and the blade missed him very sharply, but she caught me by the arm. I shouted for a moment, rolling over and falling to the ground. The phaser slipped out of my hand and down the hall a few yards away. A scream made me drive around and I could just see the Klingon twisted Tylers arm and slammed him against the door frame, dazed, he fell to the ground and remained lying. “Ash!”

Panic crept up in me as the Klingon now turned back to me. Growling, he came slowly closer. I felt like a prey he had chosen to play with. I pushed away and crawled toward the phaser on the ground more than I ran, but something caught my boot and pulled me back just as my fingers tips reached the gun’s handle. Helplessly I had to watch as it slipped away and the Klingon dragged me back. I reached out with my free leg and kicked him as hard as I could against his nose. He hissed and released me. Blood spurted from it, but I paid no attention to it, came to my feet, stumbled to my gun, tore it up and squeezed. Horrified, I watched him stumble for a moment, shaking himself as if the stun beam were an annoying insect, then he relented.

“Cathrin!” Tyler came slowly to himself, so I slowed down and was lucky that the beefy Klingon had not expected that and took a moment to realize that I ran past him to Tyler. “Ash, come on, we have to get out of here!” I grabbed him under hia arm and was surprised to find that despite his slender figure, he was surprisingly heavy. Behind us our attacker roared, drew another weapon and rushed towards us. “Shoot ‘em.” Ash could hardly speak in pain, but somehow managed to shove his phaser into my hand. I raised the gun and squeezed again. Again no effect. Ash rolled his eyes and began to slide out of my arms again. “Shit.”

I hesitated a moment, then turned the phaser fully open and pointed it forward again. But then I couldn´t do it. I couldn´t shoot. Tyler tore me down with him again, again he had to fight for his consciousness, but I with very different things. When the Klingon screamed again, he stood directly in front of us, his sword raised and his gaze fixed on Tyler. But before he could deliver the fatal blow, something inside me burned and I pulled the trigger. The strong beam hit him right on the head and I could see right away that this time it didn´t missed his effect. A terrible grunt slipped from his throat as he folded over me and fell to my feet.

I gasped and slipped back a bit, but before I could bang through, a pained sound from Tyler’s direction stopped me. “Ash!” I slipped over to him. He was bleeding from a cut on his cheek, his lip was slightly torn and he held his arm. “Can you get up?” “Yeah, just get out of here.” He scrambled to his feet and this time I somehow managed to get him on his feet. “This way.” “Okay.” I put his good arm over my shoulders and hoped he would have the strength to get through to the shuttle. Surprised by myself, we found the way back to the hangar faster than expected. I dragged him into the shuttle, slid down to the floor, and closed the ramp with a quick handshake. Nobody would get through that for now. Completely exhausted, I slapped myself on the floor, my muscles burned, my heart beat so hard it was almost blowing, and every breath burned like crazy. The fabric of my uniform was sticking to me and my hands were shaking.

“Ahhh.” Tyler rolled away when the attempt to get up failed. “Wait.” I pulled myself together, grabbed the first aid kit and crawled to him. I pulled out a tricorder, then crossed his arm. “He dislocated your shoulder.” “What you don´t say.” He squinted hard. “Do you have painkillers in there?” “If we don´t fix that, you might lose your arm.” I started looking for a hypospray. “Muscle Relaxation.”

Annoyed, I dumped the case and searched for an ampoule of the drug. “Ah.” I put it in the spray and pressed it to Tyler’s neck. “Do you want to tell me what this is going to be?” “I don´t think so.” I smiled weakly at him. “Sit up.” With a groan, he responded to the request. I loaded an ampoule of the strongest painkiller I found into the spray, then I inject it. “It should be better now.” “Okay and what’s that for?” “You´ll notice.” I grabbed his arm, knelt in front of him and looked at him. “Sorry.” “What?”

I pressed his upper body against the wall and then his arm back until I heard it crack loudly. It even hurt me. That he was screaming so much didn´t really make it any better. “Are you crazy !?” He glared at me evilly. “It would have been even worse if I had warned you.” I let go of his arm and dropped back onto my feet. “I’m sorry, but now it should be better immediately.” He took a breath, apparently he wanted to scold another round, but just when he opened his mouth, he apparently decided otherwise.

“I’m right.” I raised my eyebrows. “You are.” Carefully, he began to move his injured arm. “What was that?” I got up from the floor and looked out the window of the shuttle. “I guess, pirates, looters. Will you help me? ” “Sure.” I went back and helped him get up. “Slowly.” “Whoa, what did you give me?” He held his head. “Not that it doesn´t feel good.” “A relaxant and painkiller.” I brought him forward and just wanted to put him in the pilot’s seat as he waved off.

“No, this place.” He swung himself into the co-pilot’s. “If I lose consciousness, you have to fly the ship.” “Sure.” I grinned at him. “Any other wishes?” “You’re fine.” Now he grinned. “Can you still pull yourself together a little bit?” I started to ran up the shuttle’s systems. “I have no idea what I have to do.” Somehow I managed to get the engines started. “Oh, look at that.” Tyler sank back into the seat. “Something stuck. Now this switch. ” “Okay.” I followed his finger, then accelerated and left this inhospitable place. “How did I set a course?” I looked to the right, but instead of answering, Tyler’s head rolled backwards. “Ash!” I yelled at him, which made him start up again. “Don´t leave me alone now.” “Trying to connect Discovery, maybe they could pick us up.” “Yeah, that sounds good.” I looked out the window. “Could they shoot us?” “I think that’s unlikely.”

Tyler’s breathing was heavy, he fought the medications and the stuff that his own body was spilling out, but he wouldn´t be able to last forever. “What these Klingons had, also attacks the logical thinking. They only act, react. ” “Yeah well, save your energy, it’ll take a while before we get home.” I tried to remember Kelya’s flying lesson and carried out the necessary orders to reach Discovery.

“Shuttle three to Discovery, come in, please.” I listened to the silence that followed. “Shuttle three, here Discovery, we’ll hear you.” Pike’s voice came from the Con, shortly thereafter the screen came on and we saw the bridge. “Everything OK?” “Um, no, not really.” I smiled quickly. “We were attacked when we entered the damaged ship.” “Who attacked you?” “Klingon.” I was aware that my voice sounded a bit shrill. “And they were huge and incredibly bad. Well, actually it was only one. ” “Cathrin.” Ash muttered softly. “Oh, right. Tyler is injured and busy not totally losing consciousness. ”

“Where are you?” Pike signaled to Owo and I could see her fingers flying over the console. “I don´t know.” My eyes darted over the displays of the shuttle. “How…” “Quiet, we’ll help you through.” Pike turned to Burnham. “Can we find them?” “As long as they keep the frequency open, that should not be a problem.” “See,” he turned back to us. “All good.” I smiled crooked, then something else caught my attention. “There are a lot of colorful lights here all at once.” I squinted. “I think the cargo ship explodes!” “Start the impulse engines!” Pikes voice let me twitch briefly. “Left from you. Fingers on the control and slowly push forward. ” It took me a second to find the control panel, then I put my fingers on it and executed Pike’s instructions.

“Good.” He tried to smile encouragingly, well, as far as I could see, then I felt the blast of the collapsing freighter hit our hull and before I knew it, Tyler and I flung it out of the seats and threw ourselves through the small spaceship. Tyler slapped the floor, lay there and I rolled to my back. “Cathrin! Do you hear us? "That was Michael’s voice. "Ash, get in touch!” “Detmer set course, max Warp.” I opened my eyes, rolling over and cursing softly. “I clearly spend too much time on the ground of those things.” I scrambled up from them and looked ahead. The shuttle had turned and I could see the still smoldering remains of the freighter. “Shuttle three please respond!”

“Yeah, here Zimmer, we’re still alive, just shaken up a bit.” I went to Tyler and turned him carefully on the back. “Right now you are really to be envied.” Then it flashed again. A blue beam covered the ship and I felt something pull us backwards. “Discovery here, we have you.” “Understood.” I slumped against the wall next to Tyler, then closed my eyes briefly and didn´t open them until I felt the shuttle touched down and opened from the outside.

Masterlist

[pbby-org]

36th NCBD: Br. Armin A. Luistro FSC Keynote Address

36th National Children’s Book Day  Mundong Payapa para sa Kabataang Malaya Keynote—Br. Armin A. Luistro FSC

Greetings to our National Artist for Literature, Virgilio Almario; the Chair of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Icon of the Universe, Margie Moran; the CCP Vice Chair and Artistic Director, Chris Millado; the Chair of the National Book Development Board, Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz; the Chair of Museo Pambata, Nina Lim-Yuson; the Philippine Board on Books for Young People Chair, Tarie Sabido, and its Secretary General, Ani Rosa Almario; and the Director of the National Library, Cesar Gilbert Adriano. Distinguished guests, esteemed colleagues in the academe, ladies and gentlemen: Magandang Umaga po sa inyong lahat!

While exiled in Dapitan, Jose Rizal in 1895 described his experience in a sober disposition with resigned serenity and undiminished hope. When I consider our political landscape today, I must admit I am tempted to greedily appropriate these lines for myself (and here I quote a few lines in its Filipino translation):

Gabi’y bumubulong sa gitna ng sindak at pagkaligalig, At sa dagat nama’y bughaw’t lunting apoy ang pasilip-silip; Pagngiti ng araw’y payapa na naman ang buong paligid, At mula sa laot, yaong mangingisda ay napagigilid, Sugod na ang lunday at ang mga alon ay nananahimik. 

* * * 

Yaong pananalig na ibig ko sanang makitang kumislap Sa dakilang araw ng pangingibabaw ng Isip sa lakas; Kung makalipas na itong kamataya’t labanang marahas, Ay may ibang tinig, na lalong masigla at puspos ng galak, Na siyang aawit ng pananagumpay ng matwid sa lahat. Aking natatanaw na kulay-rosas na ang magandang langit [!]

One might ask why Pepe even bothered to write? Was it his mother egging him or Josephine? Was the motivation from within or was there pressure from without? Was he driven by altruism or was it pure ego? In his essay ‘Why I Write’, George Orwell names four motives for writing: (a) sheer egoism or the desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death; (b) aesthetic enthusiasm or the perception of beauty in the external world or in words and their right arrangement; (c) historical impulse or the desire to see things as they are; and finally (d) political purpose and here I quote Orwell’s own description of his motivation:

What I have most wanted to do… is to make political writing into an art. My starting point is always a feeling of partisanship, a sense of injustice. When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, ‘I am going to produce a work of art’. I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing. But I could not do the work of writing… if it were not also an aesthetic experience. Anyone who cares to examine my work will see that even when it is downright propaganda it contains much that a full-time politician would consider irrelevant…. The job is to reconcile my ingrained likes and dislikes with the essentially public, non-individual activities that this age forces on all of us.

