Painter Print

It’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining brightly and you’ve finally taken some time off to play golf with some business associates that have been after you for some time to play a round with them. You’re a perfectionist and a competitor. Although you espouse the saying that “a bad day on the course is better than a good day in the office”, it doesn’t always work out that way. You’re a little rusty so you decided to see a pro in order to improve your swing and overall game. You even purchased a new set of clubs, went to the golf range and practiced hitting balls for a couple of hours and it all seemed good. So, you’re all set…or so you think.

You have committed everything the pro taught you to memory. Your grip, swing, stance and everything else should result in your being able to hit that little white ball a “country mile”. You’re the last to tee off although you are a little nervous. “Butterflies” are a good sign…or so you think. You remember to take your time to practice swing your club with the correct tempo. Your stance and grip are copasetic…and now it’s time. You address the ball, concentrate and “let ‘er rip”.

Well, you ended up in the heavy rough bordering the woods but that’s ok…at least it didn’t go in. and as you’re walking to retrieve your ball, your talking to yourself saying ” I need to be philosophical about this…it’s only a game…don’t take it too seriously…don’t sweat the next shot…everyone’s probably watching…I should be able to beat Jim but he hit a perfect shot…relax…relax…relax.

“The rough grass is much longer than it appeared from a distance. What club should I use…should I hit with an open or closed fact…should I play for distance or play safe? …that branch could impede my swing…my hands are awfully sweaty and I’m really feeling anxious now…oh, what the hell, JUST DO IT!”

SWISH…the ball goes about 15 feet into even deeper rough…your wrists hurt from the last shot…there was just too much high grass…you hit the branch…the club was at the wrong angle…that dammed pro doesn’t know what he’s talking about! Maybe the next shot will be better. You try clearing your mind but just can’t shake what just happened. It the group laughing at you? Your breathing is short and fast. Now you’re getting very angry…mostly at yourself. It’s only a game! It’s only a game! And on…and on…and on.

Maybe this is you or maybe, even as an accomplished golfer, you experience some of the same disruptive thoughts and feelings that interfere with your game. The MENTAL SIDE OF GOLF has little to do with the technical aspects of the game or one’s ability to play the game. Of course, those aspects are important but not essential in how well or poorly our minds operate enabling the use of those facilities. Even with the latest equipment, technical aspects of the game and our ability being intact, those aren’t enough to allow ourselves to enjoy and play our best round. The Mental Side of Golf has to do with how well we can operate under pressure in any endeavor. The calmer, focused, positive and clear-headed we are, the more capably we can play the game in a relaxed, enjoyable and effective manner. After all, it is YOUR MIND.

The Trinity of Scripture is a controversial subject among many in the Christian Community. I would estimate that (90% of the Christian Community believes in the Trinity.)

What is the Trinity? The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost(Spirit). We all know about the Father and The Son. So lets look at The Holy Ghost. The Bible calls Him by many different names,

1. The Holy Ghost. The Bible in the New Testament, list the Name of Holy Ghost 89 times, starting with, Matthew 1:18 and ending with, Jude 1:20
2. The Holy Spirit. 10 times beginning with, Luke 11:13 and ending with, 1Thessalonians 4:8.
3. The Spirit of truth. 4 times, John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13 and 1John 4:6.

4. The Comforter. 3 Times John 14:26, 15:26 and 16:7.

This is not to say that other examples are not listed but these others are spiritually discerned. The Most controversial scripture in the Bible concerning the Trinity is found in, Matthew 28:19, Jesus commanded the disciples to; “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

In this verse above all others, are the four words that has brought about this controversy; ” in the name of ” Many teach that there is not a Trinity because of these four words. They believe that these words signify a separation of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

I reject this teaching because of the multitudes of other verses that concur with the Trinity. What many don’t understand is that The Holy Ghost(i.e. Spirit) is the Spirit of God. So how can God be separate from His own Spirit. Jesus gave us the answer to this when He stated in Matthew 10:20, “For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.” This spirit that He spoke of was the Holy Spirit, “The Spirit of your Father.”

