All posts by Bryon Lape

Love

My Ashley Madison Confession

I’ve been married for nearly 25 years and deeply love my wife. Over this time we’ve had issues and have worked through all of them. Several months ago, I was pissed at my wife and all the hub-bub over Ashley Madison got my attention for a few days.

Yes, I admit it. I setup a free profile. Looked around. Then deleted my account. Well, at least I thought it was deleted. No money was spent. No contacts were made. No cheating happened. Nothing. Zip.

The exact time of my brush with transgression has been lost over the months, but some time afterward the security breach was made public. The stolen data soon became used by phishing sites encouraging people to enter their e-mail address to see if they were compromised. Curious, I entered a few of mine. Surprisingly, an old e-mail address that I never give out came back as compromised. Yeah, that’s funny. I knew right then I had fallen for a phishing site. Really, I should have known better. Duh.

Recently, the blackmail e-mails started. They wanted bitcoin for their silence or they would expose me as something I wasn’t on Facebook. Though I wasn’t going to pay, I knew I had to come clean with my wife. I sat her down and told her the whole story. I got a good punch in the arm, but our love was too strong.

And there is my Ashley Madison confession. Yes, I had an account for a short time. No, I never paid and I never cheated. My conscience is clear and the Universe knows my commitment to my wife and family. The stain is gone and the sin has been forgiven. My goodness and mercy walk with me all the days of my life.

 

Fitness

Say Hello To Good Mornings

Good Mornings with a barbell
Good Mornings with a barbell (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many a casual gym rats have looked at charts of back exercises and made the same remark about Good Mornings, “Those look like they hurt your back.” Wrong. They are great for the back when done properly.

The good morning exercise works the erector spinae muscles in the lower back, as well as, the hamstrings and the gluteus maximus. The exercise helps to strength the lower back and core. Have a weak squat? Hit a limit on your deadlift? The good morning can help strengthen both. Strengthening these muscles also helps with standing and seating posture. I’ve had lower back problems for several years and I do good mornings once a week. This exercise helps my back immensely.

But what about the bending?

When starting to do the good morning, it is important not to grab the Olympic bar, throw some plates on it, lift it off the rack, and bend over. It is best to get used to the movement with limited weight. Grad a light handle and put it on the spin of the scapula. A good place to hold the bar is in the same manner for a low bar squat. This will keep it off the spine when you bend over and from dropping down the back when you stand back upright. It is better to keep the weights light and do more reps than it is to try to move the world.

For safety’s sake, start with the bar in a squat rack with the pins at the same height you would for a low bar squat. Ensure the bar is centered, duck under it, and turn around. Squat down a bit and place the bar on the spine of the scapula. Hand placement is similar to the low bar squat, though it is not total necessary to point your elbows way back. Find a comfortable location.

Now stand up, lifting the bar off the pins, and step forward. There should be enough room in the rack to bend over without banging into any back supports. Keep your back slightly arched while bending and let your butt move backward similar to the squat. Having the knees slightly bent will also help keep the lower back in the proper position.

Once your back is parallel to the floor, push back up with the lower back and stand up straight. There is no need to hyper-extend at the top of the movement. Slowly lower back and do another rep. Down and back up is one rep and a good speed is 2 seconds each way. Going quickly on the positive side may make the weight hard to stop at the top. Slow, steady, and higher rep count will work the muscles adequately.

Now that the reps for your set are done, step back until both sides of the bar are firmly against the rack. Squat down slightly to re-rack the bar. If you have a workout partner, they can help guide you back properly. Walk about a bit and rest for 40 seconds.

Time for the next set.

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Fitness

My Simple Challenge To The Supplement Industry

The supplement industry has become a multi-billion dollar affair. From weight loss to body building and everything in between. Their slick advertisements grace the pages of magazines and the pictures of the people in them show gorgeous bodies.

All of it is nonsense. Some might use stronger language. There are two main reasons why it is compete nonsense (or bs, if you prefer) and they are:

  • the supplements are not regularly nor third party tested
  • the models had the bodies BEFORE they became sponsored by the company

What’s in it?

Read the labels of your typical supplements and it seems a world of wonder. Small, great tasting bars have 20 grams of protein and seemingly few net carbs. Pre-workout mixes claim to give you a pump and the ability to push through the most grueling of workouts. Some even quote university of this or that studies that show those taking the supplement put on 185% more lean muscle than the placebo group. Etc. Etc.