And so today we gather to celebrate National Children’s Book Day. Compulsive bibliophiles and impassioned pedagogues are welcome. Anyone who sincerely love and respect children must share in our jubilation. During the early years of the K to 12 reform, when we were rolling out the MTB-MLE program ‘like a woman in labor, gasping and panting’, we were confronted with the huge problem of the lack of original stories in the mother tongue that could be used for the primary grades. What we had were translations of the usual publications in English and Filipino. But while these old-time favorites were great stories and classics in their own right, they did not speak the language, culture and traditions that were familiar with the first-time readers. We found the solution by appealing to our public school teachers to gather oral traditions and to document original stories from the local communities. When I went around our primary schools a year or two later, I found much joy and pride in the teachers’ presentation of original stories from the localities in a big book version authored and illustrated by our own teachers. By now, there must be hundreds of original stories out there in the field and used in the classrooms obviously requiring some editorial intervention but definitely ready to be harvested into an anthology of original Filipino stories in the mother tongue. 

We encountered the same problem when DepED shifted to local history as the starting point for Araling Panlipunan. Since most barangays or municipalities do not have adequate publications on their local histories, it was close to impossible to get any essays or resources on local heroes and community chronicles. Our DepED teachers again came to the rescue and did their own share in compiling articles and pictures and sources so students could begin to know the Philippines and the world with their hometown as anchor for their historical journey. Would anyone have the discipline and the patriotism to gather those materials and work with our teachers and the local communities to further develop the collection into a serious publication? 

In our celebration today, we especially welcome our esteemed writers and chroniclers, essayists and poets, novelists and biographers, illustrators and artists, publishers and editors. We are rolling out the red carpet to those who are gifted—nay, compelled—to write because they have a story to tell, or a lie to expose, or history to be recorded, or beauty to be captured. Do not worry if egoism gets in the way, for that will eventually sort itself out. But write as though it were your life-blood. Write as though this nation’s very existence lies on the tip of your quill. This nation is in search of its soul and you cannot allow money or politics or armaments to continue to dangle their empty promises or to resurrect the ghosts of yesteryears. In the words of Carlos P. Romulo, the might of your pen may yet bring every Filipino to discover that: “The seed I bear within me is an immortal seed… It is the insignia of my race, and my generation is but a stage in the unending search of my people for freedom and happiness.”

I must warn you though: if you wish to take your mission seriously, then have courage! Pepe and many others during his time were martyred because they dared write. In another era and cultural milieu, the same fate befell an eminent scholar and a genius of translation, William Tyndale, who translated the Bible directly from Hebrew and Greek into English. Referring to the English language while comparing him to William Shakespeare, Hannah Bowers writes:

Tyndale was burned alive in a small town in Belgium in 1536. His crime was to have translated the Bible into English. He was effectively martyred after fighting against cruel and eventually overwhelming forces, which tried for more than a dozen years to prevent him from putting the Word of God into his native language. More than any other man he laid the foundation of our modern language which became by degrees a world language. His legacy matches that other pillar of our language – Shakespeare, whose genius was in imagination.

From an era when books were unavailable, the first printing press has revolutionized the landscape and made books available to ordinary people. That may yet be the most critical challenge for us in the Philippines. Fast-forward to the 21st century, we find that access to digitized resources has become a real game-changer in our world. In fact, by the end of 2017, there were already 4.2 billion internet users representing 54.4% of the world’s population. It was the same year when Thomas Friedman, writing in the New York Times, took note of a critical moment of history that is now irreversible:

And so it came to pass that in the winter of 2016 the world hit a tipping point…when we realized that a critical mass of our lives and work had shifted away from the terrestrial world to a realm known as “cyberspace.” That is to say, a critical mass of our interactions had moved to a realm where we’re all connected but no one’s in charge. 

After all, there are no stoplights in cyberspace, no police officers walking the beat, no courts, no judges, no God who smites evil and rewards good…

That seems to me like a mirror image of what is happening in the country today where news—or rather, fake news—is written by trolls and boosts and bots who rule in this era where populism is deified and where surveys and polls and votes of the majority stir the pot of violence and division. As the movers and shakers add chaos to the confusion, the thinkers and visionaries are nowhere to be found. I long to hear the voice of our poets and writers and artists where the nation’s soul resides.

Well, the truth is that the gains of the 3rd industrial revolution has become a real affliction for me as there are moments when I truly long to go on self-imposed exile into an island with no wifi connection and where I can get my downtime from viber and instagram and whatsapp… watch sunsets, smell flowers, sip Barako coffee and simply turn the pages of a good read under the shades of a century-old Narra. Iyan na siguro ang bunga ng aking pangangarap ng gising para sa isang Mundong Payapa para sa Kabataang Malaya! If we were to give every Filipino child that “downtime” to seek that which “only the heart can see rightly” by offering them the stories that can only come from our forebears and can only be told and written by Filipinos, then we would certainly have the joy of creating a nation for our children which the other Pepe, surnamed Diokno,  dreamed of:

A NOBLE nation, where homage is paid not to who a person is or what the person owns, but to what the person is and what the person does. A PROUD nation, where poverty chains no man to the plow, forces no woman to prostitute herself and condemns no child to scrounge among garbage. A FREE nation, where men and women and children from all regions and with all kinds of talents may find truth and play and sing and laugh and dance and love without fear. A JUST nation… where poverty, ignorance, and hunger are attacked… every breadwinner, a job… every farmer, a land… every family, a home… and everyone, a steadily improving quality of life. An INDEPENDENT nation, which rejects foreign dictation, depends on itself, thinks for itself, and decides for itself… An HONORABLE nation where public powers are used for the public good… where leaders speak not only well but truthfully and act honestly; a nation that is itself and seeks to live in peace and brotherhood with all other nations of the world.

On this 36th National Children’s Book Day celebration, with the might of our pens and courage in our hearts, let us proclaim this truth and claim it as our very own. Magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat.

[adamgeorgiou]

Eulogy for Pappou

Adamos Georgiou has passed away. Finally, he is allowed to rest.

The obvious and uncomfortable irony of trying to memorialize him now is that he's been gone, in truth, for a long time. The mind of the man who passed away was not that of the man who created his legacy, my family's legacy. It is a harsh thing to point out in such a sensitive setting, but my pappou's late condition is necessary to note in order to properly prioritize the simple, tragic, and relatively short-lived character of his later years; against the bold, sturdy, remarkable stroke of his long past. It's too easy to think that his more recent life was the more relevant, and therefore that it should be what I talk about now. But his dementia stands insignificant and unnoticeable next to the massiveness of his past.

Another irony of this eulogy is that I'm likely not the right person to make it. I mention this not as false humility, but as a proper acknowledgement of the fact that I did not know Adamos Georgiou for the majority of his lucid life, and even when I did, I was just a dumb kid intimidated by this grizzly bear of a man who spoke in foreign poems with a straight back and wise eyes that could just as easily be iron as clay.

I look back and I remember silly but vibrant moments.

Him sitting at his kitchen table, from his reserved corner seat, telling me the old stories of Aesop and Socrates and Plato. I can still see and hear him describing Icarus flying too close to the sun, how the beeswax that held his wings together melted, his pride becoming his downfall. Or how Socrates willingly drank the poison he was sentenced to die by, rather than flee, in order to prove his belief in the righteousness of the justice system that convicted him.

I remember Pappou not liking it when I preferred pizza and hot dogs to his gourmet curries, but always passing a well cut slice of an apple or orange to the backseat during long road trips upstate.

I remember him fiercely giving my sister and me his famous single syllable roar when we were being too rowdy in the car on the way home from church, and us instantly cowering away silent and terrified.

I remember him waking up before dawn with my dad and me to go fishing out in Greenport, him ready with a meticulously packed tackle box full of lures, lines, and savory snacks for both us and the fish.

I remember his gardens, before he gave them up. Me, useless and happy with dirty knees and a spade, always impressed with how he managed dozens of vegetables and herbs, when at our house we only ever had tomatoes and cucumbers.

And I remember his shed, in it a small, red, trapezoid toolbox made out of steel, full of rusted tools; and shelves with a half dozen spools of different types of string, one type, waxy and thin, he would use to make elaborate grips to knives and fishing poles, and another, nylon and white, he would use to hold tomato vines to their supports.

Everything he did was a detailed project that he was consciously steering towards success.

That's why they called him the Captain.

Adamos Georgiou was a man who took life seriously. He didn't let life happen to him, instead he grabbed it in both fists and bent it to his liking as best as he could. When it was time to make a decision for himself and his family, he didn't wait, he acted.

Moving from Cyprus, to The States, back to Cyprus, and then back to The States -- chasing opportunity, avoiding war and risk, and refusing to be disheartened by material injustice -- he never gave up, he never stopped working, and he never compromised his principles. You couldn't break the guy. He wasn't the type that would let his own animal impulses distract him from his higher goals. He believed in the potential for people to create meaning, to create good works; and he knew he was responsible for realizing that potential in his time on Earth.

He took responsibility. That's what I see as the overwhelming theme of his life. He took responsibility. Consciously, and with intent instead of dogma, he took responsibility. And in so many cases, he won the games that he played.

He raised and supported a beautiful, healthy family. He was hospitable to the communities he operated within. And he imparted so many wonderful, significant traditions with such a hearty charisma.

When I was younger, I used to hate going to Greek School. In theory, Greek School was an extracurricular class where you were taught the Greek language through a strict, proven method in a focused, formalized environment. In practice, Greek School was a bunch of Church ladies cycling between filing their nails, picking students to read from single-ply textbooks sold by the Greek Scouts of America, and propagandizing you to be more patriotic through the door-to-door selling of cement and sawdust chocolate bars. I still have flashbacks to one of those teachers spitting on me as she howled, "YOU MUST BE PROUD, ΠΑΙΔΙΑ! Be PROUD THAT YOU ARE GREEK!" And I still have some of those chocolate bars in the back of my freezer. All I ever wanted back then was to get out of that repurposed house-turned-classroom and to go to Taco Bell.