1Th 4:8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his “Holy Spirit.” Jesus stated that He was in the Father and the Father was in Him and He and the Father were one, so How being that Jesus and the Father being one disavows the Holy Spirit being one also with Jesus and the Father, making up the Trinity?
We as human beings cannot separate our spirit from ourselves for the spirit within us is who we are. The Body is dead without the spirit. So there fore, God cannot be without His spirit, for God is spirit.
Lets look at Numbers 6:26, The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Countenance is; to give assurance or courage to; to support; to aid by favor; to prevent from shame or dismay, to support; to encourage; to abet; to vindicate; by any means. Literally, the contents of a body; the outline and extent which constitutes the whole figure or external appearance. Appropriately, the human face; the whole form of the face, or system of features; visage. This is only done thru the Baptism in The Holy Ghost. As Jesus promised in,
1. John 14:16 Tells us that the Comforter, “abides with you for ever.”Denoting the Holy Ghost.
2. John 14:26 Tells us that the Comforter, “which is the Holy Ghost” Replaced Jesus as the director of all truths in Scripture and in life., Who reminds us of all things Jesus taught.
3. John 15:26 Tells us that the Comforter proceeds (Comes From) from the Father(God), he(A Person) shall testify(To affirm or declare solemnly for the purpose of establishing a fact. To bear witness to; to support the truth of by testimony.) of me(Jesus):
4. Acts 8:15-17 Tells us how the Spirit of God is Received by the laying on of Hands. Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
(Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.)

5. Gal 3:1-4 Tells us that the Spirit of God is received by Faith and not works. “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
Acts 8:15-17 is showing us that the third part of the Trinity is vital to the salvation of man after the Baptism. We are indowed with three diferent spirits,
1. Our Soul Spirit.(Who we are.)
2. The Spirit of Christ(We have the Mind of Christ.) and
3. The Holy Spirit.(Ghost.Who takes controll of our Physical man and keeps him under bonds to Christ.)

Act 1:2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: Act 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. So as far as an excuse to use Matthew 28:19, to say that there is no trinity, we see by compareing scripture with scripture we can prove that there is and always was and will be a Holy Trinity.

(Refs. Mat-3:16, Mat-3:17; Gen-1:26; Num-6:24-27; Isa-48:16; 1Co-12:4-6; 2Co-13:14; Eph-2:18; 1Jo-5:7; Rev-1:4-6. end part 1. Part 2 will deal with, ” The Unholy Trinity.”

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries
http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

The U.S. government has been cracking down on online pharmacies in an attempt to stop personal prescription medicines imports by Americans in dire need. Americans overburdened by unreasonably high prices of medicines have been flowing to online pharmacies in an attempt to receive cheaper much needed prescribed medications.

The gainers from the governments actions are of course the American medicine manufacturers, the medical insurance companies, which by the way pay much less for the drugs than the average uninsured do, and the regular street pharmacies.

The FDA just passed a law that forbids importation of pharmaceuticals by individuals from Canadian pharmacies, while the Canadian regulatory laws for pharmaceuticals are just as good as the U.S’s. The main difference or the only difference between these pharmaceuticals is the prices. In Canada the prices for exact same medications is a fraction of the price in the U.S, who is gaining from all of this? Ask your medical insurance companies, you local drug manufacturers, and your representatives in both houses.

The fact is the online pharmacy trade should be regulated, due to the danger in taking non prescribed drugs that could have dangerous side effects. But it should not be stopped. It is time for representatives in the congress and senate to stand up and decide what is more important, the money being funneled to them by the lobby groups that represent the money making agenda of stopping the online pharmacy trade, or the lives, security, and the ability to afford prescription drugs by Americans, especially the elderly and the low income classes that struggle as it is.

Online pharmacies have many advantages, some of which are lower priced medications, higher availability of medications to supply customers’ needs, a good example of that is the shortage of Tamiflu in many U.S. areas (Tamiflu is one of only two drugs that help fight the avian flu that is spreading around the world, in the U.S there are only 2.3 million doses available, 2 million more will come by the end of November, and there are 300 million people living here), that was filled by online pharmacies, The time saving factor for customers. And the privacy maintained in receiving what has been called “embarrassment drugs” such as viagra and sexually transmitted diseases related medications.