But what is really in that bar or tub? Is the protein one that is digestible and useable? When was the last time the tub of protein powder was checked for quality control? Who were the participants in these studies? What was their fitness level before starting? What  genetic factors may have attributed to their gains? What about their diet?

Recently, a few brands started testing more regularly, from a lab they helped to create. Yeah, that’s unbiased, isn’t it? Who paid for the university studies? Well, the supplement company, of course. Again, is that study really unbiased?

Enter a third party

The first challenge for the supplement industry is to create and sponsor a third party the public can trust. This laboratory should be supported by all the companies and be easily audited by anyone. Full disclosure of tests on all supplements should be published and conducted at least twice a year. The tests should be blind with no brand names on the lab form. The label claims and how many servings are in the sample should be all that is given. Only after the test should the results be matched to the brands for publication.

Wait, did you say audited by anyone? Yes. Want to test some brand’s protein powder or creatine blend? Buy a affordable sample kit, put a few servings in, and send it off. In a few days, the results should arrive. The lab should not know what brand it was or what the label claims. Compare the results with the label and be done.

Uhm, consumer fraud?

Sure, there will be some idiots who will try to scam the companies and put product in that isn’t clean or some such. The community should be able to censure against them and the labs results alone will not be able to support a claim of fraud. It would be a waste of a testing fee and legal fees to file a false claim. Doing so could also end with the liar in jail.

Get cut. Win a contest. Get sponsored.

Another area where supplement companies could be more truthful is how their models got to where they are. No matter the type of supplement, the model or athlete chosen to present a brand already had the look the company wanted from the start. They do not take an average, out of shape individual and use their supplements to get them way you see in the magazines. For the fitness model, this is why it is so important to win a contest and get their IFBB pro card. That is one’s ticket to getting sponsored and perhaps making a living on working out and speaking about the products.

Yeah, you read that correctly. Think taking Joe’s Mega Muscle Buster is going to get you the body you see in the magazines? Not very likely. Will they help get you into shape with the proper exercise and diet, sure they can. But it is superior genetics that you see in the pictures. Supplements are that last 5%, not the overwhelming 95%.

The supplement industry knows that and plays on your desire to be fit. They purposely show you the end results and then imply, through clever use of words, that you too can get the same results. They cannot make the claim directly as that will get them sued.

The entire fitness industry does the same thing. Remember the Buns of Steel spokes woman Tamilee Webb? She was chosen for the product based on her buns BEFORE she ever did any of the workouts. Want to have buns like her? Get the tape, right? Well, yes, if you have the same genetics she does. Want to really get a butt similar? Hit the weight room and do stiff legged dead lifts. Get the glute muscles to grow, that’s how you get it, not endless cardio.

Pick an average person

Here is the second challenge to the supplement industry. Find someone in your target market who is out of shape, but willing to do what it takes to get there. Be open and honest about where they start, how they diet, and what exercises they do. Keep it real. No 4 hours of workouts a day because they don’t have a day job. Show how your supplements actually “supplement” their good diet, not replace it.

Want to appeal to men in their 40’s? Find a lanky hard gainer with a few kids who has to work 9+ hours a day to make ends meet and support a humble house. Find a coach potato who wants to get off the pre-diabetic path he is on and teach him a different way. Show how good food can be purchased on a budget. Make all the information available to whomever wants it. No secrets. Only openness.

Go ahead. I dare you. Find a teenage girl who is 30 pounds overweight and wants to know a different way. Show her. As she reaches various milestones, pay her more, and use her more in the advertising. It will take a few years, but the end results will demonstrate how your product can help. There is no miracle diet pill make it all good overnight. It takes hard work, proper diet, exercies, and sleep. And, of course, your product.

There you go supplement industry. The gauntlet has been tossed. Will you pick it up? Or will you let the lies continue for the sake of profits? See me for ideas on that 40 year old male.

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Love

The Benevolence Of Anarchy

Author: Bagande
Author: Bagande (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many people, perhaps most, think of an out-of-control, no rules, no laws, and violent gangs when they hear the word anarchy. For too long, the only picture of anarchy has been one of absolute chaos and destruction. The typical anarchist known to people, whether in the movies or in real life, is a bomb planting, kill anyone they don’t like individual. There is no mercy and no thought about collateral damage. Unfortunately, these people do exist, but there is another side to anarchy: benevolence.

At its purest form, anarchy is the absence of a formalized Government. A moral people can live quite peacefully without a state to control them. They will go about their lives, working to provide for themselves and their families, and sharing their abundance with their community. Perhaps they ask for money or some other condition of exchange. Perhaps they give out of graciousness. Neither matters. It is their choice and the market will decide the value of their exchange.