One of the yearly chores of those classes was to memorize a Greek poem and recite it in the church basement for Greek Independence day. This was simultaneously one of the more interesting and nerve racking assignments, because it involved memorization, which I viewed as a kind of game; but also you had demonstrate this skill in front of the entire parish. Year after year, I would do this. I would get on stage, and recite the sounds and syllables I had committed to memory over the weeks, no idea what I was actually saying, and then I'd pass the microphone to the next kid in line, and breath easy until after the ceremony when it was time for bagels and glasses of milk. (Meanwhile you’d get yelled at by the church custodian, Marco, for taking glasses of milk, because as everyone knows milk is for coffee not for children.) None of this ever meant anything to me beyond the moment's anxiety. But then one year something different happened.

I remember our class got off the stage and they invited my pappou up to say a few words. This had never happened any of the years before, to my pappou or any other adult, as far as I can remember. Usually, it was 5 to 6 classes of kids, each a year older than the last, each shuffling through monotone and rote read poems of imperceptible difference, each poem a test of patience and self-control and maddening boredom for those sitting around waiting for the others to finish.

But now my pappou is on stage. I know that guy. He's alone. Why is he up there? What is he doing? And in the brief instant during which all these questions were popping into my mind, he boomed into a multiple paragraph poem, energy overwhelming his posture, and exiting through both his voice and an outstretched finger, which would come down to mark the significance of a specific stanza or piece of punctuation. His greatness in that moment was undeniable and the church-goers sitting in that basement hall stayed silent the entire time, and then when he finished, many minutes later, they crashed at him with reverence and applause.

My pappou had faith in the power and beauty of words and ideas, and he knew it was his responsibility to pass them on and keep them alive, for if he didn't who would? I knew then that many of the adults in that room didn’t have the courage to be onstage, let alone the talent to deliver the words with such confidence or even the knowledge of knowing the words in the first place. And that meant that my pappou likely didn’t start with that talent or knowledge either. At some point in his life, he made the choice to develop and to learn. Someone once said, ‘Courage isn’t an absence of fear. Courage is the willingness to act despite fear.” In that moment, watching my grandfather, I began to understand what it was to be a man. I was proud to be Greek and proud to be his grandson.

My own love of books; of telling stories; of the balance between hospitality and gratitude; of nature, the mountains, the sea, the animals. Every backyard BBQ, every early morning adventure, every household project. The focus, the finesse, and the brute force, at times. The desire to achieve and to persevere and to preserve.

All of the things that together add up to being a good man. All of the things I hold as ideals.

They are rooted in him. In Adamos Georgiou.

When I think now about his death, I truly don't feel sad, as in the heartache of lost love. That grief has already been paid slowly over the years.

Instead, I am overwhelmed with a combined sense of respect and inspiration and thanks.

And if I am sad, it is the sadness of a disappointment that he couldn't be around longer so that I could've thanked him as a man, and so that I could of continued to have learned from him directly, instead of simply through his legacy.

[josephbinningyoumatter]

Why I Believe You Matter, even if you don’t think so

The world is constantly changing. It moves at a rapid pace, and if you do not keep up, it leaves us behind. Understanding it is the hardest thing you will ever do. It is easy to think you don't matter, that you have no voice, no say in things. I'm here to tell you, you are wrong. That You do Matter. Here's why: Like preparing for a mega-marathon, it requires more than just knowledge. You need the right equipment, and you need to know how to take care of that equipment to serve you and in case of emergency. You need the right people around you, people who are knowledgeable and willing to train you. And you need to be ready and willing to train, learn, and change. You can only learn when you are willing and ready. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Most of all, you need a reason to get to the finish line without quitting—a reason strong enough to quiet the voices in your head that make you want to give in. In this vast world that moves so fast, we struggle to be relevant, influential, important, respected, loved, and—sometimes—just to be seen. I am the voice who shouts, “You Matter!” because you do, more than you might know. Sometimes you just need a little help to point you in the right direction. The Tao Te Ching says, “When I let go of who I am, I become what I might be” (emphasis added). I encourage you to be open to new ideas as you read this. I encourage you to let go of your past self and start anew. I have a saying: “If you don’t like something, change it.” And remember, you are worth every ounce of effort and concentration that you put into yourself because You matter, even if you do not think so.   The real voyage of discovery consists not of seeking new landscapes, but in having fresh eyes.  —Marcel Proust You are born. You grow. You mature. You become an adult. You go to work. You may have children. You may have grandchildren. You may grow old. You may retire, or you may work until you die. You die. Is that about right? You are not dead, or you would not be reading this. Yet, how alive are you? It is so easy to settle in, follow the rules, pay your dues, and then wait for the end in the process of this thing called life—have you become numb? Or maybe you have not noticed. When you were young, you probably had dreams and visions, and maybe a few lofty goals. If you were like most, though, as you grew into adulthood, you abandoned your dreams and lofty goals one by one. Did you do that? Or did circumstances dictate your path? Do you have a suspicion, even a tiny one, that you might have missed out on an original life? Do people have a hard time “seeing” who you really are? Do you secretly feel as if no one knows the real you or gets who you are deep inside? Is that because you have not let them? Have you created and nourished a wonderful sense of yourself? Or have you camouflaged yourself with habits, behaviors, compromises, possessions, money, or fear- or ego-driven behaviors? Do you sometimes feel that you do not really know who you are? Following your death, you will have a tombstone or marker, on which will appear your name, a concise epitaph written by someone, and the date of your birth and death separated by a dash. The dash between your birth and death stands for your life. The dash stands for who you were and what others will remember you for. The dash symbolizes your entire life, the mark you left on people and this world, the meaning of your existence.   Life is not merely being alive, but being well —Marcus Valerius Latin poet/author If I were to ask you what your dash will stand for, beyond the loving words of your immediate family, what would you say? What significant event, purpose, effect, or deed would your lasting impression on the world represent? If you were on trial in a court of law and needed to justify your right to stay in your chosen country of residence by providing evidence of your good deeds and contributions, would you have enough evidence? Or would we find you lacking? What significance or purpose is there to your being on this earth? You probably have a family and love your family that you love. But your family is not why you are here. Bearing children is the minimum requirement for ensuring the future existence of our species. It is not what keeps you from wondering if this is all there is, or if there is some deeper meaning in your life. Do you sometimes feel that you do not really know why you are here? When you settled into your current job, relationship, home, marriage, routine, or lifestyle, did you gain weight? Over 60 percent of couples gain at least thirty pounds after settling into marriage and family life. Did you reason that your weight gain was from bearing children, the stress of work, the pressure of a mortgage, two car payments, dental bills, or a health condition? Were you designed for a greater life, but are too busy to have one? Do you think greatness is only for the talented, the chosen, the lucky few? Do you sometimes wonder what if? What if I had gone to school instead of getting pregnant? What if I had married that girl? What if I had moved to that other state? What if I had started a business? What if I had traveled more before settling down? What if I had never had kids? What if I had stayed in school instead of dropping out? If you were to introduce yourself to me for the first time, you would likely tell me your name, your age, your status in your family, the number of children you have and their ages and genders, the city you live in, something about your pets or hobbies, and what you do for a living. News flash! None of these are who you are! Each one of us must find his peace from within, and peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. —Mahatma Gandhi leader of the Indian Independence Movement Identifying yourself with your age, what you do for a living, or with the members of your family is a response that comes from a lack of knowing yourself. Until you know who and what you are, and why you are here, the dash on your gravestone will have no meaning beyond your job and your family status and sentiments. Your dash needs to stand for something. So, who are you? Why are you here? Why now? Why this place? What benefit to humanity do you bring to the table and how will the world be a better place because you are in it? Say out loud with me right now: “humanity.” Like the ripple effect of a stone skipping across a pond, it means we design the meaning of our life to create multiple waves of momentum, radiating outward from your life and into our world, making lasting change for the betterment of humanity. Unless you have no clue why you are here. Don’t feel bad. Most people have no clue either. In the world, we place much emphasis on our station in life. What we have or possess. Where we live, what we drive, what we wear, who we associate with, where we go. The list goes on and on. It's easy to think because we have not that we don’t matter. That our lives are insignificant. That we have wasted space. That we don’t count. Some will or have trained you to believe that life is fair. They are wrong; life is not fair. Why would we have sickness and death? Why do we have floods? Famine? Earthquakes? If they meant it to be fair, we would have none of these. But we do. He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. —Muhammad Ali Heavy Weight Champion When you first learned how to walk, do you remember falling? Do you remember how many times you fell? Most likely not. What you do possibly remember was the feeling of standing strong with a newfound independence, a world opened to alternative possibilities. That was not the teaching moment. It was when you got back up. When you came close to something stable, leaned into it, and pulled yourself up. That was life teaching you how you looked at it. The teaching moment is in the moment of pulling yourself up, time and time again, until you get what you decided on, not because you deserved it, because you earned it. In life, we deserve nothing. It does not promise us anything. Everything we receive is a gift and we need to look at it that way. When you appreciate everything in your world, it becomes beautiful.   Joy happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are. —Marianne Williamson, author/ lecturer Too many of you feel as if you are insignificant today. That you don’t matter. You have no voice that anyone listens to and possibly you don’t deserve to one. Some of you shout, possibly out of frustration, demanding to be heard. Some of you just fade into the background and don’t get back up. Some of you feel you are not being seen. That you are not being noticed in life. That it is passing you by. You attract attention to yourself, shouting to the world “Look at me!”. Some of you don’t feel respected and demand it from the world around you, yet the actions taken to gain respect are not respectful to others. I world will naturally give respect when you are respectful to others. Here’s the truth. You Matter, even if you don’t think so. You Matter ESPECIALY if you don’t think so. Take a moment and look at any sunrise. Watch as the sun gently and faithfully rises each morning. Watch as colors slowly engulf the sky, putting on a heavenly light show for you. Watch as it sets below the horizon at night. Watch as it sets, and the moon rises. Notice the stars as they dance for you, just for you. Notice the hummingbird as it hovers, passing pollen from place to place so life may grow. Listen to the wind as it gently brushes against your ears, pushing the leaves from here to there. Watch the power of the ocean as the waves crash into the shores forever, keeping it in motion. Know that the sunrise and sunset dictate the tides and seasons perfectly and with the sole purpose to sustain you. Now know this. Your creator, whoever you worship, believe in, pray to, meditate to, give an offering to, or hold deep in your heart, would still have created this, even if you were the only person on this planet. That’s how valuable you are. The trees, the mountains, the oceans, the deserts, all of it. Just for you. The lack of or approval of others, the lack of or acceptance of others, the lack of or respect of others, can never change that fact. When you feel alone, when you feel oppressed, when you do not feel valued, when you do not feel seen or heard, remember that fact. You Matter! You Matter to me. You Matter to us as a community. You Matter to the world. This world would not be the same without you. We need you, all of us, and we need each other, every moment of every day of every week of every month of every year. It's when we forget that there is only one race, humanity, that we feel alone. When we forget, we are all in this together and you are not alone. You are NOT broken; you are NOT a mistake. We cannot do this without you. You are an intricate piece of the puzzle of life we are all a part of the puzzle is incomplete without you. That’s why I say and believe You Matter, even if you don’t think so. You might also like this: IN ORDER TO LOVE SOMEONE WELL, YOU MUST LOVE YOURSELF, FIRST * 12 EASY STEPS TO LEARN HOW And this one: WHY THE MESSAGE YOU MATTER, EVEN IF YOU DON’T THINK SO IS SO IMPORTANT NOW If you have enjoyed this article, please visit me at www.JosephBinning.com for more helpful tips and articles. You can also get more helpful information in my book You Matter, even if you don’t think so which you can purchase on Amazon here Amazon You Matter, even if you don't think so For my free report Happiness Is A Choice click here: Happiness Is A Choice Free Report Remember: Happiness is a choice, so be happy. Read the full article