Instead of fighting the Online Pharmacy trade the U.S. government should ease up and place regulatory laws into place. Laws that enforce online pharmacies, even foreign ones, to register in the U.S in order to be able to ship their merchandise into the U.S and off course force them to adhere to the same regulations, as far as shipping and drug maintenance that are enforced on U.S based pharmacies and publish a list of these pharmacies. Also enforce FDA approval for every drug. Some countries even hold higher standards than the American FDA, such as the Indian equivalent.

Two online search engines that have taken steps toward better and/or safer business as far as this particular trade are Google and Yahoo, who now force online pharmacies and their affiliate’s sites to be registered and approved, and only deal with U.S and Canadian based pharmacies. They do still have some room to improve; a good suggestion would be to make available a list of these online pharmacies for the sake of making affiliates lives much easier.

In conclusion, instead of fighting and attempting to cease all foreign pharmacy trade into the U.S, the federal government should make Americans lives easier, cheaper and safer by regulating it, not stopping it.

US based Marketing expert on B2C business, now is the developer at http://www.online-casinos-usa.com and http://www.generapharm.com.

He always looks perfectly put together. He can be in a t-shirt and jeans or heading out to a black-tie event. His hair never has a bad day. His nails are clean and buffed. His clothes are perfectly pressed and exquisitely coordinated. He smells like flowers and spice. Is he gay? No, he’s the new metrosexual man.

As many of you know by now, the term “metrosexual” was coined by a journalist (and gay man) named Mark Simpson, to describe a new kind of urban male who is straight, but in touch with his feminine side and not afraid to show it. Essentially, metrosexuals are guys who take on behaviors and show an interest in things that have traditionally belonged in the female domain.

You may have a metrosexual brother, male friend or boyfriend (ex). These are the guys you can shop till you drop with. They can discuss fashion, will notice your great new shoes, buy their grooming products from the same places you do and have no qualms about having a manicure, pedicure or facial. You can actually TALK to these guys about something other than sports, cars and other traditionally male interests. These are the guys you can take to the opera, symphony and ballet. The perfect man, right? Depends on whom you talk to.

Let’s step back a minute and look at the where and how of the existence of the metrosexual man. Simply put, he is a by-product of feminism and the changing roles and related expectations of women. As women have moved into (previously) male dominated environments and roles, it has caused a shift in the male-female balance. Women are now active participants in industry, politics and the professions- to name a few. However, as they have left their old jobs as homemakers and full-time domestic caregivers, they left a lot of empty space to be filled. Childcare providers and the domestic cleaning industry could provide some of this. The problem was all the “other” stuff women had always done.

Men were therefore called upon to contribute more to the raising of children, housework, cooking, shopping, etc. Their sons were being exposed a new role model, a dad who took on jobs and chores that had traditionally belonged to mom. Young boys themselves were also being tapped to do housework and help with siblings, exposing them to a new way of being a male in our society. Women had become more independent and financially and professionally successful. Men had become more domestic and had to soften their style as they moved into more traditionally feminine roles.

A new social order had evolved that worked for everyone, right? Not necessarily. We never take on something new without giving something up. So, what has been discarded? Clearly defined social roles and the expectations that come with them- for starters. Suddenly there was a new blueprint for how men and women should relate- especially in the world of dating. However, it was unclear and depending upon whom you asked, you would get a different answer. Usher in the confusion and frustration surrounding dating in the new millennium.