An immoral people, however, will desire to cheat and steal from one another. They will seek to destroy each other instead of creating a loving community. There is the difference. A violent exchange is by its very nature immoral. It is morals that guide and give boundaries to society. No morals. No boundaries. No peace.

Some belief that people are immoral by their nature. Watch children at play, however, and it is easy to see the opposite is true. They only know play and joy. They do not know skin tone, culture, or language. They do not know hate. They only know whether they like to play someone or not. They have to be taught how to hate, how to be suspicious of someone else who looks or talks differently than they do. All of that by adults who have been taught the same. The result are good citizens of a state. Not thinking for themselves and hating anyone the state says they must.

It is from the oppressive, controlling state that the violent anarchist arises. Violence begats violence, and the state is the largest creator of violence. It is the state, no matter the government type, that prepares and declares war. It is the state that teaches violence is the answer, always. The state cannot and will not love, no matter how benevolent it appears to be to its Citizens. Social programs are only a way to control the People.

Starting from the positive energy of the Universe, Individuals create Love and Caring for each other. People living in the power of Love do not require the State or its controls on people. In Love, People have the power to create their own reality. Their own Community. It is from a place of Love that Morality grows. Morality brings boundaries to behavior. Guides that keep people outside of violence and hate. A Community created in Love will have Benevolence as a product. Within Benevolence, Anarchy can thrive for the betterment of All. Here it will create and not destroy. Here Love and Caring will blend together to make more than the some of their parts. Here the Benevolence of Anarchy will flourish.

 

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Uncategorized

There’s An X-Wing In That Scene

The second teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is out and all over YouTube. There are many reaction videos and even compilations of these reactions. People have even rated the some of these reactions. To a person, they all really, really loose at the end with Han Solo and Chewbacca: “Chewy. We’re home.” It almost feels like 1977 all over again.

As people watch the trailer, it is interesting what they either miss or do not comment upon. The opening scene pulls back and pans to reveal a fallen Star Destroyer. Some comment it is Tatooine, others that it is Jakku. The latter planet was the site of a battle after the Battle of Endor. As the Millennium Falcon is shown later flying through the engine of a downed Star Destroyer, could this be where Lando Calrissian dies and where Han and Chewy find the ship? Could this be where they are when Han says “Chewy. We’re home.”?

Look closely at the opening scene again. In the foreground, between the speeder going from camera left to right, is a crashed X-Wing Fighter. This is no planet where old ships of the Empire are mothballed. This is a place where a battle did take place. Those who are saying this is Jakku are most likely very correct. Of all the reaction videos and comments I’ve seen, only one person has noted the X-Wing. Yes, there’s an X-Wing in that scene. Very powerful clue as to the meaning.

Later there is a scene with the new soccer ball BB-8 pearing around the corner. The Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim also had this robot moving around on stage, with the head staying on the top. This machine is more than just a CG creation, it actually exists. Could this be the replacement for R2D2 in future movies? In the first 6 movies, R2D2 is the real hero, sacrificing himself at least twice. They did give him props in The Phantom Menace, so perhaps that movie has a redeeming quality after all.

The new characters are introduced, and yes Virginia, John Boyega is in a Stormtrooper uniform. While many are making hay with that realization, there is another scene in the trailer that may give more insight as to what he is doing. There is a hanger scene where Stormtroopers are running about and a Tie Fighter is shooting up the place, including other Fighters. It may very well be this is how Finn escapes from the Empire’s clutches and crash lands on Jakku. He is first to be seen in the first teaser trailer and where he is fleeing something. Time will tell, but it is also something people miss.

During the voice over by Mark Hamill, someone is seen giving Anakin’s lightsaber to a younger person, perhaps a woman. Some have commented it is Darth Vader’s, but that is not correct. This is the saber taken off of Anakin by Obi Wan, given to Luke Skywalker on Tatooine when they meet, and then lost during the dual on Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back when Luke loses his hand. Who found it? How did they find it? When?

Oh the questions. Oh the excitement. This movie had better be good or the fans just might revolt. Expectations are high.

 

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Uncategorized

You Might Be A Gym Rat If…

A few decades ago, Jeff Foxworthy started a series of observations about Southerners that became his famous “You might be a redneck if…” Little did anymore realize then how long this series would run and just how much money it would generate. It became an expected part of Jeff’s stand-up routine, as well as, calendars, shirts, posters, etc.

