I thought you would enjoy this read:
Until next time, I thank you for your time.
Sam
Have compassion for everyone you
meet, even if they don't want it. What appears bad manners, an ill temper or
cynicism is always a sign of things no ears have heard, no eyes have seen.
You do not know what wars are going on down there where the spirit meets the
bone. --Miller Williams
Why, in a country that consumes 25% of the world's
resources (the U.S.),
is there an epidemic of loneliness, depression, and anxiety? Why do so many in
the West who have all of their basic needs met still feel impoverished? While
some politicians might answer, "It's the economy, stupid," Based on
scientific evidence, a better answer is, "It's the lack compassion,
stupid."
I recently attended the Templeton Prize ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral in London and have been reflecting on the words
of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in conversation with Arianna Huffington:
"If we say, oh, the practice of compassion is something holy, nobody will
listen. If we say, warm-heartedness really reduces your blood pressure, your
anxiety, your stress and improves your health, then people pay attention."
As director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education
(CCARE) at StanfordUniversity (one of the
two organizations recognized in the Templeton Prize press release), I would
agree with the Dalai Lama.
What exactly is compassion? Compassion is the
recognition of another's suffering and a desire to alleviate that suffering.
Often brushed off as a hippy dippy religious term irrelevant in modern society,
rigorous empirical data supports the view of all major world religions:
compassion is good.
Our poverty in the West is not that of the wallet but
rather that of social connectedness. In this modern world where oftentimes both
parents work, we are spending less time as a family. People are living farther away from extended families and perhaps more
disconnected than ever before as suggested by Robert Putnam in Bowling
Alone. Putman observes that we thrive under conditions of social
connection but that trust and levels of community engagement are on the
decline. Loneliness is on the rise and is one
of the leading reasons people seek counseling.
One particularly telling survey showed that 25% of
Americans have no one that they feel close enough with to share a problem. That
means that one in four people that you meet has no one to talk to and it is
affecting their health. Steve Cole from UCLA, a social neuro-genetics
scientist, has shown that loneliness
leads to a less healthy immune stress profile at the level of the gene -- their
gene expression makes them more vulnerable to inflammatory processes which have
been shown to have negative effects on health. Research by expert well-being
psychologists Ed Diener and Martin Seligman indicates that social connectedness
is a predictor of longer life, faster recovery from disease, higher levels of
happiness and well-being, and a greater sense of purpose and meaning. One
large-scale study showed that lack of
social connectedness predicts vulnerability to disease and death above and
beyond traditional risk factors such as smoking, blood pressure, obesity and
lack of physical activity.
While many pay attention to their diet and go to the
gym regularly to improve their health, they don't think of social connectedness
this way. Just like physical fitness, compassion can be cultivated and
maintained. Chuck Raison and colleagues at Emory University have demonstrated that a
regular compassion meditation practice reduces negative
neuroendocrine, inflammatory and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress.
Exercising compassion not only strengthens one's compassion but brings
countless benefits to oneself and others. In fact, Jonathan Haidt at the
University of Virginia and others have shown that, not only are we the recipient of
compassion's benefits but others are inspired when they see compassionate
actions and in turn become more likely to help others in a positive feedback
loop.
As human beings, we will inevitably encounter
suffering at some point in our lives. However, we also have evolved very
specific social mechanisms to relieve that pain: altruism and compassion. It is
not just receiving compassion that relieves our pain. Stephanie Brown,
professor at SUNY Stony Brook University and the University of Michigan, has shown that the act of experiencing compassion
and helping others actually leads to tremendous mental and physical well-being
for us as well. While survival of the fittest may lead to short-term gain,
research clearly shows it is survival of the kindest that leads to the
long-term survival of a species. It is our ability to stand together as a
group, to support each other, to help each other, to communicate for mutual
understanding, and to cooperate, that has taken our species this far.
Compassion is an instinct. Recent research shows that even animals such as rats
and monkeys will go through tremendous effort and cost to help out another of
its species who is suffering. We human beings are even more instinctually
compassionate; our brains are wired for compassion.
At Stanford University's Center for Compassion and
Altruism Research and Education (CCARE), in collaboration with colleagues in
psychology and the neurosciences worldwide, we aim to further research on
compassion and altruism. I'm happy to report that in July, CCARE sponsored the
largest gathering of experts ever brought together on this topic in a
conference entitled, Science of Compassion: Origins, Measures and
Interventions. Many of the pioneering researchers of compassion, including
several mentioned in this article, presented their latest research findings
there. For more information, please click here.