Women ask questions such as:

* who asks who out
* who calls who
* who pays
* who makes decisions about where to go, etc.
* What are the expectations at the end of the date
* how soon should we become intimate

Women comment on:

* his lack of initiative in calling or asking her out
* his expectation that they will go dutch
* how he never offers to pick her up
* his overall lack of assertiveness
* his saying he will call, but not following through
* his too polished style which lacks a certain spark of masculinity
* his taking longer to get ready than she does
* his crudeness or over aggressive style
* his expectation that they will have sex

Men ask questions such as:

* what do women want
* why should a guy have to ask a girl out
* why should the guy always pay
* why do women say they want sensitivity, etc., but see guys like that as wimps
* why do women give out such mixed signals in general
* why do women seem to reject nice guys and go for jerks
* why can’t a woman be the aggressor

Men comment on:

* women acting spoiled
* women wanting their independence, etc. but not wanting equal responsibility and weight
* women expecting a lot from men, but offering little in return
* women not knowing what they want
* women playing games
* women’s attraction to “bad boys”

Both women and men verbalize that they are ok with the current roles that have evolved for them in our society, yet I hear both talk wistfully about how it was in previous generations. Back then; everyone KNEW what was expected from him or her. Life was predictable. Dating was much simpler and “safer”. Men were men and women were raised to be wives and homemakers.
We have gained something and we have lost something. One thing for sure, we can never have it both ways.

What’s the answer? It is never simple. However, it does involve better communication in general between men and women. Singles need to clarify for themselves (first), what kind of partner they seek and what their expectations from a relationship really are. Once a person is clear about what they must have and what they can’t live with, they need to go out and HONESTLY seek that. Knowing what you want is good. If you turn off someone by your frankness, he/she was not the someone for you.

So, begin with a self-assessment. Then go out and pursue interests and environments, which maximize your chances of meeting compatible singles. And remember, there is no perfect person. He may be overly fussy with his hair, take longer in the bathroom than most women, be less ambitious in his work life than you are and put your cooking to shame. However, if he’s sensitive to YOUR needs, easy to talk to and fun to be with, great with kids and very supportive of your goals, he may be the guy of your dreams.

Toni Coleman, MSW is a licensed psychotherapist, relationship coach and founder of http://www.consum-mate.com. As a recognized expert, Toni has been quoted in many local and national publications including: The Chicago Tribune, The Orlando Sentinel, New York Daily News, Indianapolis Star and Newsweek newspapers and Family Circle, Woman’s Day, Cosmo Style, Tango, Men’s Health, Star (regularly quoted body language expert), and Nirvana magazines. She has been featured on abcnews.com; discovery.health.com; aolnews.com; MSN.com, Match.com and planetearthradio.com. Toni offers dating help and relationship advice as the weekly love and dating coach on the KTRS Radio Morning Show (St. Louis, MO) and through her syndicated column, “Dear Dating Coach.”
Her newsletter, The Art Of Intimacy, helps over fifty-five hundred subscribers with its dating and relationship advice. Toni is a member of The International Coach Federation, The International Association Of Coaches and The National Association of Social Workers.

The trouble of going to a physical gambler’s den provides plenty of reasons not to go unless you can’t avoid it. The traffic, the trouble, and hundreds of things to take care of aren’t worth the difficulty only for the prospect of laying your bets at physical gambler’s den, this said provided you’re the sort of gal who is rather fanatic about betting rooms then having a try at virtual casino gambling could be the most obvious option.

There’s no obligation for you to leave your desk for online games of chance for the reason that it can be easily accessed from your own home if you own a functional personal computer with a working internet connection. This said, you’ll want to continue reading, as there’s lots of things which you positively should understand fully concerning online games of chance, notably if you happen to be a beginner. So relax your tizzy to ponder the guidelines and details that follows. Here’s a pithy framework which elucidates how to ferret out a reliable online games of chance address. The first thing which every knowing virtual gamester will definitely chase out is an online games of chance host of the category offering its patrons high odds. Here are many more readouts concerning selecting your online texas holdem host.

You should always establish that the online texas holdem host holds a license, for instance by probing the government certified permit as presented on the casino site. If you cannot determine any government certified permit on any given online texas holdem host, don’t even attempt any virtual gambling with this website. Following that I would advise you pore over scrupulously the various bonuses that the online texas holdem host tenders.