[josephbinningyoumatter]

Why I Believe You Matter, even if you don’t think so

The world is constantly changing. It moves at a rapid pace, and if you do not keep up, it leaves us behind. Understanding it is the hardest thing you will ever do. It is easy to think you don't matter, that you have no voice, no say in things. I'm here to tell you, you are wrong. That You do Matter. Here's why: Like preparing for a mega-marathon, it requires more than just knowledge. You need the right equipment, and you need to know how to take care of that equipment to serve you and in case of emergency. You need the right people around you, people who are knowledgeable and willing to train you. And you need to be ready and willing to train, learn, and change. You can only learn when you are willing and ready. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Most of all, you need a reason to get to the finish line without quitting—a reason strong enough to quiet the voices in your head that make you want to give in. In this vast world that moves so fast, we struggle to be relevant, influential, important, respected, loved, and—sometimes—just to be seen. I am the voice who shouts, “You Matter!” because you do, more than you might know. Sometimes you just need a little help to point you in the right direction. The Tao Te Ching says, “When I let go of who I am, I become what I might be” (emphasis added). I encourage you to be open to new ideas as you read this. I encourage you to let go of your past self and start anew. I have a saying: “If you don’t like something, change it.” And remember, you are worth every ounce of effort and concentration that you put into yourself because You matter, even if you do not think so.   The real voyage of discovery consists not of seeking new landscapes, but in having fresh eyes.  —Marcel Proust You are born. You grow. You mature. You become an adult. You go to work. You may have children. You may have grandchildren. You may grow old. You may retire, or you may work until you die. You die. Is that about right? You are not dead, or you would not be reading this. Yet, how alive are you? It is so easy to settle in, follow the rules, pay your dues, and then wait for the end in the process of this thing called life—have you become numb? Or maybe you have not noticed. When you were young, you probably had dreams and visions, and maybe a few lofty goals. If you were like most, though, as you grew into adulthood, you abandoned your dreams and lofty goals one by one. Did you do that? Or did circumstances dictate your path? Do you have a suspicion, even a tiny one, that you might have missed out on an original life? Do people have a hard time “seeing” who you really are? Do you secretly feel as if no one knows the real you or gets who you are deep inside? Is that because you have not let them? Have you created and nourished a wonderful sense of yourself? Or have you camouflaged yourself with habits, behaviors, compromises, possessions, money, or fear- or ego-driven behaviors? Do you sometimes feel that you do not really know who you are? Following your death, you will have a tombstone or marker, on which will appear your name, a concise epitaph written by someone, and the date of your birth and death separated by a dash. The dash between your birth and death stands for your life. The dash stands for who you were and what others will remember you for. The dash symbolizes your entire life, the mark you left on people and this world, the meaning of your existence.   Life is not merely being alive, but being well —Marcus Valerius Latin poet/author If I were to ask you what your dash will stand for, beyond the loving words of your immediate family, what would you say? What significant event, purpose, effect, or deed would your lasting impression on the world represent? If you were on trial in a court of law and needed to justify your right to stay in your chosen country of residence by providing evidence of your good deeds and contributions, would you have enough evidence? Or would we find you lacking? What significance or purpose is there to your being on this earth? You probably have a family and love your family that you love. But your family is not why you are here. Bearing children is the minimum requirement for ensuring the future existence of our species. It is not what keeps you from wondering if this is all there is, or if there is some deeper meaning in your life. Do you sometimes feel that you do not really know why you are here? When you settled into your current job, relationship, home, marriage, routine, or lifestyle, did you gain weight? Over 60 percent of couples gain at least thirty pounds after settling into marriage and family life. Did you reason that your weight gain was from bearing children, the stress of work, the pressure of a mortgage, two car payments, dental bills, or a health condition? Were you designed for a greater life, but are too busy to have one? Do you think greatness is only for the talented, the chosen, the lucky few? Do you sometimes wonder what if? What if I had gone to school instead of getting pregnant? What if I had married that girl? What if I had moved to that other state? What if I had started a business? What if I had traveled more before settling down? What if I had never had kids? What if I had stayed in school instead of dropping out? If you were to introduce yourself to me for the first time, you would likely tell me your name, your age, your status in your family, the number of children you have and their ages and genders, the city you live in, something about your pets or hobbies, and what you do for a living. News flash! None of these are who you are! Each one of us must find his peace from within, and peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. —Mahatma Gandhi leader of the Indian Independence Movement Identifying yourself with your age, what you do for a living, or with the members of your family is a response that comes from a lack of knowing yourself. Until you know who and what you are, and why you are here, the dash on your gravestone will have no meaning beyond your job and your family status and sentiments. Your dash needs to stand for something. So, who are you? Why are you here? Why now? Why this place? What benefit to humanity do you bring to the table and how will the world be a better place because you are in it? Say out loud with me right now: “humanity.” Like the ripple effect of a stone skipping across a pond, it means we design the meaning of our life to create multiple waves of momentum, radiating outward from your life and into our world, making lasting change for the betterment of humanity. Unless you have no clue why you are here. Don’t feel bad. Most people have no clue either. In the world, we place much emphasis on our station in life. What we have or possess. Where we live, what we drive, what we wear, who we associate with, where we go. The list goes on and on. It's easy to think because we have not that we don’t matter. That our lives are insignificant. That we have wasted space. That we don’t count. Some will or have trained you to believe that life is fair. They are wrong; life is not fair. Why would we have sickness and death? Why do we have floods? Famine? Earthquakes? If they meant it to be fair, we would have none of these. But we do. He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. —Muhammad Ali Heavy Weight Champion When you first learned how to walk, do you remember falling? Do you remember how many times you fell? Most likely not. What you do possibly remember was the feeling of standing strong with a newfound independence, a world opened to alternative possibilities. That was not the teaching moment. It was when you got back up. When you came close to something stable, leaned into it, and pulled yourself up. That was life teaching you how you looked at it. The teaching moment is in the moment of pulling yourself up, time and time again, until you get what you decided on, not because you deserved it, because you earned it. In life, we deserve nothing. It does not promise us anything. Everything we receive is a gift and we need to look at it that way. When you appreciate everything in your world, it becomes beautiful.   Joy happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are. —Marianne Williamson, author/ lecturer Too many of you feel as if you are insignificant today. That you don’t matter. You have no voice that anyone listens to and possibly you don’t deserve to one. Some of you shout, possibly out of frustration, demanding to be heard. Some of you just fade into the background and don’t get back up. Some of you feel you are not being seen. That you are not being noticed in life. That it is passing you by. You attract attention to yourself, shouting to the world “Look at me!”. Some of you don’t feel respected and demand it from the world around you, yet the actions taken to gain respect are not respectful to others. I world will naturally give respect when you are respectful to others. Here’s the truth. You Matter, even if you don’t think so. You Matter ESPECIALY if you don’t think so. Take a moment and look at any sunrise. Watch as the sun gently and faithfully rises each morning. Watch as colors slowly engulf the sky, putting on a heavenly light show for you. Watch as it sets below the horizon at night. Watch as it sets, and the moon rises. Notice the stars as they dance for you, just for you. Notice the hummingbird as it hovers, passing pollen from place to place so life may grow. Listen to the wind as it gently brushes against your ears, pushing the leaves from here to there. Watch the power of the ocean as the waves crash into the shores forever, keeping it in motion. Know that the sunrise and sunset dictate the tides and seasons perfectly and with the sole purpose to sustain you. Now know this. Your creator, whoever you worship, believe in, pray to, meditate to, give an offering to, or hold deep in your heart, would still have created this, even if you were the only person on this planet. That’s how valuable you are. The trees, the mountains, the oceans, the deserts, all of it. Just for you. The lack of or approval of others, the lack of or acceptance of others, the lack of or respect of others, can never change that fact. When you feel alone, when you feel oppressed, when you do not feel valued, when you do not feel seen or heard, remember that fact. You Matter! You Matter to me. You Matter to us as a community. You Matter to the world. This world would not be the same without you. We need you, all of us, and we need each other, every moment of every day of every week of every month of every year. It's when we forget that there is only one race, humanity, that we feel alone. When we forget, we are all in this together and you are not alone. You are NOT broken; you are NOT a mistake. We cannot do this without you. You are an intricate piece of the puzzle of life we are all a part of the puzzle is incomplete without you. That’s why I say and believe You Matter, even if you don’t think so. You might also like this: IN ORDER TO LOVE SOMEONE WELL, YOU MUST LOVE YOURSELF, FIRST * 12 EASY STEPS TO LEARN HOW And this one: WHY THE MESSAGE YOU MATTER, EVEN IF YOU DON’T THINK SO IS SO IMPORTANT NOW If you have enjoyed this article, please visit me at www.JosephBinning.com for more helpful tips and articles. You can also get more helpful information in my book You Matter, even if you don’t think so which you can purchase on Amazon here Amazon You Matter, even if you don't think so For my free report Happiness Is A Choice click here: Happiness Is A Choice Free Report Remember: Happiness is a choice, so be happy. Read the full article

[josephbinningyoumatter]