Reprinted with permission. James R. Doty, M.D. is
Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford University School of Medicine and Founder
and Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at
Stanford University. This center, of which His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the
founding benefactor, aims to support rigorous research on compassion.
A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass
jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet.
She poured the change out on the floor and counted it
carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect.. No chance
here for mistakes.
Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and
twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to
Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.
She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her
some attention, but he was too busy at this moment.
Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise.
Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could
muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the
glass counter. That did it!
'And what do you want?' the pharmacist asked in an
annoyed tone of voice. I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't
seen in ages,' he said without waiting for a reply to his question..
'Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,' Tess
answered back in the same annoyed tone. 'He's really; really sick....and I want
to buy a miracle.'
'I beg your pardon?' said the pharmacist.
'His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing
inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much
does a miracle cost?'
'We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry
but I can't help you,' the pharmacist said, softening a little.
'Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't
enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.'
The pharmacist's brother was a well
dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, 'What kind of a miracle
does your brother need?'
'I don't know, 'Tess replied with her eyes welling up
I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy
can't pay for it, so I want to use my money..'
'How much do you have?' asked the man from Chicago.
'One dollar and eleven cents,’ Tess answered barely
audible.
'And it's all the money I have, but I can get some
more if I need to.'
'Well, what a coincidence,' smiled the man. 'A dollar
and eleven cents-the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.'
He took her money in one hand and with the other hand
he grasped her mitten and said 'Take me to where you live. I want to see your
brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the miracle you need.'
That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in
neuro-surgery.
The operation was completed free of charge and it
wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.
Mom and Dad were happily talking about he chain of
events that had led them to this place.
'That surgery,' her Mom whispered. 'Was a real
miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost.'
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle
cost.....one dollar and eleven cents...plus the faith of a little child.
In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will
need. A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a
higher law.
I received these beautiful words from my friend and neighbor, June
Rodrick of Inglewood.
Please read and understand the deep
meaning. Consider it “another” the Ten Commandments to follow in life all the
time:
1. Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when
in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path
throughout.
2. A Car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the Rear view Mirror is so
small. Why? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, Look Ahead
and Move on.
3. Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it
takes years to write.
4. All things in life are temporary. If thing are going well,
enjoy it, they will not last forever. If things are going wrong, don't worry,
they can't last long either.
5. Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a
Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a
Base of Gold!
6. Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles
from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!
7. When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities;
when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.
8. A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything
worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your
vision!"
9. When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them,
and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed
for you.
10. WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES; it takes away
today's PEACE.
Please pass to others, it MAY brighten someone's day..............
Adhere to it and it WILL……….
Stay Blessed!
And, thanks for your time.
Sam
PS: Watch my bonus video below in honor of the Forth of July, Independence Day. You'll be glad you did.
Those of you who are on my personal
email distribution list have seen this. It doesn’t matter, as this is always a
good read, and is so true. There is also new material in this edition and you
can find it yourself as I do not want to distract you from reading what
follows. It is really something to think about.
Enjoy:
Something to think
about...
Carrots, Eggs & Coffee
A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never look at a cup of coffee
the same way again..
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things
were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted
to give up.
She was tired of
fighting and struggling...
It seemed as one problem
was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed
each on a high fire.
Soon the pots came to
boil.
In the first she placed
carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground
coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out
and placed them in a bowl.
She pulled the eggs out
and placed them in a bowl.
Then she ladled the
coffee out and placed it in
a bowl.... Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you
see.'
'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and
noted that they were soft.
The mother then asked
the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she
observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee.
The daughter smiled as
she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked;
'What does it mean,
mother?'
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity:
boiling water. Each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong,
hard, and unrelenting.
However, after being
subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been
fragile.
Its thin outer shell had
protected its liquid interior, but after
sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans
were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed
the water.
'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door,
how do you respond?
Are you a carrot, an egg
or a coffee
bean?
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that
seems strong, but with
pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?
Did I have a fluid
spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a
financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff?
Does my shell look the
same, but on the inside am I bitter and
tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very
circumstance that brings the pain.
When the water gets hot,
it releases the fragrance and flavor.
If you are like the
bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around
you.
When the hour is the
darkest and trials are their greatest
do you elevate yourself to another level?
How do you handle
adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you
strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
They just make the most
of everything that comes along their way.
The brightest future
will always be based on a forgotten past;
You can't go forward in
life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
When you were born, you
were crying and everyone around you was smiling.
Live your life so at the
end, you're the one who is smiling
and everyone around you is crying.