Neteller Continues Forward Despite Poor Quarterly Results

Beyond, further meaningful advice is to gamble initially with modest amounts instead of splurging more than you can afford right away. To begin with, check the integrity and status of this specific online texas holdem framework prior to triggering any dangerous menace, notably in regards to money! And here’s another information concerning online card playing. It must be to always bear in mind that online betting should be chiefly about pleasurable enjoyment and much less about big dollars. Betting in an online casino isn’t a livelihood, but, rather a hobby which intends to let you feel chipper and life as a whole satisfying.

Finally, after you have gone with the recommendations described, you can finally go ahead bow to the allure of online texas holdem…

Liquid Crystal Display TV’s traditionally referred to as LCD televisions are TV’s which make use of LCD technology for visual output. The technology employed is in general TFT, as this makes it likely for size, but particularly depth reduction, lower weights & reduced energy use. LCD screens are for the majority of the time now used as computer screens.

In the early days Liquid Crystal Display TV’s did have drawbacks relative to the well-known optical display technologies for the TVs & PC VDU market from the traditional cathode ray tube sort, with unique selling points which include electricity efficiency being favourable when put next to the CRT design. With LCD televisions constantly making improved and improved advances all the time it permits it to try to win in opposition to adversary technologies, which include plasma flat panels and rear projection TV’s for large- screen HDTV.

For a lengthy time on the tellies marketplace it was broadly thought that Liquid Crystal Display technology was matched only to smaller sized flat panel TVs with sizes of thirty-seven inch or smaller, as it could not run with plasma technology for screens bigger than this since plasma held the advantage in cost and performance. On the other hand, Liquid Crystal Display televisions can today give parallel performance.

Almost nearly every single one of the Liquid Crystal Display TV businesses have made strategies to put in tens of millions of dollars in Liquid Crystal Display production during the next three years with TV likely to be decisive in the market. Enhancement in LCD technology has assisted in narrowing the technological gap allowing manufacturers to present the lesser weight, diminishing prices and increased available resolution that is essential for High Definition tellies. Why not visit Sound and Vision Online, to find cheap LCD TV’s.

Electronics shoppers used to see that LCD TV’s were exceedingly expensive, it is now nevertheless hugely unproblematic to dig up cut price HD ready Liquid Crystal Display television from a selection of brand names a great deal of them include the best electronics makers like LC, Samsung & Sharp.

We are busy people. Every one has his or her own life to live, a job to take care of, mouths to feed, dreams to work hard for…and in the hustle and bustle of life, we tend to forget we belong to a family.

I was dumbstruck when I first knew that my sister who was older than me by 3 years had been diagnosed with breast cancer. All at once, life seemed to be so short and mortal. When I heard this news, my mind seemed to go back in time, rewinding back the moments I have had with my sister when we were young. There she was then, still a student nurse in England, while I was in secondary school. She was the one who remembered my birthday, sending me a present by parcel post, making my day. Gosh! It has been such a long time I have had spent time with my sister again. It has been years!

Indeed, when was it the last time you have had made an effort to spend time with your loved ones - perhaps your wife, or your parents, your brothers and sisters…or your closest friends?

We need to let the hustle and bustle of life move on their own, and get back a semblance of what is called “relationship”. We must let the many voices of the world that draw us away from the togetherness and love of family and close friends to fade away in the background.

You will find the togetherness that can come from being with a loved one to really fill a vacuum of personal bonding to be very real when you make a conscious effort to be with him or her.

Do not let the voices of the world drown those bonds, but strive to establish bonds of love and togetherness with members of your family.

To me, it is time to make that telephone call to all the members of my family and to make the first step to renew those bonds. What about you?

Peter Lim is a Certified Financial Planner and webmaster. He finds one of the best ways to get times together with the family is over the outdoor patio ( www.patio-chairs.revenuemonitor.biz ) or to have a cuppa around a pellet stove and to talk about life and events with relatives and friends ( pellet-stove.get-latest.info ) Visit these two sites to get further ideas of how you can get back into the groove, and start spending time with your family and friends.