Why I Believe You Matter, even if you don’t think so

The world is constantly changing. It moves at a rapid pace, and if you do not keep up, it leaves us behind. Understanding it is the hardest thing you will ever do. It is easy to think you don't matter, that you have no voice, no say in things. I'm here to tell you, you are wrong. That You do Matter. Here's why: Like preparing for a mega-marathon, it requires more than just knowledge. You need the right equipment, and you need to know how to take care of that equipment to serve you and in case of emergency. You need the right people around you, people who are knowledgeable and willing to train you. And you need to be ready and willing to train, learn, and change. You can only learn when you are willing and ready. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Most of all, you need a reason to get to the finish line without quitting—a reason strong enough to quiet the voices in your head that make you want to give in. In this vast world that moves so fast, we struggle to be relevant, influential, important, respected, loved, and—sometimes—just to be seen. I am the voice who shouts, “You Matter!” because you do, more than you might know. Sometimes you just need a little help to point you in the right direction. The Tao Te Ching says, “When I let go of who I am, I become what I might be” (emphasis added). I encourage you to be open to new ideas as you read this. I encourage you to let go of your past self and start anew. I have a saying: “If you don’t like something, change it.” And remember, you are worth every ounce of effort and concentration that you put into yourself because You matter, even if you do not think so.   The real voyage of discovery consists not of seeking new landscapes, but in having fresh eyes.  —Marcel Proust You are born. You grow. You mature. You become an adult. You go to work. You may have children. You may have grandchildren. You may grow old. You may retire, or you may work until you die. You die. Is that about right? You are not dead, or you would not be reading this. Yet, how alive are you? It is so easy to settle in, follow the rules, pay your dues, and then wait for the end in the process of this thing called life—have you become numb? Or maybe you have not noticed. When you were young, you probably had dreams and visions, and maybe a few lofty goals. If you were like most, though, as you grew into adulthood, you abandoned your dreams and lofty goals one by one. Did you do that? Or did circumstances dictate your path? Do you have a suspicion, even a tiny one, that you might have missed out on an original life? Do people have a hard time “seeing” who you really are? Do you secretly feel as if no one knows the real you or gets who you are deep inside? Is that because you have not let them? Have you created and nourished a wonderful sense of yourself? Or have you camouflaged yourself with habits, behaviors, compromises, possessions, money, or fear- or ego-driven behaviors? Do you sometimes feel that you do not really know who you are? Following your death, you will have a tombstone or marker, on which will appear your name, a concise epitaph written by someone, and the date of your birth and death separated by a dash. The dash between your birth and death stands for your life. The dash stands for who you were and what others will remember you for. The dash symbolizes your entire life, the mark you left on people and this world, the meaning of your existence.   Life is not merely being alive, but being well —Marcus Valerius Latin poet/author If I were to ask you what your dash will stand for, beyond the loving words of your immediate family, what would you say? What significant event, purpose, effect, or deed would your lasting impression on the world represent? If you were on trial in a court of law and needed to justify your right to stay in your chosen country of residence by providing evidence of your good deeds and contributions, would you have enough evidence? Or would we find you lacking? What significance or purpose is there to your being on this earth? You probably have a family and love your family that you love. But your family is not why you are here. Bearing children is the minimum requirement for ensuring the future existence of our species. It is not what keeps you from wondering if this is all there is, or if there is some deeper meaning in your life. Do you sometimes feel that you do not really know why you are here? When you settled into your current job, relationship, home, marriage, routine, or lifestyle, did you gain weight? Over 60 percent of couples gain at least thirty pounds after settling into marriage and family life. Did you reason that your weight gain was from bearing children, the stress of work, the pressure of a mortgage, two car payments, dental bills, or a health condition? Were you designed for a greater life, but are too busy to have one? Do you think greatness is only for the talented, the chosen, the lucky few? Do you sometimes wonder what if? What if I had gone to school instead of getting pregnant? What if I had married that girl? What if I had moved to that other state? What if I had started a business? What if I had traveled more before settling down? What if I had never had kids? What if I had stayed in school instead of dropping out? If you were to introduce yourself to me for the first time, you would likely tell me your name, your age, your status in your family, the number of children you have and their ages and genders, the city you live in, something about your pets or hobbies, and what you do for a living. News flash! None of these are who you are! Each one of us must find his peace from within, and peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. —Mahatma Gandhi leader of the Indian Independence Movement Identifying yourself with your age, what you do for a living, or with the members of your family is a response that comes from a lack of knowing yourself. Until you know who and what you are, and why you are here, the dash on your gravestone will have no meaning beyond your job and your family status and sentiments. Your dash needs to stand for something. So, who are you? Why are you here? Why now? Why this place? What benefit to humanity do you bring to the table and how will the world be a better place because you are in it? Say out loud with me right now: “humanity.” Like the ripple effect of a stone skipping across a pond, it means we design the meaning of our life to create multiple waves of momentum, radiating outward from your life and into our world, making lasting change for the betterment of humanity. Unless you have no clue why you are here. Don’t feel bad. Most people have no clue either. In the world, we place much emphasis on our station in life. What we have or possess. Where we live, what we drive, what we wear, who we associate with, where we go. The list goes on and on. It's easy to think because we have not that we don’t matter. That our lives are insignificant. That we have wasted space. That we don’t count. Some will or have trained you to believe that life is fair. They are wrong; life is not fair. Why would we have sickness and death? Why do we have floods? Famine? Earthquakes? If they meant it to be fair, we would have none of these. But we do. He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. —Muhammad Ali Heavy Weight Champion When you first learned how to walk, do you remember falling? Do you remember how many times you fell? Most likely not. What you do possibly remember was the feeling of standing strong with a newfound independence, a world opened to alternative possibilities. That was not the teaching moment. It was when you got back up. When you came close to something stable, leaned into it, and pulled yourself up. That was life teaching you how you looked at it. The teaching moment is in the moment of pulling yourself up, time and time again, until you get what you decided on, not because you deserved it, because you earned it. In life, we deserve nothing. It does not promise us anything. Everything we receive is a gift and we need to look at it that way. When you appreciate everything in your world, it becomes beautiful.   Joy happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are. —Marianne Williamson, author/ lecturer Too many of you feel as if you are insignificant today. That you don’t matter. You have no voice that anyone listens to and possibly you don’t deserve to one. Some of you shout, possibly out of frustration, demanding to be heard. Some of you just fade into the background and don’t get back up. Some of you feel you are not being seen. That you are not being noticed in life. That it is passing you by. You attract attention to yourself, shouting to the world “Look at me!”. Some of you don’t feel respected and demand it from the world around you, yet the actions taken to gain respect are not respectful to others. I world will naturally give respect when you are respectful to others. Here’s the truth. You Matter, even if you don’t think so. You Matter ESPECIALY if you don’t think so. Take a moment and look at any sunrise. Watch as the sun gently and faithfully rises each morning. Watch as colors slowly engulf the sky, putting on a heavenly light show for you. Watch as it sets below the horizon at night. Watch as it sets, and the moon rises. Notice the stars as they dance for you, just for you. Notice the hummingbird as it hovers, passing pollen from place to place so life may grow. Listen to the wind as it gently brushes against your ears, pushing the leaves from here to there. Watch the power of the ocean as the waves crash into the shores forever, keeping it in motion. Know that the sunrise and sunset dictate the tides and seasons perfectly and with the sole purpose to sustain you. Now know this. Your creator, whoever you worship, believe in, pray to, meditate to, give an offering to, or hold deep in your heart, would still have created this, even if you were the only person on this planet. That’s how valuable you are. The trees, the mountains, the oceans, the deserts, all of it. Just for you. The lack of or approval of others, the lack of or acceptance of others, the lack of or respect of others, can never change that fact. When you feel alone, when you feel oppressed, when you do not feel valued, when you do not feel seen or heard, remember that fact. You Matter! You Matter to me. You Matter to us as a community. You Matter to the world. This world would not be the same without you. We need you, all of us, and we need each other, every moment of every day of every week of every month of every year. It's when we forget that there is only one race, humanity, that we feel alone. When we forget, we are all in this together and you are not alone. You are NOT broken; you are NOT a mistake. We cannot do this without you. You are an intricate piece of the puzzle of life we are all a part of the puzzle is incomplete without you. That’s why I say and believe You Matter, even if you don’t think so. You might also like this: IN ORDER TO LOVE SOMEONE WELL, YOU MUST LOVE YOURSELF, FIRST * 12 EASY STEPS TO LEARN HOW And this one: WHY THE MESSAGE YOU MATTER, EVEN IF YOU DON’T THINK SO IS SO IMPORTANT NOW If you have enjoyed this article, please visit me at www.JosephBinning.com for more helpful tips and articles. You can also get more helpful information in my book You Matter, even if you don’t think so which you can purchase on Amazon here Amazon You Matter, even if you don't think so For my free report Happiness Is A Choice click here: Happiness Is A Choice Free Report Remember: Happiness is a choice, so be happy. Read the full article

[josephbinningyoumatter]