You might want to send this message to those people who mean something to you
(I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one way or another;
To those who make you
smile when you really need it; to those
who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down;
To those whose
friendship you appreciate; to those who are so
meaningful in your life.
If you don't send it, you will just miss out on the opportunity to
brighten someone's day with this message!
“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”
- Albert Einstein -
Update for 02/28/2012
This week’s update is a bit different. The first year anniversary of Diane Murray’s passing was this past Wednesday. She was as the saying goes “My Significant Other” for the past fifteen years. I’m still sad, but I’m better, and I understand the process of grief is forever. Many of you know I work with ROZE ROOM HOSPICE as a volunteer.
Diane Murray
1958 - 2011
I’ve found working with the dying helps me to live better. On that note, I ran across an article written by another palliative care worker – Top Five Regrets of Dying.
Everyone who is reading this will one day have to leave this realm, and I for one, do not want to have many regrets when it’s time to depart. I think this article can help one make directional changes so any regrets are few and minimal.
To quote the author:
“Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, and choose honestly. Choose happiness.”
We continue with our Black History Month celebration. Thanks to my cousin, Sameera “Ramsey” Thurmond, our family historian, several members of our ancestors’ served with the famed “Red Tails” during WWII. Here is one story:
J.C. Ramsey
JAMES B. RAMSEY, JR.
Jim was born May 24, 1884 in Columbia County, Georgia. His family called him “little Bud”. When striking out on his own, he lived at the YMCA. At 24 years of age, he secured a job shoeing horses with the L.M. Hutto Company and was residing at the St. Clair in the Summerville section of Augusta (per 1908 R. & L. Polk Augusta City Directory). He was a hard worker, fiercely independent and frugal with his money. He had no extensive social life but at 35 years of age he finally settled down and married the striking Carrie Chapplear.
Carrie, born 1892, was the daughter of William and Jennie Chapplear who were from Alliance Hall (ColumbiaCounty), Georgia. Her sisters were Lizzie Chapplear-Hall, Janie Chapplear-Dixon and Frank Chapplear.
The R. & L.PolkAugustaCity Directory for 1912 listed his blacksmithing partnership, Ramsey and Thurmond, with Jonas Thurmond as being at 732 Ellis Street and for a while they share living quarters with Jim’s grandmother and step-grandfather at 1005 Gwinnett Avenue. Jonas’ brother Robert was married to Jim’s sister Henrietta. Jonas himself was a skilled blacksmith but he wasn’t as settled and didn’t quite have the business acumen that Jim had. This partnership lasted at least until 1914. When Jonas embezzled some of the money, he and Jonas’ partnership ended. In 1925 Jim worked as a blacksmith and resided at 2056 Central Avenue(per 1930 RichmondCountyCensus, Vol. 96, E.D. 123).
Around 1937 he purchased a large house on Windsor Springs Road in Augusta from his brother-in-law Leon Wright. He and his daughter Frances remained here until he built another house on Heard Avenue in Augusta where he lived until his death.
In addition to blacksmithing, Jim trained horses and acquired some his own race horses. For approximately fifty years, he trained horses for wealthy people who raced them at the famous Belmont Racetracks in Nassau County, NY and Hialeah in Florida. He kept his personal horses domiciled in Aiken, South Carolina. When he retired, he purchased a home on Wrightsboro Road in Augusta and embarked on farming. Jim was plagued with severe asthma but the onset of his death was due to coronary thrombosis, a blockage of arteries leading to his heart. He died October 10, 1866 [State of Georgia Death Certificate #35014]. He and Carrie had two children.
A. James Chapplear Ramsey, called “J.C.” by his family, was born April 1, 1922 in Augusta, Georgia. He was pleasantly disposed and well liked by those who knew him. His father had strong expectations regarding hard work and academic study and while J.C. followed his father’s will, he longed for a more promising life rather than one of farming. The discipline imposed upon him at home, however, served him well thereafter.
He attended PayneCollege (Augusta) and DillardUniversity from where he was graduated March 11, 1943 with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences.
In 1939 President Roosevelt spearheaded the creation of a civilian pilot training program for Blacks under the direction of the U.S. Army Air Corps. Tuskegee Institute (Alabama) was one of six African-American colleges selected as a site for such instruction.
J.C. enrolled in the pre-flight training program at the Tuskegee Institute. As an aviation cadet he learned subjects as navigation, meteorology and mathematics. When finished, he entered Primary Flight training, which was located at Tuskegee’s Moton Air Field. In basic flying instruction, cadets were using PT-17s (bi-planes) with open canopies. After accomplishing this stage of basics, he and his colleagues moved on to the Tuskegee Army Airfield, about ten miles from the institute.