Buena Park, California, just under seven (7) miles down the freeway from Disneyland in Anaheim, is a city of 80,000 plus people and is a tourist attraction city that is overlooked by many tourists. This city is home to Knotts Berry Farm, “With over 165 wild rides, shows and unique attractions just steps from Knott’s Resort Hotel, Knott’s Theme Park is the place to go for family fun and thrill seeking adventure!”, Knotts Soak City, “Knott’s Soak City Water Parks are acres of waterlogged fun for everyone.”, Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, “A place where knights battle for their kingdom’s honor while an exceptional feast is served in a magnificent setting.”, Movieland Wax Museum, “Movieland Wax Museum is the most unique House of Wax and one of the world’s largest wax museums.” and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, “The museum houses hundreds of rare and unusual artifacts, some which are unavailable anywhere else in the world.”. All of these attractions are within walking distance of each other.

The city hosts a fair variety of inexpensive but good hotels including, Courtyard By Marriott, Embassy Suites, Holiday Inn, Radisson, Red Roof Inn and more and a good selection of restaurants including, Claim Jumper, Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant, Hometown Buffet, Outbacks Steakhouse, Pat & Oscars, Ventanas and more.

Do you want something else to do, then try sportfishing, sailing, harbor cruises or whale watching in nearby Newport Beach, try shopping at the Fashion Island in Newport Beach or the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, visit the Aquarium Of The Pacific (one of the largest aquariums in the United States.) in close by Long Beach, spend a day at the beach in beautiful Laguna Beach or take a twenty two (22) mile drive up the freeway to Los Angeles.

For more information about the city of Buena Park, California see http://buenapark.usacitydirectories.com, a directory of links to city of Buena Park, California guides and directories listing information, resources, services, attorneys, realtors, things to do and places to go.

David G. Hallstrom, Sr. is a retired private investigator and is currently the publisher of several internet directories, including www.usacitydirectories.com a directory of national, state, county and city guides and directories listing local guides, directories, web sites and web pages providing resources, services and information about things to do and places to go.

Introduced in 1982, the compact disc was intended to provide
better sound than the 40-year-old long-play record album,
popularly known as the LP. Using a laser rather than a diamond
needle for playback the compact disc was smaller, more
convenient to use, and less susceptible to damage than the LP. A
bonus was that the format was said to offer “perfect sound
forever.” “Forever” isn’t that long these days; improvements in
digital sound have come along in the last twenty years and the
music industry introduced two new formats this decade that are
designed to improve upon the “perfect” sound of the compact
disc. Those formats are the Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD) and
DVD Audio (DVD-A.) Over the years, various audio publications
have criticized the sound of compact discs, describing the sound
as “harsh”, “brittle” or “sterile” compared to the sound of the
LP. After years of research, SACD and DVD-A were introduced
several years ago and introduced sound that was said to be
cleaner and more natural than that of the compact disc. In
addition, these formats offered multi-channel sound, and artists
such as Pink Floyd
offered special multi-channel versions of their albums to entice
sales. It hasn’t worked, and sales of both formats peaked in
2003. What is interesting, however, is that both formats still
trail the LP in sales!

According to the Recording
Industry Association of America, the combined sales of
SACD and DVD-A were less than those of the LP in 2004. The music
industry is in a slump at the moment, and sales of all formats
were down last year. But sales of LPs were down 13% from 2003,
while combined SACD and DVD-A sales were down 33%. It would
appear that the new formats are failing, even though they are
said to be superior to the compact disc. The LP, on the other
hand, continues to have steady sales. While the major labels are
still somewhat hesitant to release new product in LP form,
labels that specialize in reissuing older material, such as
Classic Records, are releasing as much product as their
manufacturing capacity will permit. It is worth noting that much
of this reissued product comes in the form of high-quality,
limited edition LP pressings that often carry premium prices of
up to $50 per title. Why are records continuing to sell while
the new formats fail?

There are several reasons why
records are outselling the new, “superior” digital disc formats:

The day will never come when records
again become the dominant music format. The convenience of
portable players for CD, SACD, and DVD-A discs and MP3 files
outweighs the advantages in sound quality that records offer
over those formats. Nevertheless, it appears that a small but
steady market for records remains very real, and that that
market exceeds that of the new “improved” SACD and DVD-A
formats, which will probably soon go the way of the forgotten
Elcassette, Minidisc, and 4 track tape formats of the past.