Why I Believe You Matter, even if you don’t think so

The world is constantly changing. It moves at a rapid pace, and if you do not keep up, it leaves us behind. Understanding it is the hardest thing you will ever do. It is easy to think you don't matter, that you have no voice, no say in things. I'm here to tell you, you are wrong. That You do Matter. Here's why: Like preparing for a mega-marathon, it requires more than just knowledge. You need the right equipment, and you need to know how to take care of that equipment to serve you and in case of emergency. You need the right people around you, people who are knowledgeable and willing to train you. And you need to be ready and willing to train, learn, and change. You can only learn when you are willing and ready. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Most of all, you need a reason to get to the finish line without quitting—a reason strong enough to quiet the voices in your head that make you want to give in. In this vast world that moves so fast, we struggle to be relevant, influential, important, respected, loved, and—sometimes—just to be seen. I am the voice who shouts, “You Matter!” because you do, more than you might know. Sometimes you just need a little help to point you in the right direction. The Tao Te Ching says, “When I let go of who I am, I become what I might be” (emphasis added). I encourage you to be open to new ideas as you read this. I encourage you to let go of your past self and start anew. I have a saying: “If you don’t like something, change it.” And remember, you are worth every ounce of effort and concentration that you put into yourself because You matter, even if you do not think so.   The real voyage of discovery consists not of seeking new landscapes, but in having fresh eyes.  —Marcel Proust You are born. You grow. You mature. You become an adult. You go to work. You may have children. You may have grandchildren. You may grow old. You may retire, or you may work until you die. You die. Is that about right? You are not dead, or you would not be reading this. Yet, how alive are you? It is so easy to settle in, follow the rules, pay your dues, and then wait for the end in the process of this thing called life—have you become numb? Or maybe you have not noticed. When you were young, you probably had dreams and visions, and maybe a few lofty goals. If you were like most, though, as you grew into adulthood, you abandoned your dreams and lofty goals one by one. Did you do that? Or did circumstances dictate your path? Do you have a suspicion, even a tiny one, that you might have missed out on an original life? Do people have a hard time “seeing” who you really are? Do you secretly feel as if no one knows the real you or gets who you are deep inside? Is that because you have not let them? Have you created and nourished a wonderful sense of yourself? Or have you camouflaged yourself with habits, behaviors, compromises, possessions, money, or fear- or ego-driven behaviors? Do you sometimes feel that you do not really know who you are? Following your death, you will have a tombstone or marker, on which will appear your name, a concise epitaph written by someone, and the date of your birth and death separated by a dash. The dash between your birth and death stands for your life. The dash stands for who you were and what others will remember you for. The dash symbolizes your entire life, the mark you left on people and this world, the meaning of your existence.   Life is not merely being alive, but being well —Marcus Valerius Latin poet/author If I were to ask you what your dash will stand for, beyond the loving words of your immediate family, what would you say? What significant event, purpose, effect, or deed would your lasting impression on the world represent? If you were on trial in a court of law and needed to justify your right to stay in your chosen country of residence by providing evidence of your good deeds and contributions, would you have enough evidence? Or would we find you lacking? What significance or purpose is there to your being on this earth? You probably have a family and love your family that you love. But your family is not why you are here. Bearing children is the minimum requirement for ensuring the future existence of our species. It is not what keeps you from wondering if this is all there is, or if there is some deeper meaning in your life. Do you sometimes feel that you do not really know why you are here? When you settled into your current job, relationship, home, marriage, routine, or lifestyle, did you gain weight? Over 60 percent of couples gain at least thirty pounds after settling into marriage and family life. Did you reason that your weight gain was from bearing children, the stress of work, the pressure of a mortgage, two car payments, dental bills, or a health condition? Were you designed for a greater life, but are too busy to have one? Do you think greatness is only for the talented, the chosen, the lucky few? Do you sometimes wonder what if? What if I had gone to school instead of getting pregnant? What if I had married that girl? What if I had moved to that other state? What if I had started a business? What if I had traveled more before settling down? What if I had never had kids? What if I had stayed in school instead of dropping out? If you were to introduce yourself to me for the first time, you would likely tell me your name, your age, your status in your family, the number of children you have and their ages and genders, the city you live in, something about your pets or hobbies, and what you do for a living. News flash! None of these are who you are! Each one of us must find his peace from within, and peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. —Mahatma Gandhi leader of the Indian Independence Movement Identifying yourself with your age, what you do for a living, or with the members of your family is a response that comes from a lack of knowing yourself. Until you know who and what you are, and why you are here, the dash on your gravestone will have no meaning beyond your job and your family status and sentiments. Your dash needs to stand for something. So, who are you? Why are you here? Why now? Why this place? What benefit to humanity do you bring to the table and how will the world be a better place because you are in it? Say out loud with me right now: “humanity.” Like the ripple effect of a stone skipping across a pond, it means we design the meaning of our life to create multiple waves of momentum, radiating outward from your life and into our world, making lasting change for the betterment of humanity. Unless you have no clue why you are here. Don’t feel bad. Most people have no clue either. In the world, we place much emphasis on our station in life. What we have or possess. Where we live, what we drive, what we wear, who we associate with, where we go. The list goes on and on. It's easy to think because we have not that we don’t matter. That our lives are insignificant. That we have wasted space. That we don’t count. Some will or have trained you to believe that life is fair. They are wrong; life is not fair. Why would we have sickness and death? Why do we have floods? Famine? Earthquakes? If they meant it to be fair, we would have none of these. But we do. He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. —Muhammad Ali Heavy Weight Champion When you first learned how to walk, do you remember falling? Do you remember how many times you fell? Most likely not. What you do possibly remember was the feeling of standing strong with a newfound independence, a world opened to alternative possibilities. That was not the teaching moment. It was when you got back up. When you came close to something stable, leaned into it, and pulled yourself up. That was life teaching you how you looked at it. The teaching moment is in the moment of pulling yourself up, time and time again, until you get what you decided on, not because you deserved it, because you earned it. In life, we deserve nothing. It does not promise us anything. Everything we receive is a gift and we need to look at it that way. When you appreciate everything in your world, it becomes beautiful.   Joy happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are. —Marianne Williamson, author/ lecturer Too many of you feel as if you are insignificant today. That you don’t matter. You have no voice that anyone listens to and possibly you don’t deserve to one. Some of you shout, possibly out of frustration, demanding to be heard. Some of you just fade into the background and don’t get back up. Some of you feel you are not being seen. That you are not being noticed in life. That it is passing you by. You attract attention to yourself, shouting to the world “Look at me!”. Some of you don’t feel respected and demand it from the world around you, yet the actions taken to gain respect are not respectful to others. I will naturally give respect when you are respectful to me. Here’s the truth. You Matter, even if you don’t think so. You Matter ESPECIALY if you don’t think so. Take a moment and look at any sunrise. Watch as the sun gently and faithfully rises each morning. Watch as colors slowly engulf the sky, putting on a heavenly light show for you. Watch as it sets below the horizon at night. Watch as it sets, and the moon rises. Notice the stars as they dance for you, just for you. Notice the hummingbird as it hovers, passing pollen from place to place so life may grow. Listen to the wind as it gently brushes against your ears, pushing the leaves from here to there. Watch the power of the ocean as the waves crash into the shores forever, keeping it in motion. Know that the sunrise and sunset dictate the tides and seasons perfectly and with the sole purpose to sustain you. Now know this. Your creator, whoever you worship, believe in, pray to, meditate to, give an offering to, or hold deep in your heart, would still have created this, even if you were the only person on this planet. That’s how valuable you are. The trees, the mountains, the oceans, the deserts, all of it. Just for you. The lack of or approval of others, the lack of or acceptance of others, the lack of or respect of others, can never change that fact. When you feel alone, when you feel oppressed, when you do not feel valued, when you do not feel seen or heard, remember that fact. You Matter! You Matter to me. You Matter to us as a community. You Matter to the world. This world would not be the same without you. We need you, all of us, and we need each other, every moment of every day of every week of every month of every year. It's when we forget that there is only one race, humanity, that we feel alone. When we forget, we are all in this together and you are not alone. You are NOT broken; you are NOT a mistake. We cannot do this without you. You are an intricate piece of the puzzle of life we are all a part of the puzzle is incomplete without you. That’s why I say and believe You Matter, even if you don’t think so.   Read the full article

[josephbinningyoumatter]

