14 Tuesday May 2019
Posted in Bonus Content
Tags
James Taylor, Maccabeats, Martin Luther King, Naturally 7, Remix, Shed A Little Light, Uplifting Music
Picture Credit: Image by Everson Mayer from Pixabay
Folks, if this song doesn’t lift you to the clouds, I don’t know what will. I found this early this morning and had to share it with my following. Enjoy!
Until next time…
Dave
21 Monday Jan 2019
Posted in Martin Luther King Day
Featured Image Credit: www.inc.com
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/martin_luther_king_jr_109228
Today is the day we celebrate a man who was at the forefront of the civil rights movement. Here’s to you Dr. King.
Take a few moments to learn about this great man.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.
Until next time…
Dave
27 Thursday Sep 2018
Posted in Thinking Thursdays
Tags
Coursera, Education, Learning, Martin Luther King, Netflix, Poetry, Reading broadly, Thinking Critically, Udemy
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Read more at – https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/martin_luther_king_jr_402936?src=t_intelligence
Learning is a great thing! I enjoy picking up new things, learning about different topics, learning about myself, and opening my mind to other ideas, peoples, places, and concepts. Recently, I began reading poetry. Wow! I really enjoy it. If you want a great venue for poetry, check out this website: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/
I’m also enjoying a new app I found (mentioned earlier on this blog). It is called www.curious.com. This one will cost you money—29.99/year, but for me, it’s worth it. You get daily puzzles (up and down words, Unolingo, crosswords, and Ken Ken). You get podcasts about money, science, business, culture, art, and you get access to what I would label minicourses. These courses aren’t the best quality, but you may find a cool topic that you haven’t found elsewhere. I like this site and have made going through what is called the daily challenge part of my daily ritual. Check it out. You may join me.
As mentioned earlier, I will begin my character development this upcoming month. Like Benjamin Franklin, I will begin with a new character trait in October and add one new trait each month, focusing on the new one and maintaining the previous one. This will be a 12-month adventure. I’ll be updating you on my progress on Sundays, which will be labeled Series Sunday. On Sunday, I’ll be giving you an update on my progress weekly. This will keep me honest and help me chronical my challenges as I tackle each new character trait.
Learning does cause us to think more deeply. It opens us to new ideas and new ways of looking at things. At times I run across ideas or topics that really upset me. These are the times I push myself through the material and really pay attention to my internals. Each time I read a new chunk of content that I disagree with it changes me just a little. Some of the material gets through. I consider this to be one of my important learnings. Open-mindedness is truly a great thing. I recommend this to everyone. Read broadly—read books and articles written by people you disagree with. You will learn something—I promise.
Books:
Rediscovering Americanism and The Tyranny of Progressivism, Mark R. Levin – Decent book, but heavy on the quotes. I don’t know what this guy really thinks because 80% of the book is literally a copied quote from one of the folks he cites. I wouldn’t waste your time on this one.
Ethics, Aristotle – Almost done with this one.
The Shariyat Ki Sugmad, Paul Twitchell – This is my bible. I finished it and will re-read again. This book is a permanent fixture on my reading list.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe – Still plugging away on this one. I’ve put it on hold, not because it is a bad book but due to the nonfiction reading, I’m taking on (I love nonfiction books more than fiction).
The Science of Success: What Researchers Know That You Should Know, Paula Caproni. I just started this book in conjunction with the author’s course on Coursera.
Classes:
Western Heritage, Hillsdale College – I finished this course. Since Hillsdale has altered its online format (no quizzes, no discussions, etc.), I have decided not to do their courses anymore. I enjoy engaging in a course not just watching videos. If you still care to pursue some of the online courses on Hillsdale.edu, you have been warned. I’m going to focus on courses offered by Coursera and Udemy going forward. I learn more when I am engaged by the content, not an by being an inactive participant.
The Science of Success: What Researchers Know That You Should Know, Paula Caproni, University of Michigan, Coursera. – I started week 1 yesterday. A buddy of mine recommended this one and I’m glad he did. This is a good course so far.
Documentaries:
Movies:
Venom (Another Marvel Movie) is scheduled to come out on the 5th. I cannot wait. This one looks terrific!
Fun:
Ozark – Netflix (in the cue) – Re-watching Season 1 to remind myself what’s going on. I’ll kick into Season 2 when I’m back on track with this one.
Jack Ryan – Amazon Prime (in the cue) – Still pending.
Interesting Apps:
I didn’t find anything new in the iPhone app realm this week.
Until next time…
Dave
15 Monday Jan 2018
Posted in Martin Luther King Day
Tags
Amendments, change, Constitution, JFK, Martin Luther King, MLK, Rights
“We are not makers of history. We are made by history. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s day. It marks this day to celebrate the work of MLK during his lifetime—to get our government to do the right thing—offer the freedom to people of all color. Today is a testament to his work.
The idea of America is a unique one. Our form of government is like no other. This “grand experiment” began with many challenges, the first of which required a constitution. If you’ve ever read the Federalist papers, you’ll see the challenges our young nation faced at its beginning.
Slavery existed when our nation formed. It was an abhorrent practice, but one that was accepted across the globe as “normal”. Nations benefited by free labor and the slaves suffered horribly in our country and others.
Today, slavery is non-existent in most of the free world. America took a long time to rid itself of the inequalities that plagued many of color for centuries. Are we there yet? Well, sort of. I think many people have more opportunity today than they did when voting, college, and other “white” privileges were off-limits to these people. Being relegated to the back of a bus, a drinking fountain, a certain part of a restaurant, or even a job are all realities of a very dark past.
America changed. It adapted. It altered the way people are treated. America didn’t volunteer to do this. It was forced by individuals like MLK, JFK, Lyndon Johnson, and many others. The change was not easy, however. It required new laws, debate, argument, protest, and all the rest.
As our society evolves from one generation to the next, we are seeing that there are even more changes required to truly offer a non-discriminatory and inclusive society to all Americans. The changes required will cause even more new laws, debate, argument, and protest. Will we get there? Yes. America always has. We will get there because as our society evolves, the changes will come. They will come through a new Martin Luther King, Jr., a new JFK, a new Lyndon Johnson, a new Malcolm X, or a new Cesar Chavez. They will come because this is America, and this is what we do.
Social change forces change. It always does; it always has. For those that do not want to change, the revolution of ideas that will come forth will be a hard pill to swallow. This is not unlike the changes the country had to accept when schools were desegregated, new populations of people were granted the right to vote, the right to own property, and many other rights that are on the books today.
Is America perfect? No. But its founders were brilliant men that were knowledgeable enough to realize that our country would evolve, both to the world and to the needs of its citizenry. Subsequently, these men constructed the Constitution to allow for these unforeseen changes. The Constitution could be amended, and so it has.
Martin Luther King, Jr. served as a catalyst for change in this country, along with many others throughout our history. They fought against the odds but stuck with their principles. They were right, and the country would have to change. This is what heroes are made of. Heroes like MLK are once in a generation, but they are there. Some kid in high school will grow up to be the trailblazer for the changes our society will seek.
America is not perfect, but it is the one place in this world that people want to come to. They come here for better living conditions. They come here to provide a better life for their family. They come here because it is a safe place to raise their kids.
Until next week…
Dave