The other day during my rest period when doing bench press, Jeff’s series push a moment of inspiration into my head. There are many who wear the title “Gym Rat,” but how does one know? Is it just someone who is always in the gym? Must they be moving iron or are those who do 2 hour cardio workouts gym rats as well? Ah, the criteria. That is what Jeff is using in his comedy bit. The idiosyncrasies and the oddness define the many faces of the type.

To that end, this is the start of what is believed to be the an ongoing series of gym observations. Who are the gym rats and what do they do? Are you one? Is that guy over there one? What about that woman? Time to observe and report. Send in your suggestions.

You might be a gym rat if…

You change the weight to use for reps just to make the plate math easier.

Your schedule consists of “gym time” and “other stuff”.

You want to give advice to the new person, but decide to let them hurt themselves first.

You go to Planet Fitness just to post vines of people who are without clue on the gym equipment.

You choose your time at the gym based on the level of emptiness, preferring to have the place to yourself.

You are able to time your workout by the song being played in the looped gym music.

 

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Star Wars

The Man In The Woods

The teaser trailer for the new Star Wars movie has been out for a bit and there is much speculation for each scene. The name of the movie is no known: The Force Awakens. Disney’s love of stupid and silly robots is in full swing with the soccer ball robot. And the Empire is still around.

Set 30 years after the end of Return of the Jedi, the new movie is put to continue the story. Some, but not all, of the old favorites are in it. No Lando, that sucks. From the trailer, we see not only is the Empire still around, they use the same uniforms and craft for all this time. Even the Rebels are still using X-Wing fighters and the Millennium Falcon is flying around, though it looks to be at the hands of someone who cannot fly it well.

At the end of the trailer, there is a dark figure seen walking through the woods brandishing a red light saber. Most believe it is a Sith. Here’s my guess, it is Luke.

In The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda tells look that the dark side is a shorter way to power and that once one starts down that path, it will forever control one’s destiny. Luke doesn’t listen. Yoda tells look not to take his weapons into the cave that is strong with the Dark Side of the Force, Luke doesn’t listen. When Luke has a vision of his friends being tortured, Yoda tells him to stay and complete his training, Luke doesn’t listen.

During his encounter with Vader on Bespin, Luke stays calm and tries his best to resist. In the beginning, his is full of energy and does well. As time goes on, Vader becomes quite annoyed that fighting Luke is not so simple and starts to turn up the wick. It is not long before he has pushed Luke out to the end of his rope, cut of his hand, and told him who his real father was. Luke cannot believe it and will not accept it. He also cannot surrenders and chooses to fall to what he believes will be his death. Instead, he gets sucked into a ventilation shaft and ends up hanging from a weather vane.

After his rescue by Lando and Chewbacca, he is tended to by Leia and starts to mumble amongst himself. Here he begins to question everything both Ben and Yoda have told him. He realizes what he believes and knows have been based on lies. This line of disbelief continues in Return of the Jedi when be confronts Yoda and talks to Ben’s ghost. His trip down the dark path is also seen at several moments early in the film.

As Luke enters Yabba’s lair, he is dressed in black and uses a force choke on the guards. When he later surrenders to the Empire and talks to Vader, he again uses dark side techniques trying to persuade Vader to leave the Emperor and go with Luke. Vader feels the powers being used against him and states he cannot disobey his Master.

The fight with Darth Vader on the new Death Star shows Luke using more powers from the Dark Side. The Emperor pushes Luke to anger to get Luke to pick up his Light Saber. Once started, Luke fights Vader with the speed of anger. The only thing that saves Luke is his desire to see his father saved and will not fight him. Luke hides and Vader plays a bit of cat and mouse with him.

In The Phantom Menace, Ben Kenobi has a similar cat and mouse with Darth Maul. Instead of going into a rage to defeat Maul, Kenobi meditates while hanging by only his hands, uses the calm to power himself out of the hole, and cuts down Maul rather quickly. Contrast that against Luke’s scream from under the steps and his lunge of fury at Vader. Once he cuts Vader’s hand off and sees the wires, he realizes where he is headed and tells the Emperor he has failed. Luke is not correct. At the end of the movie when he sees the ghost of his father, he is reserved and quiet. He does not celebrate with everyone else as he fully knows the true cost. Luke knows he will become a Sith eventually. He can feel it.

 

Fitness

Deadlifting Past Barriers

English: Deadlift pic
English: Deadlift pic (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Several weeks ago I passed doing body weight for a bent-legged deadlift. For me, body weight varies between 206-210 pounds and the weight I lifted for 3 reps was 225. That was really a max for me and I thought for sure it would stand for a bit of time.

