On CNN International HERE
ON WGRZ CH. 2 News HERE
Technology
is a powerful tool created to utilize proper and quick communication.
The history of the internet began in the 1950's with the creation of
electronic computers. In the 1990's, there was a rise in computer use
due to instant messaging, email, and the World Wide Web.
In
our present societies, social media has turned into a "psychological
dumping ground" where people often use technology to complain without
action.
The
internet is a wondrous place where global connections are made,
friendships formed and causes are implemented in order to create a
better world for all of us.
The
internet is also a frightening arena where others use it to abuse,
control, rant, and attack individuals who are attempting to connect to
the world and each other, on a larger scale.
In
this half hour radio interview with Ruthann Amarteifio of Air Amarteifio Radio, we discuss issues such as Ferguson, reactions of
people from different classes, accountability for actions, behavior,
responsibility, respect, and dignity.
You can listen to the discussion by clicking this link: "Behavior, Accountability and Social Media"
Social
media is used for various purposes. Everyone has a right to be online.
Everyone has a right to freedom of speech. This is not about rights.
This is about holding oneself accountable for behaviors, actions and
words.
We exist in a world of blame. Blaming institutions, government, media, races, ethnicity, cultures, nations, and faiths.
Without action, blaming is nothing more than complaining.
"It
is one thing to think a black-hearted thought. It is another thing to
speak a black-hearted thought in front of others. It is an entirely
different issue when that black -hearted thought is posted online." -
Susan Marie
Men say women are difficult and vice versa.
Truth is, people are difficult. There is no magic "soul mate fairy"
that comes riding on a gold stallion with wings to deliver in your lap the
perfect person just so you can be happy.
It takes work. It takes two people to constantly give. Each has to work to be
good, loving, kind, communicative, supportive, caring people. It takes
self-control not to flip out on another when you are angered. It takes
self-awareness to recognize what you need to work on inside your own self to be
a great partner and it takes self-respect to not allow yourself to be abused.
My point is life is about finding people you can tolerate, and those who can tolerate you. Find people that are different
than you are so you learn and grow, as well as those who are the same as you are in order to
feel camaraderie, and find people who act out of a place of love and most
importantly, self-love.
There is no such thing as perfection in humans. We are fallible creatures. We
are made this way for a purpose. We are meant to make mistakes and meant to
succeed and learn from both. By doing so, we pass that knowledge on.
Seek the simple. Seek those who view the world with open eyes, past human
faults, past innocent ingrained beliefs and ideals, and directly into the soul
for that is where breath is and breath sustains life.
I wonder when I will cease seeing into souls and stare at the world with
blinders on?
Hopefully, never.
Alas, this is the path of a seeker. It is one filled with immense beauty
and insufferable pain.
© Susan Marie
Human. Now there is an interesting definition.
Being
"human" [according to Merriam-Webster] means "a human being, a
person as distinguished from an animal or an alien. Susceptible
to or representative of the sympathies and frailties of human nature."
In
our world, being "human" has taken on an entirely different meaning.
All
ranges
of emotion from love to happiness to sadness to frustration to anger to
darkness to bliss are experienced by humans. Somewhere along the lines,
the term
"human" has been associated with being "perfect."
Perfect attitude, hair, skin, nails, clothes, body, education, family,
career, skills, life,
travel, adventure, love, and pretty much everything that most humans
definitely
are not.
Many
times in life we over think. Our minds are powerful tools, ones we have
yet to fully study and understand. Some days you may feel perfectly in tune
with all of your choices and surroundings only to be feeling outcast,
outspoken, rude, pitiful and eventually, self-deprecating. I
know I am not the only one who goes through this. If you don't, then you are
lying, or quite possibly, not "human."
Although
such phases do not last long, for me, thankfully, they are unsettling because
when you over think, you disallow your instinct to be in control, you tend to
become off balance that spirals your rational thought along with your own energy,
into massive loops of confusion. You may not be confusing to others, or maybe
you are, I can only speak for myself, however, the most important aspect of
being off balance is in regards to how you feel about yourself.
When off balance, I tend to react to things I normally ignore and get upset over menial
things. This is typically not the "me" of today so I search:
"Why
do I feel this way? What caused me to start thinking like this? Why am I
feeling out of control?"
Ask
yourself, you have all of your answers.
One beautiful
aspect of existence and having people put by us for various reasons
is that during such times, often without saying a word, some without
ever meeting me, sense that something clearly is "not right"
simply by reading deeper into my words, my energy, my response and my
actions.
As human beings we all wish to be
acknowledged, loved and recognized and that is not an egotistical thing, it is
a basic need.
Rational
and healthy communication is crucial.
It
absolutely infuriates me [there I go being "human" again] when there
is improper communication because this starts a chain reaction of misunderstanding
that leads to "what if" negative self talk and thinking. In turn,
eventually, a guilt ridden, self-loathing [for those of us who are
"human'] after effect. This is absolutely foolish when you think about it.
[Think for a moment, really, this is not meant to be
deep.]
What
I learn from being allowed to be myself is that I need to
look inside of me every day and not blame another person for the way I feel.
After all, it is my own fault feeling as I do no matter what another said
to me, how one treated me, or the actions of another human being towards me.
I
am in control of myself and am responsible and accountable for my
behavior.
I
ask myself:
"Why
do you feel this way? What caused you to start thinking like this? Why do you feel out of control?"
And
guess what? I answer me.
*smile*
Yet without the guidance of those who are reading this and reach out in various ways
to acknowledge me, as a fellow human being, I may not arrive so quickly to a conclusion.
I may ridiculously crucify myself for no apparent reason other than I
choose to.
I
was
sitting on my couch watching a movie with my son, William, he is 15
years old
and I looked at him, I mean I really looked at who he is and I asked him
to please give me a hug. The smile on his face was so wide that I
began to smile too. He gladly and lovingly hugged me with all of his
might and
we did not let go, not just yet. I told him that without him in my life
that my
life would be horrible and I mean that, wholeheartedly.
Hugging
my son was touching the divine.
You
see, children are insightful and full of unconditional love, gifts we tend to lose as we grow older. In my own child, I felt bright, magnificent
light that illuminated me, and I wondered did he also feel that from me?
At
that
moment, I realized my purpose, regardless of what interests me,
what my career is or is not, and who is or is not in my life.
What
mattered and does matter was right there with my son. In seconds, every single
confusing thought disappeared.
That
is the beauty of love. The divine essence of existence.
The
fact that we are placed here for various reasons and most times, they are quite
simple. We make them complicated.
I
realized how blessed I were then, although I have always been aware, yet
sometimes we forget in the busy-ness of life. Then everything around me was a
gift, the sunshine, nature, my home, my work, my friends, my family, the fact
that my limbs work and that I have the means to utilize technology to talk to
all of you right now.
For today [and every day] I suggest something extremely simple.
Do this right now.
Look around you and find
your divine. It exists.
You just may have your eyes closed at the moment.
So,
take the time to work through whatever you are dealing with, just don't stay
there.
And
always, simply, be human.
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