Tag: evil

How do you use Free will?

If you have read my columns before, you have probably noticed how I bring up free will from time to time. I would like to dive into this concept a little deeper with hopes that others will grasp what I am talking about. There are many that cannot understand something that is really a simple concept. The biggest problem we have with “free will” is using it and understanding the ramifications and limits of what was meant when we were gifted it.

Everything we have or use has its limitations, this includes free will. I can choose of my own free will to hurt someone but I am now liable to the consequences of such an act. So there are limits to my free will. The old expression says “Nothing in life is free”. Pay very close attention because this is a very true quote and it includes free will as well.

Cell block B painted on block wall

The only thing you were truly given at birth is free will. (Some suggest life, spirit and soul. These three things were gifted at conception, not at birth). You have the right to be a good person or bad. You have the right to follow good or evil. You have the free will to pray to whom you wish. You may be persecuted for it or even killed but you still have the free will to do it. The United States is one country that allows you to follow what ever religion you wish by law however, if that means hurting someone else in the process, you will be jailed. You still have the free will to do it.

I am a Christian and I understand free will because it is explained to us in our teachings. There are many religions that don’t explain or except the concept of free will. That’s up to you and your church. The problem with alot of religions is they use free will to harm others that don’t follow their ways. As Christians, we don’t want to harm others. We do overstep our free will sometimes and have to except the consequences as well as anyone else. We believe that free will was a gift from God to humanity. This gift has been abused and caused all humanity to get ourselves into trouble more times then not.

God gave us free will because we are made in God’s image. He did not bind us. If we choose to follow him, then we have a set of rules to follow, one of these is the Ten Commandments. God also gave humanity the free will to follow whomever you wish to follow. The consequences of whichever way you choose will still be there but you have the free will to decide which consequences you will adhere to. I’m blessed to have a Father in Heaven [ my God ] whom is forgiving.

Man standing in rays of sunlight

So here it is in a nutshell. You have free will of spirit even though your body may be bound by things of this earth. These things may or may not be of your choosing. Free will may be free but consequences may cost you if it is not used with wisdom. Is free will free then? Is free will the only thing that is truly free? Do you follow spirit ( with free will ) or body with the world and it’s rules? Choose wisely and Remember, we are all in this together.

Who is your secret self?

Everyone has a belief of who they want and try to be, others see who they believe we are but we also have our secret self. This secret self is very important because it focuses on who we truly are. This self will show the good, bad, wants, needs, thoughts, happiness and the hurt we have had through life experiences along with what we will do for the remainder of our lives. This secret self shows your true heart. When I say heart, that doesn’t mean the blood pump in your chest, it means the center of you.

Love, hate, belief, faith and worry all fall within your secret self. These can show up in our outwardly self (what others witness) but only shows what we want others to see. Within is where your true feelings lie. We never truly show exactly what we feel inside because it is impossible to explain in words for others to understand. This is why it is called our “secret self “.

Lady with blank look shows reflection in mirror

No other human on the face of this earth knows who you truly are except you. This is why someone who commits a terrible crime always has people that knew him/her and are completely surprised by the act. Now I use the terrible crime as an example. This also shows up for people that do great things. The difference between the two is, the one that does great things usually shows sparks of brilliance before the act. The person who does terrible crimes doesn’t show the world who they really are until they get caught. Yet, even after being caught, their secret self is still hiding things that others will never know.

So, who are you really? Are you someone who wishes to hurt or help others? Are you following your spirit and doing good or are you following the world and causing harm to yourself and others? This only you and your creator know for sure.

If your secret self is having a battle within you over good and evil, you must decide which to follow. There are no gray areas in this. Your secret self is either good or evil. The good news is, you can change who your secret self is if you are not happy with what you are. Once you decide to make this change, glimpses of it will leak out to your outer side but still will not fully show who you are. If you are running on the evil side and decide to switch to the good side, a glow or shine will show up on your outside. If in turn you go from good to evil, your shine will disappear and you will start showing a dull appearance.

Switching from one side to the other will show others more about your secret self just by appearance alone. Yet your secret self is still only known by your creator and you. It’s time to ask yourself, “Who am I and who do I want to be?” This my friends can only be decided by you. You can find help on both the good and evil sides but the ultimate choice is yours.

I know this article is hard to understand by most but if you will focus on what I am saying, you will learn alot about who you are and if you are happy with what you find. Think about it and don’t be afraid to ask questions or state what your views are. For the best results, read this article over until it takes hold of your mind and you understand who you are. We all have internal things working inside of ourselves that we have trouble understanding. Not to worry… Remember, we are all in this together.

Freedom of choice

One thing that every human is born with is freedom of choice. Some countries respect this, others do not, but it is your God given gift and birthright. If you live in a country that does not believe in freedom of choice, I have one piece of advice to render to you. You may have to live under an unfair rule of government,  but you are still you and have to choose who you are and will become.

American flag
For those that seek freedom, you are in our thoughts and prayers.

I am blessed to have been born, raised and live in a so called Free country, but I too must choose who I am and will become. No amount of man made freedom can give you the freedom you were automatically given at birth by God. Even in a Free country, there are still those who try to take your freedom from you. There are still rules to follow that allow you to have these man made rights.

Throughout history, freedoms have been given and taken away by rulers that insert their own feelings into what others deserve. The only way this can be accomplished is by the followers that bow down and accept what is handed to them. The only way to break this is enough like minded people standing up for the freedom of choice we all were given at birth. These United States that so many are trying to get to, was not given to us, they were taken by our ancestors using their freedom of choice.

Soldiers running across the desert
You are born with God given freedom but, you must fight to keep your freedom from evil men.