Today, the week C cycle was up for my deadlift in the 5-3-1 workout routine. The final work set weight was 205 pounds and the rep range was 3+. I didn’t just push past the 3 reps, I doubled up to 6. If I could have kept my back a bit more straight, I feel I could have squeaked out a few more. I am nearly religious with correct form, so I stopped with a little more in the tank, but pumped none-the-less. I cannot wait for the max rep cycle next week.

Over the last few months, I’ve been rotating between 5×5 and 5-3-1. I use the former until my knees need more than two days to recover and my weights start to go backward. The latter I usually do for 2 complete cycles and need to change to add muscle confusion. Normally when I switch back to 5×5, I make good progress for a time.

Hitting the body weight amounts has been a limiting factor for months. A year ago, my sticking point was getting to 130 pounds on squats for 10 reps. Now I can push through 3 sets using at least 150 and 160 on a good day. Getting those 20-30 pounds has been a big fight with my 46 year old knees and I have learned much about how my body reacts. A few weeks ago, I was very emotional when I hit 195 pounds on squats for 1 rep. I cannot image how I will be when I hit body weight. The attempt is coming soon.

As much as I like Steve Holman and his 4X/TORQ ideas, it wasn’t until I switched to more strength oriented workouts that I saw results. Perhaps it is due to my lack of strength and his workouts being more modeled on endurance. Perhaps the ideas of Mark Rippetoe are more what I need for now. Perhaps this is why I accidentally let my subscription to Iron Man Magazine to expire. Yes, I will be correcting that soon. I do wonder if I should write to Steve and let him know of my predicament. This would require me to open to the Universe in search of a solution. Ok.

Dear Steve Holman, I’ve been an avid reader of your columns for more than two years. I even bought your program Old School/New Body. You are responsible for me getting back into lifting and into the gym. I cut some body fat and gained some muscle, though I topped out at 27% body fat and 217 pounds before switching to a more strength oriented workout. The biggest complaint I had was the amount of time the workouts in you Train Eat Grow column. Is this due to my lack of strength first? I am confused. How may you help me?

There you are Universe. I am reaching out to Steve for help. I will seek a way to pass it on to him more directly, though I do want him to find my blog and read about my path to fitness. Here he will know more about me, my path and journey, and better understand how he can guide me to a better outcome. I fully anticipate solutions I require and humbly await their arrival. I will show all Graciousness for the offerings.

Marketing

What’s The Deal With Landing Pages Anyway?

Embed from Getty Images

Talk to any on-line marketer for any length of time and they are sure to ask about your landing pages. If your reaction is “My landing what?” then it is time to learn something about your marketing. Not having the proper landing page will hold you back and cost you money. Take note.

Here’s Why You Need To Use Landing Pages

All the products that you want to sell online are ready. You have already signed up with the Google Adsense program or with other affiliate marketing programs and you have already prepared the ad you want to post on your affiliate’s site. Your mind is now set to being the next most successful online businessman. But is there anything else that you might have forgotten to prepare? Maybe none. But how about your landing pages? Are they all set for your business?

Landing pages are simply web pages where visitors are directed to whenever they click a result in a web search or whenever they click a web ad. For affiliate marketing, landing pages would refer to the web page where you, as a merchant, would want your potential customer to be directed after clicking your ad on your affiliate’s website. Landing pages are, at most times, nothing really different from other web pages in a particular website, especially if the said website is an e-commerce site. Some online businessmen would even use the homepage of their websites as the landing page for their ads. Are these businessmen making a big mistake? Or should you follow their method in creating landing pages for their ads?

Well, you can always follow what most online retailers do, directing their potential customers to the homepages of their websites. But if you want to achieve something more from your online business, and if you want to earn a lot of profits, you better create a special landing page for your web ads. Why? Here are a few reasons why you need to use landing pages for your web ads. And take note, it would do you a lot better if you create a great landing page than a so-so one.

Reason no. 1: It is the only way you earn conversions in an affiliate marketing program.

There are a variety of affiliate marketing programs today, but most of these programs let the merchant pay the affiliate in a pay per click basis. Basically, all you have to do is sign up with the program and submit your ad. The program owner would then distribute your ad to various affiliates who would then place your ad on their websites. Whenever your ad is clicked, a visitor would be directed to your landing page and you would have to pay the affiliate for his service.