Why I Believe You Matter, even if you don’t think so

The world is constantly changing. It moves at a rapid pace, and if you do not keep up, it leaves us behind. Understanding it is the hardest thing you will ever do. It is easy to think you don't matter, that you have no voice, no say in things. I'm here to tell you, you are wrong. That You do Matter. Here's why: Like preparing for a mega-marathon, it requires more than just knowledge. You need the right equipment, and you need to know how to take care of that equipment to serve you and in case of emergency. You need the right people around you, people who are knowledgeable and willing to train you. And you need to be ready and willing to train, learn, and change. You can only learn when you are willing and ready. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Most of all, you need a reason to get to the finish line without quitting—a reason strong enough to quiet the voices in your head that make you want to give in. In this vast world that moves so fast, we struggle to be relevant, influential, important, respected, loved, and—sometimes—just to be seen. I am the voice who shouts, “You Matter!” because you do, more than you might know. Sometimes you just need a little help to point you in the right direction. The Tao Te Ching says, “When I let go of who I am, I become what I might be” (emphasis added). I encourage you to be open to new ideas as you read this. I encourage you to let go of your past self and start anew. I have a saying: “If you don’t like something, change it.” And remember, you are worth every ounce of effort and concentration that you put into yourself because You matter, even if you do not think so.   The real voyage of discovery consists not of seeking new landscapes, but in having fresh eyes.  —Marcel Proust You are born. You grow. You mature. You become an adult. You go to work. You may have children. You may have grandchildren. You may grow old. You may retire, or you may work until you die. You die. Is that about right? You are not dead, or you would not be reading this. Yet, how alive are you? It is so easy to settle in, follow the rules, pay your dues, and then wait for the end in the process of this thing called life—have you become numb? Or maybe you have not noticed. When you were young, you probably had dreams and visions, and maybe a few lofty goals. If you were like most, though, as you grew into adulthood, you abandoned your dreams and lofty goals one by one. Did you do that? Or did circumstances dictate your path? Do you have a suspicion, even a tiny one, that you might have missed out on an original life? Do people have a hard time “seeing” who you really are? Do you secretly feel as if no one knows the real you or gets who you are deep inside? Is that because you have not let them? Have you created and nourished a wonderful sense of yourself? Or have you camouflaged yourself with habits, behaviors, compromises, possessions, money, or fear- or ego-driven behaviors? Do you sometimes feel that you do not really know who you are? Following your death, you will have a tombstone or marker, on which will appear your name, a concise epitaph written by someone, and the date of your birth and death separated by a dash. The dash between your birth and death stands for your life. The dash stands for who you were and what others will remember you for. The dash symbolizes your entire life, the mark you left on people and this world, the meaning of your existence.   Life is not merely being alive, but being well —Marcus Valerius Latin poet/author If I were to ask you what your dash will stand for, beyond the loving words of your immediate family, what would you say? What significant event, purpose, effect, or deed would your lasting impression on the world represent? If you were on trial in a court of law and needed to justify your right to stay in your chosen country of residence by providing evidence of your good deeds and contributions, would you have enough evidence? Or would we find you lacking? What significance or purpose is there to your being on this earth? You probably have a family and love your family that you love. But your family is not why you are here. Bearing children is the minimum requirement for ensuring the future existence of our species. It is not what keeps you from wondering if this is all there is, or if there is some deeper meaning in your life. Do you sometimes feel that you do not really know why you are here? When you settled into your current job, relationship, home, marriage, routine, or lifestyle, did you gain weight? Over 60 percent of couples gain at least thirty pounds after settling into marriage and family life. Did you reason that your weight gain was from bearing children, the stress of work, the pressure of a mortgage, two car payments, dental bills, or a health condition? Were you designed for a greater life, but are too busy to have one? Do you think greatness is only for the talented, the chosen, the lucky few? Do you sometimes wonder what if? What if I had gone to school instead of getting pregnant? What if I had married that girl? What if I had moved to that other state? What if I had started a business? What if I had traveled more before settling down? What if I had never had kids? What if I had stayed in school instead of dropping out? If you were to introduce yourself to me for the first time, you would likely tell me your name, your age, your status in your family, the number of children you have and their ages and genders, the city you live in, something about your pets or hobbies, and what you do for a living. News flash! None of these are who you are! Each one of us must find his peace from within, and peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. —Mahatma Gandhi leader of the Indian Independence Movement Identifying yourself with your age, what you do for a living, or with the members of your family is a response that comes from a lack of knowing yourself. Until you know who and what you are, and why you are here, the dash on your gravestone will have no meaning beyond your job and your family status and sentiments. Your dash needs to stand for something. So, who are you? Why are you here? Why now? Why this place? What benefit to humanity do you bring to the table and how will the world be a better place because you are in it? Say out loud with me right now: “humanity.” Like the ripple effect of a stone skipping across a pond, it means we design the meaning of our life to create multiple waves of momentum, radiating outward from your life and into our world, making lasting change for the betterment of humanity. Unless you have no clue why you are here. Don’t feel bad. Most people have no clue either. In the world, we place much emphasis on our station in life. What we have or possess. Where we live, what we drive, what we wear, who we associate with, where we go. The list goes on and on. It's easy to think because we have not that we don’t matter. That our lives are insignificant. That we have wasted space. That we don’t count. Some will or have trained you to believe that life is fair. They are wrong; life is not fair. Why would we have sickness and death? Why do we have floods? Famine? Earthquakes? If they meant it to be fair, we would have none of these. But we do. He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. —Muhammad Ali Heavy Weight Champion When you first learned how to walk, do you remember falling? Do you remember how many times you fell? Most likely not. What you do possibly remember was the feeling of standing strong with a newfound independence, a world opened to alternative possibilities. That was not the teaching moment. It was when you got back up. When you came close to something stable, leaned into it, and pulled yourself up. That was life teaching you how you looked at it. The teaching moment is in the moment of pulling yourself up, time and time again, until you get what you decided on, not because you deserved it, because you earned it. In life, we deserve nothing. It does not promise us anything. Everything we receive is a gift and we need to look at it that way. When you appreciate everything in your world, it becomes beautiful.   Joy happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are. —Marianne Williamson, author/ lecturer   Too many of you feel as if you are insignificant today. That you don’t matter. You have no voice that anyone listens to and possibly you don’t deserve to one. Some of you shout, possibly out of frustration, demanding to be heard. Some of you just fade into the background and don’t get back up. Some of you feel you are not being seen. That you are not being noticed in life. That it is passing you by. You attract attention to yourself, shouting to the world “Look at me!”. Some of you don’t feel respected and demand it from the world around you, yet the actions taken to gain respect are not respectful to others. I will naturally give respect when you are respectful to me. Here’s the truth. You Matter, even if you don’t think so. You Matter ESPECIALY if you don’t think so. Take a moment and look at any sunrise. Watch as the sun gently and faithfully rises each morning. Watch as colors slowly engulf the sky, putting on a heavenly light show for you. Watch as it sets below the horizon at night. Watch as it sets, and the moon rises. Notice the stars as they dance for you, just for you. Notice the hummingbird as it hovers, passing pollen from place to place so life may grow. Listen to the wind as it gently brushes against your ears, pushing the leaves from here to there. Watch the power of the ocean as the waves crash into the shores forever, keeping it in motion. Know that the sunrise and sunset dictate the tides and seasons perfectly and with the sole purpose to sustain you. Now know this. Your creator, whoever you worship, believe in, pray to, meditate to, give an offering to, or hold deep in your heart, would still have created this, even if you were the only person on this planet. That’s how valuable you are. The trees, the mountains, the oceans, the deserts, all of it. Just for you. The lack of or approval of others, the lack of or acceptance of others, the lack of or respect of others, can never change that fact. When you feel alone, when you feel oppressed, when you do not feel valued, when you do not feel seen or heard, remember that fact. You Matter! You Matter to me. You Matter to us as a community. You Matter to the world. This world would not be the same without you. We need you, all of us, and we need each other, every moment of every day of every week of every month of every year. It's when we forget that there is only one race, humanity, that we feel alone. When we forget, we are all in this together and you are not alone. You are NOT broken; you are NOT a mistake. We cannot do this without you. You are an intricate piece of the puzzle of life we are all a part of the puzzle is incomplete without you. That’s why I say and believe You Matter, even if you don’t think so.   Read the full article

[josephbinningyoumatter]

Why I Believe You Matter, even if you don’t think so

The world is constantly changing. It moves at a rapid pace, and if you do not keep up, it leaves us behind. Understanding it is the hardest thing you will ever do. It is easy to think you don't matter, that you have no voice, no say in things. I'm here to tell you, you are wrong. That You do Matter. Here's why: Like preparing for a mega-marathon, it requires more than just knowledge. You need the right equipment, and you need to know how to take care of that equipment to serve you and in case of emergency. You need the right people around you, people who are knowledgeable and willing to train you. And you need to be ready and willing to train, learn, and change. You can only learn when you are willing and ready. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Most of all, you need a reason to get to the finish line without quitting—a reason strong enough to quiet the voices in your head that make you want to give in. In this vast world that moves so fast, we struggle to be relevant, influential, important, respected, loved, and—sometimes—just to be seen. I am the voice who shouts, “You Matter!” because you do, more than you might know. Sometimes you just need a little help to point you in the right direction. The Tao Te Ching says, “When I let go of who I am, I become what I might be” (emphasis added). I encourage you to be open to new ideas as you read this. I encourage you to let go of your past self and start anew. I have a saying: “If you don’t like something, change it.” And remember, you are worth every ounce of effort and concentration that you put into yourself because You matter, even if you do not think so.   The real voyage of discovery consists not of seeking new landscapes, but in having fresh eyes.  —Marcel Proust   You are born. You grow. You mature. You become an adult. You go to work. You may have children. You may have grandchildren. You may grow old. You may retire, or you may work until you die. You die. Is that about right? You are not dead, or you would not be reading this. Yet, how alive are you? It is so easy to settle in, follow the rules, pay your dues, and then wait for the end in the process of this thing called life—have you become numb? Or maybe you have not noticed. When you were young, you probably had dreams and visions, and maybe a few lofty goals. If you were like most, though, as you grew into adulthood, you abandoned your dreams and lofty goals one by one. Did you do that? Or did circumstances dictate your path? Do you have a suspicion, even a tiny one, that you might have missed out on an original life? Do people have a hard time “seeing” who you really are? Do you secretly feel as if no one knows the real you or gets who you are deep inside? Is that because you have not let them? Have you created and nourished a wonderful sense of yourself? Or have you camouflaged yourself with habits, behaviors, compromises, possessions, money, or fear- or ego-driven behaviors? Do you sometimes feel that you do not really know who you are? Following your death, you will have a tombstone or marker, on which will appear your name, a concise epitaph written by someone, and the date of your birth and death separated by a dash. The dash between your birth and death stands for your life. The dash stands for who you were and what others will remember you for. The dash symbolizes your entire life, the mark you left on people and this world, the meaning of your existence.   Life is not merely being alive, but being well —Marcus Valerius Latin poet/author   If I were to ask you what your dash will stand for, beyond the loving words of your immediate family, what would you say? What significant event, purpose, effect, or deed would your lasting impression on the world represent? If you were on trial in a court of law and needed to justify your right to stay in your chosen country of residence by providing evidence of your good deeds and contributions, would you have enough evidence? Or would we find you lacking? What significance or purpose is there to your being on this earth? You probably have a family and love your family that you love. But your family is not why you are here. Bearing children is the minimum requirement for ensuring the future existence of our species. It is not what keeps you from wondering if this is all there is, or if there is some deeper meaning in your life. Do you sometimes feel that you do not really know why you are here? When you settled into your current job, relationship, home, marriage, routine, or lifestyle, did you gain weight? Over 60 percent of couples gain at least thirty pounds after settling into marriage and family life. Did you reason that your weight gain was from bearing children, the stress of work, the pressure of a mortgage, two car payments, dental bills, or a health condition? Were you designed for a greater life, but are too busy to have one? Do you think greatness is only for the talented, the chosen, the lucky few? Do you sometimes wonder what if? What if I had gone to school instead of getting pregnant? What if I had married that girl? What if I had moved to that other state? What if I had started a business? What if I had traveled more before settling down? What if I had never had kids? What if I had stayed in school instead of dropping out? If you were to introduce yourself to me for the first time, you would likely tell me your name, your age, your status in your family, the number of children you have and their ages and genders, the city you live in, something about your pets or hobbies, and what you do for a living. News flash! None of these are who you are! Each one of us must find his peace from within, and peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. —Mahatma Gandhi leader of the Indian Independence Movement   Identifying yourself with your age, what you do for a living, or with the members of your family is a response that comes from a lack of knowing yourself. Until you know who and what you are, and why you are here, the dash on your gravestone will have no meaning beyond your job and your family status and sentiments. Your dash needs to stand for something. So, who are you? Why are you here? Why now? Why this place? What benefit to humanity do you bring to the table and how will the world be a better place because you are in it? Say out loud with me right now: “humanity.” Like the ripple effect of a stone skipping across a pond, it means we design the meaning of our life to create multiple waves of momentum, radiating outward from your life and into our world, making lasting change for the betterment of humanity. Unless you have no clue why you are here. Don’t feel bad. Most people have no clue either. In the world, we place much emphasis on our station in life. What we have or possess. Where we live, what we drive, what we wear, who we associate with, where we go. The list goes on and on. It's easy to think because we have not that we don’t matter. That our lives are insignificant. That we have wasted space. That we don’t count. Some will or have trained you to believe that life is fair. They are wrong; life is not fair. Why would we have sickness and death? Why do we have floods? Famine? Earthquakes? If they meant it to be fair, we would have none of these. But we do. He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. —Muhammad Ali Heavy Weight Champion   When you first learned how to walk, do you remember falling? Do you remember how many times you fell? Most likely not. What you do possibly remember was the feeling of standing strong with a newfound independence, a world opened to alternative possibilities. That was not the teaching moment. It was when you got back up. When you came close to something stable, leaned into it, and pulled yourself up. That was life teaching you how you looked at it. The teaching moment is in the moment of pulling yourself up, time and time again, until you get what you decided on, not because you deserved it, because you earned it. In life, we deserve nothing. It does not promise us anything. Everything we receive is a gift and we need to look at it that way. When you appreciate everything in your world, it becomes beautiful.   Joy happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are. —Marianne Williamson, author/ lecturer   Too many of you feel as if you are insignificant today. That you don’t matter. You have no voice that anyone listens to and possibly you don’t deserve to one. Some of you shout, possibly out of frustration, demanding to be heard. Some of you just fade into the background and don’t get back up. Some of you feel you are not being seen. That you are not being noticed in life. That it is passing you by. You attract attention to yourself, shouting to the world “Look at me!”. Some of you don’t feel respected and demand it from the world around you, yet the actions taken to gain respect are not respectful to others. I will naturally give respect when you are respectful to me. Here’s the truth. You Matter, even if you don’t think so. You Matter ESPECIALY if you don’t think so. Take a moment and look at any sunrise. Watch as the sun gently and faithfully rises each morning. Watch as colors slowly engulf the sky, putting on a heavenly light show for you. Watch as it sets below the horizon at night. Watch as it sets, and the moon rises. Notice the stars as they dance for you, just for you. Notice the hummingbird as it hovers, passing pollen from place to place so life may grow. Listen to the wind as it gently brushes against your ears, pushing the leaves from here to there. Watch the power of the ocean as the waves crash into the shores forever, keeping it in motion. Know that the sunrise and sunset dictate the tides and seasons perfectly and with the sole purpose to sustain you. Now know this. Your creator, whoever you worship, believe in, pray to, meditate to, give an offering to, or hold deep in your heart, would still have created this, even if you were the only person on this planet. That’s how valuable you are. The trees, the mountains, the oceans, the deserts, all of it. Just for you. The lack of or approval of others, the lack of or acceptance of others, the lack of or respect of others, can never change that fact. When you feel alone, when you feel oppressed, when you do not feel valued, when you do not feel seen or heard, remember that fact. You Matter! You Matter to me. You Matter to us as a community. You Matter to the world. This world would not be the same without you. We need you, all of us, and we need each other, every moment of every day of every week of every month of every year. It's when we forget that there is only one race, humanity, that we feel alone. When we forget, we are all in this together and you are not alone. You are NOT broken; you are NOT a mistake. We cannot do this without you. You are an intricate piece of the puzzle of life we are all a part of the puzzle is incomplete without you. That’s why I say and believe You Matter, even if you don’t think so.   Read the full article