Regular Army personnel provided instruction at Tuskegee’s Army Airfield. This program was advanced basic flight training. The planes used were more advanced than those used in Primary Flight training. He was graduated from Tuskegee’s air training school May 23, 1944, Class 44-E as a commissioned offer. The class of 44-E was unique because all the trainees were fighter pilots and trained using the single-engine fighter planes, P-40s.
The graduates then went to Walterboro, South Carolina where they learned fighter-training techniques such as formation flying and gunnery using P-47s known as “Razorbacks”. These planes were larger one-seaters. Combat flying techniques involved acrobatics-type (or aerobatics in military lingo) maneuvering.
Fighter planes were smaller than the B-17s and B-24s bomber planes. Fighters’ responsibilities were more diverse than that of bombers. Bombers were tasked with direct-hit bombing of sitting planes, buildings or trains of enemy airfields but fighter planes were designed for maneuverability and were tasked with protecting the bombers and might have to either give chase with enemy planes or, when necessary, elude them. There was only one pilot in a fighter plane whereas the bombers had from six to ten crew members aboard: pilot, co-pilot, navigator, gunners, bombardier and radio operator. The Germans used trains a lot in Italy to move war items. If the Germans anticipated an allied air strike, they might position anti-aircraft weaponry in the trains.
In the same year of graduation, J.C., his best friend and another 44-E graduate, Earl B. Highbaugh, and other pilots sailed to North Africa. They remained there until sometime in November 1944 then were assigned to an airfield in Ramitelli, Italy as replacement pilots. Ramitelli was in the southeastern part of Italy on the Adriatic Sea. J.C., Earl, James Maghee, George Iles and Ralph Orduna were some of the 44-E class members assigned to the 302nd Squadron. There were four squadrons altogether: 99th, 100th, 301st and 302nd. These four squadrons were later consolidated to comprise the 332nd Fighter Group. Colonel Benjamin O. Davis (who would later become the U.S.’ first Black general) was the commander of the 99th Squadron in North Africa. When the 332nd Fighter Group was established, he was called back to the states to command it. The single-engine P-51s, an upgrade of the P-40s, were introduced.
On December 9, 1944 both Highbaugh and J.C. were on a training mission in Foggia, Italy to familiarize themselves with the P-51. The P-51s were the infamous red-tailed planes that the Tuskegee Airmen notorious for flying. The two engaged in a combative practice called "dog fighting" in which aerial stunts as rolling, looping and tailing are performed. It was in this session that J.C. and Earl Highbaugh were killed in a mid-air collision. His remains were eventually returned to Augusta Georgia for re-burial. He was 22 years of age. His obituary was noted in the Augusta Herald on December 21, 1944.
Earl Highbaugh’s brother, Richard, remembered J.C. as being good- natured and always smiling. George Iles remembered J.C. as being well spoken and studious.
The 332nd Fighter Group was the largest fighter group to serve in European combat. The skill and size of the group's all-Black squadrons helped to significantly reduce the losses of bombers.
At minimum, J.C. Ramsey would have been eligible for the WWII Victory, U.S. Commemorative and the Combat Service Commemorative Medals. In the City of Augusta, a Veteran of Foreign Wars (VFW) post was named after him. He never married, thus had no direct heirs.
B. Frances Nanette Ramsey, born September 1927. She attended TalladegaCollege (Alabama) from which she received a liberal arts degree in 1948. While serving at Talladega, she was a member of the Talladega chorus and the Little Theatre Guild and traveled with both groups extensively throughout the Midwest. She was more outgoing than her dad had been in his youth and was involved in several social sororities. At her passing she had been working for the State Department of Education. As her cousin Rowena Wright-Garner said, “She loved to party!” Frances inherited Little Bud’s severe asthma which ultimately incurred a serious heart condition bringing about her untimely death.
Sources :( 1) Interview with Richard Highbaugh, Chicago, IL, August 29, 1988 via
Telephone
Interview with Ralph Orduna, December 1999 via telephone
Interview with George Iles, SacramentoCA, February 17, 2001 via telephone
Interview with William F. Holton, Columbia, MD, February 24, 2001 via telephone
Now, after that great read you must click on this link. It is, you know, Black History Month, and not all black faces are your brother. We have so-called “Black Conservatives” who for a chicken wing and a bowl of grits will sell their soul.
And finally, you MUST watch, "Slavery by Another Name," on Monday, Feb 13, 2012 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (Check your local listing)