As a merchant, you earn in an affiliate program through conversions—that is whenever a visitor that is directed to your site actually buys a product on your site. Without these conversions, you actually earn nothing from the program. Also, the more visitors that your affiliates have directed to your site, the larger would your expense be. And the only way that you can recover from these expenses is through conversions.

Now, you sure won’t get any conversion if you have posted an ad on your affiliate’s site without an actual landing page for the potential customer to be redirected into. It’s just like advertising a product without actually having a store to sell your product. Your advertisement may be enticing enough to encourage people to purchase a product, but without the landing page, how will they know how to purchase the product

It is therefore important to have landing pages for your ads because it is the only way for you to earn something in an affiliate program. Without landing pages, all you do is spend money paying your affiliates without actually getting anything in return.

Reason no. 2: Other web pages may just not be enough.

Many people make the mistake of making their website’s homepage as the landing page for their ads. The same is true for those who make use of other pages like a “contact us” page or a product page. Homepages are often designed to serve multiple users and contains a lot of links to other pages or to other websites. The same is with the other two pages mentioned. If you want to be successful in an affiliate program, we’re sure that you don’t want your landing page to cater to the needs of various people, most of which may not be really interested with your product.

When choosing a landing page, you must always have the customer directed into that page in mind. Therefore, your landing page must be relevant to the keywords and the contents you placed on your ad. It is also important that the landing page can induce your visitor to take action—that is to purchase your product or at least provide leads for potential customers.

Final Word

You probably entered into an affiliate marketing program with these things in mind: to save on advertising expenses and to gain more profit. But if you get into an affiliate marketing program without actually having a landing page, you’ll end up paying too much without getting anything in return. So if you still don’t have a landing page for your ads, you better start creating one now. And don’t get us wrong; it isn’t enough for you to have just a landing page—it should be a great landing page!

Random Musings

You Have Value

Embed from Getty Images

I truly believe that every person ever born, in no matter what era or location, has a purpose, worth, and value. Sadly, very few realize their worth and potential, while some choose to use their talents for evil. Some have natural talents for leadership. Ghandi used his to overthrow British rule through non-violent protest. Napoleon, Alexander, and Hitler used theirs to conquer and terrorize the world of their day.

Various philosophies and religions have teachings about the value of people. Often they relate the worth with the soul. So have lessened the value by concentrating only on “winning” the soul to their Savior or path to enlightenment. Souls that do not choose to follow this path are lost and some believe they have no value. They are incorrect. Any soul contained in the body of anyone has value. Man is not created without worth.

Other views regard this existence as merely consciousness having an experience. This view is just another part of the puzzle of reality, not the end all construct. The conscience (soul) of each person does use the body as a vehicle to experience life, learn and acquire knowledge, and leave its influence on the Universe. Whether one believes in the cycling of consciousness through multiple lives or the single passing of one life, each Person has value. They have a mix of talents and will not seen before, nor will it be seen afterward. Each Person. Each Soul. Each Life is unique and worthy of being treated with the Respect and Love shown a priceless object.

Sadly, many who do not see their own worth wish to strangle and deny worth to others. They are small people and they will use all manner of destructive means to harm the Soul of others. They will tell children they have no value. They will throw children away do to inconvenience. They will neglect those for whom they are charged to grow and nurture. Sometimes the abuse is subtle, other times the scars are visible. Whether intellectual, emotional, physical, or mental, the results of abuse are the same: the target Person feels and believes they have no Value, no Worth, no Future, no Purpose.  False.

It is the responsibility of the Individual to understand their gifts, use them to discovery their Purpose, their Why, and choose to use the Knowledge for the betterment of the Universe. Love flowing from Purpose and Worth creates the most beautiful of futures for everyone. It is only through such use, such exploration, that the Eternal Hope can be realized. As put in 1 Corinthians 13:13 – Now remain these three: Faith, Hope, and Love. The Greatest of these is Love.

It is through Love that Jesus walked upon the Earth. It is Love he showed to all who sought, rebuking only the religious who had defained the House of God and His message. He summed all of the Law in “Love the Lord your God with all your mind, soul, and strength, and Love your neighbor has yourself.” This tenant requires one to first have Love for themselves in order to Love others in the same way. It requires one realizes they have Value so they may help others to find theirs. It requires Love to flow from an unquenchable source. One cannot claim to have Value at the expense of others. One’s Value flows outward in Love and Creation, not Hate and Destruction.

Every Creation has Worth, Value, and Purpose. Every Soul has a Choice. Choose wisely.