[josephbinningyoumatter]

Why I Believe You Matter, even if you don’t think so

The world is constantly changing. It moves at a rapid pace, and if you do not keep up, it leaves us behind. Understanding it is the hardest thing you will ever do. It is easy to think you don't matter, that you have no voice, no say in things. I'm here to tell you, you are wrong. That You do Matter. Here's why: Like preparing for a mega-marathon, it requires more than just knowledge. You need the right equipment, and you need to know how to take care of that equipment to serve you and in case of emergency. You need the right people around you, people who are knowledgeable and willing to train you. And you need to be ready and willing to train, learn, and change. You can only learn when you are willing and ready. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Most of all, you need a reason to get to the finish line without quitting—a reason strong enough to quiet the voices in your head that make you want to give in. In this vast world that moves so fast, we struggle to be relevant, influential, important, respected, loved, and—sometimes—just to be seen. I am the voice who shouts, “You Matter!” because you do, more than you might know. Sometimes you just need a little help to point you in the right direction. The Tao Te Ching says, “When I let go of who I am, I become what I might be” (emphasis added). I encourage you to be open to new ideas as you read this. I encourage you to let go of your past self and start anew. I have a saying: “If you don’t like something, change it.” And remember, you are worth every ounce of effort and concentration that you put into yourself because You matter, even if you do not think so.   The real voyage of discovery consists not of seeking new landscapes, but in having fresh eyes.  —Marcel Proust   You are born. You grow. You mature. You become an adult. You go to work. You may have children. You may have grandchildren. You may grow old. You may retire, or you may work until you die. You die. Is that about right? You are not dead, or you would not be reading this. Yet, how alive are you? It is so easy to settle in, follow the rules, pay your dues, and then wait for the end in the process of this thing called life—have you become numb? Or maybe you have not noticed. When you were young, you probably had dreams and visions, and maybe a few lofty goals. If you were like most, though, as you grew into adulthood, you abandoned your dreams and lofty goals one by one. Did you do that? Or did circumstances dictate your path? Do you have a suspicion, even a tiny one, that you might have missed out on an original life? Do people have a hard time “seeing” who you really are? Do you secretly feel as if no one knows the real you or gets who you are deep inside? Is that because you have not let them? Have you created and nourished a wonderful sense of yourself? Or have you camouflaged yourself with habits, behaviors, compromises, possessions, money, or fear- or ego-driven behaviors? Do you sometimes feel that you do not really know who you are? Following your death, you will have a tombstone or marker, on which will appear your name, a concise epitaph written by someone, and the date of your birth and death separated by a dash. The dash between your birth and death stands for your life. The dash stands for who you were and what others will remember you for. The dash symbolizes your entire life, the mark you left on people and this world, the meaning of your existence.   Life is not merely being alive, but being well —Marcus Valerius Latin poet/author   If I were to ask you what your dash will stand for, beyond the loving words of your immediate family, what would you say? What significant event, purpose, effect, or deed would your lasting impression on the world represent? If you were on trial in a court of law and needed to justify your right to stay in your chosen country of residence by providing evidence of your good deeds and contributions, would you have enough evidence? Or would we find you lacking? What significance or purpose is there to your being on this earth? You probably have a family and love your family that you love. But your family is not why you are here. Bearing children is the minimum requirement for ensuring the future existence of our species. It is not what keeps you from wondering if this is all there is, or if there is some deeper meaning in your life. Do you sometimes feel that you do not really know why you are here? When you settled into your current job, relationship, home, marriage, routine, or lifestyle, did you gain weight? Over 60 percent of couples gain at least thirty pounds after settling into marriage and family life. Did you reason that your weight gain was from bearing children, the stress of work, the pressure of a mortgage, two car payments, dental bills, or a health condition? Were you designed for a greater life, but are too busy to have one? Do you think greatness is only for the talented, the chosen, the lucky few? Do you sometimes wonder what if? What if I had gone to school instead of getting pregnant? What if I had married that girl? What if I had moved to that other state? What if I had started a business? What if I had traveled more before settling down? What if I had never had kids? What if I had stayed in school instead of dropping out? If you were to introduce yourself to me for the first time, you would likely tell me your name, your age, your status in your family, the number of children you have and their ages and genders, the city you live in, something about your pets or hobbies, and what you do for a living. News flash! None of these are who you are! Each one of us must find his peace from within, and peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. —Mahatma Gandhi leader of the Indian Independence Movement   Identifying yourself with your age, what you do for a living, or with the members of your family is a response that comes from a lack of knowing yourself. Until you know who and what you are, and why you are here, the dash on your gravestone will have no meaning beyond your job and your family status and sentiments. Your dash needs to stand for something. So, who are you? Why are you here? Why now? Why this place? What benefit to humanity do you bring to the table and how will the world be a better place because you are in it? Say out loud with me right now: “humanity.” Like the ripple effect of a stone skipping across a pond, it means we design the meaning of our life to create multiple waves of momentum, radiating outward from your life and into our world, making lasting change for the betterment of humanity. Unless you have no clue why you are here. Don’t feel bad. Most people have no clue either. In the world, we place much emphasis on our station in life. What we have or possess. Where we live, what we drive, what we wear, who we associate with, where we go. The list goes on and on. It's easy to think because we have not that we don’t matter. That our lives are insignificant. That we have wasted space. That we don’t count. Some will or have trained you to believe that life is fair. They are wrong; life is not fair. Why would we have sickness and death? Why do we have floods? Famine? Earthquakes? If they meant it to be fair, we would have none of these. But we do. He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. —Muhammad Ali Heavy Weight Champion   When you first learned how to walk, do you remember falling? Do you remember how many times you fell? Most likely not. What you do possibly remember was the feeling of standing strong with a newfound independence, a world opened to alternative possibilities. That was not the teaching moment. It was when you got back up. When you came close to something stable, leaned into it, and pulled yourself up. That was life teaching you how you looked at it. The teaching moment is in the moment of pulling yourself up, time and time again, until you get what you decided on, not because you deserved it, because you earned it. In life, we deserve nothing. It does not promise us anything. Everything we receive is a gift and we need to look at it that way. When you appreciate everything in your world, it becomes beautiful.   Joy happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are. —Marianne Williamson, author/ lecturer   Too many of you feel as if you are insignificant today. That you don’t matter. You have no voice that anyone listens to and possibly you don’t deserve to one. Some of you shout, possibly out of frustration, demanding to be heard. Some of you just fade into the background and don’t get back up. Some of you feel you are not being seen. That you are not being noticed in life. That it is passing you by. You attract attention to yourself, shouting to the world “Look at me!”. Some of you don’t feel respected and demand it from the world around you, yet the actions taken to gain respect are not respectful to others. I will naturally give respect when you are respectful to me. Here’s the truth. You Matter, even if you don’t think so. You Matter ESPECIALY if you don’t think so. Take a moment and look at any sunrise. Watch as the sun gently and faithfully rises each morning. Watch as colors slowly engulf the sky, putting on a heavenly light show for you. Watch as it sets below the horizon at night. Watch as it sets, and the moon rises. Notice the stars as they dance for you, just for you. Notice the hummingbird as it hovers, passing pollen from place to place so life may grow. Listen to the wind as it gently brushes against your ears, pushing the leaves from here to there. Watch the power of the ocean as the waves crash into the shores forever, keeping it in motion. Know that the sunrise and sunset dictate the tides and seasons perfectly and with the sole purpose to sustain you. Now know this. Your creator, whoever you worship, believe in, pray to, meditate to, give an offering to, or hold deep in your heart, would still have created this, even if you were the only person on this planet. That’s how valuable you are. The trees, the mountains, the oceans, the deserts, all of it. Just for you. The lack of or approval of others, the lack of or acceptance of others, the lack of or respect of others, can never change that fact. When you feel alone, when you feel oppressed, when you do not feel valued, when you do not feel seen or heard, remember that fact. You Matter! You Matter to me. You Matter to us as a community. You Matter to the world. This world would not be the same without you. We need you, all of us, and we need each other, every moment of every day of every week of every month of every year. It's when we forget that there is only one race, humanity, that we feel alone. When we forget, we are all in this together and you are not alone. You are NOT broken; you are NOT a mistake. We cannot do this without you. You are an intricate piece of the puzzle of life we are all a part of the puzzle is incomplete without you. That’s why I say and believe You Matter, even if you don’t think so.   Read the full article