Written shortly after Princess Di’s death and published October 1997 in The Other Press.

Princess Di, England’s Rose, is really a rose to many people. The phenomena we saw in the media, on the streets, at British Consulates, all over the world, show just how precious she was. People need to remember this day, this lady, and the vulnerable love and compassion that she displayed in her life and that many of her admirers felt as they came together to mourn her death.

She had qualities that we admired and connected with. She lived her life openly, showed us her human frailties, and hugged lovingly those whose hearts were in need. The pictures televised around the world showed that many of us had taken this opportunity to allow ourselves the freedom to be human, to cry. One television reporter even commented on the openness among the many people who had taken to the streets; people opened up to each other, were more willing to speak up and take time to talk to strangers.

A tragic event should not, although it has, be a catalyst to give us permission to be human and let our true selves free. Is there a new possibility for us all? Can we take the legacy left by Princess Diana and continue to display our compassionate nature, become more forgiving, and live more peaceably? I think we can, if we open our eyes and see what was evident during the ten days or so following her death. As individuals we all have a personal responsibility to do good works and be kind, no matter how small. The lesson to be learned, as hard as it may seem, is to trust our hearts, break down our barriers, and realize the power of human compassion.

Many of us are witnesses to tragedy every day: the homeless, poverty, unemployment, genocide, and war. We feel sympathy towards those that suffer and yet we feel powerless. Some of us even forget to display within our own homes the love and compassion we believe in. That is understandable: We are human and we let our difficult lives get in the way of our true nature, suffocating our ability to display acts of kindness. When we do show acts of kindness to others we feel peaceful, rewarded and happy. This is what society needs on a whole.

We are a society, a world society, with many diverse and fractured sub-cultures, groups and societies, but we are still human first. To that end we can work together, as compassionate human beings, in non-violent ways, with love in our hearts, and bring changes to the world. If you wonder how, look again at the way Princess Diana led her life and touched millions of lives. She gave freely of herself to children, victims of war, and brought people together and crusaded for a better world.

The British media commented on renewed national unity being shown as never before in Britain for Princess Diana’s funeral. Even Ireland mourned her death and felt the loss; a country with a rich history of despising the British and the monarchy. My only wish and hope is that her influence helps us create a stronger global unity. This should be our endeavour, the unity of all humankind.

Each of us has tremendous influence in some aspect, whether it is within the family unit, the community, city, government, school, and so on. We all have minor roles and some of us have larger roles of influence. The power of the individual, unified with others of like minds and hearts has tremendous influence over the direction our futures will take. Not just our futures in our own countries, but those of others who are more in need in other parts of the world. This is how Princess Diana conducted her life, by exercising her influence.

You may ask “what can I do about it?” It really is simple. Take personal responsibility for the conduct of your own life and the relationships you have. Most of us already do take personal responsibility and set a good example within our families and social groups. That itself will do much, but you may also take on more if you look a little further. How can you improve your neighborhood? Who else is interested and supportive of change? Together we stand a better chance of making change, if we aren’t afraid to speak out and get involved.

How should we conduct our lives? Let us look to the Queen of Hearts’ life and examples for that answer. Let us look into our hearts for the desire: Forgiveness, love, compassion, understanding, concern, caring, and recognition of our own human weaknesses lest we leap to judge others’ errors too harshly. We can end suffering for many people and raise healthy and supportive children who will lead future generations with acts of kindness; simple acts of kindness. Do you think evil can remain evil forever if we always forgive and continue in kindness? Is it not possible that your examples will contribute to the positive growth of others? Of course it will. Evil only begets more evil, but goodness begets goodness. If we stand up for something we believe in with courage, don’t you think we will give courage to someone else to come forward and lend their support? Absolutely!

Lee Down is a professionally trained Spiritual Life Coach committed to the development of the human spirit. His vocation and business, One Man Can Human Capital Development has evolved from human resources, to career and life coaching until the inspired writing, also available on his site, paved a new path into the realms of Spirit. Discover power, passion, and purpose. Enjoy abundance, love and fulfillment.