All countries that don’t allow their citizens to live free can be taken and given freedom if the citizenship would stand together and take what is rightfully theirs. As long as the citizens bow down and allow their freedom to be taken, these people will never know or understand what freedom is. You as a people must take your country back from your oppressors. Don’t wait until another country comes to your aid, because it may never happen. Even if a country does come to help, they may leave at any given moment and you as a people need to be ready to continue the battle.

I know there are some out there that know what I’m talking about. These things have happened and are happening now. I wish we could fix the world but, if more people don’t stand up for what is right, the evil will continue. Stand for the right and let’s all enjoy freedom together. May God be with you and Remember, we are all in this together.

Sweet sixteen or terrible teen?

I know it sounds mean to some but once a child becomes sixteen, they are on their own choosing who he or she will become. Until this age, parents can still teach their children right from wrong. After fifteen, it just turns into war!

We all know that when a kid hits their teens, they become the smartest people on earth. Smarter than their parents, teachers and anybody that is in their thirties or above, but especially their parents. We all know it because we were once there. It usually doesn’t take long to figure out why the old and not the young are considered the wise.

If all of us as parents understand this concept, why is it such a shock when it happens with our children? I believe we all want our children to be better than that. But if our children don’t go through this transformation from sweet and loving to the evil we all know they can become, does this become a issue later in life?

Teenage girl holding a sunflower up to one eye

We all have to learn what it means to grow up. This can be accomplished as a teenager, in our twenties and thirties or in some cases, never. I would rather have my child be an absolute terror in their teens than later in life.

I’m getting a little off subject here. I can’t help it because I have already been through the teenage years twice and working on two more as we speak. Back to why I’m writing this post…

Why is sixteen a huge mountain in our lives? For one, we are given greater freedom along with greater responsibility. The biggest of these of course is being able to drive. Jumping in the car and taking off to wherever it is we are going is a big responsibility but also gives us more freedom. Alas, it usually ends up showing us we aren’t quite as smart as we thought we were. Did you have to ask you dad for help fixing the car? Did you ask your mom for extra gas money? And this is just a small part.

Two teenage girls sitting on the roof of a car looking off in the distance

I’m no psychological genius by any stretch but as far as

dealing with teenagers, been there, done that. People usually believe that eighteen is the age that our kids become who they are but I believe it is at sixteen that humans determine who they will be. Good, bad, respectful or not. This is the mile stone that is a turning point in our lives.

Of course you can change after this age if you choose but it is completely up to you to change your mindset whether for good or bad. Eighteen is just an age the government sets for you to be a legal adult, but sixteen is where the big choices begin. At fifteen and under you are still considered a child whether you approve or disapprove of this title. One year later and all of the sudden you are starting to become a young adult.  Your not an adult but no longer a kid. Your stuck in the middle as they say.

There are many cultures that call upon the age of sixteen as a turning point. I never quite understood this line of thinking until I really started paying attention,  mostly through my own children but also through their friends. There is a very significant change that happens and it shows in the eyes. Pay attention parents at the blank stare or what I like to call ‘the dead eyes’. This blank stare usually starts between eleven and fourteen, however, the dead eyes are perfected at sixteen.

Two teenage boys. One looks away with a straight face and the other looks towards camera with a smile

Now during the sixteenth and seventeenth year, the eyes will either become clear or become more clouded and farther away.  This is the time when your almost young adult is deciding who he or she will become. For any parent, this is the scary time. We as parents hope we have instilled enough sense into our offspring that they will choose the right path. Of course, parents, it is truly out of your hands now. You can set curfews and take away the keys if they show up late, but they know there are only two years left until they can walk out the door and show you how dumb you really are.

Have you done everything right in raising your child? Of course not, we all make mistakes. Have you done the best you could? Ninety-five percent of the time the answer to this is usually a strong yes. So if you have done the best you could to raise your child to be that good man or woman, you have done your job. If your child becomes a jerk as an adult, it’s on them because of who they decided to be at the so-called sweet sixteen.

I really hate when some young adult does something that gets them in trouble  and people start whispering, “Probably had bad parents”. In some cases this is true but for the most part, it’s that sixteen year old deciding who he or she is going to be and has nothing to do with the parents.

I am up for any discussion you want to draw up either for or against what I have written here. I’m a open book as some might say. I wish you well and for those parents that have the sixteen and seventeen year old kids under your roof, I will say a silent prayer for you. Remember we are all in this together.

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short stories

Why are people so mean?

We all have a certain mean streak in us. I believe some people have an easier time showing their mean streak than others. Well, that’s the nice way of saying it, anyway. Now let’s dig into what I truly believe. I like to look at this in another way. Everyone has kindness in them somewhere. It may be a very tiny bit, but it’s there. Most mean people are lacking something, and I would venture to believe it is because they have a low opinion of themselves. Why should anyone possess this low opinion of themselves? A lot of the time it is because someone they looked up to told them they are not as good or as smart as someone else, which ultimately causes jealousy.

One teenager shoving another teenager up against a brick wall and yelling at him

Jealousy can cause great anger in somebody that has been knocked down by someone they admired. Now, this could include mental and/or physical abuse. If no one steps up and helps this person, it could turn into something terrible. Maybe it’s terrible for themselves, but could also lead into abuse or worse of someone else. Either way, it’s not good. I believe a kind word at the right time to someone in this situation could spark the kindness that has been buried deep inside just looking for the light to flicker, so it can shine.

I’m not saying there aren’t pure evil people out there, but I have never seen a newborn baby showing evil before. Something in this person happened after they were born.

Some people do have psychological problems and need special attention, but that doesn’t explain to me how someone could become pure evil. Evil enough to do evil things to others (especially children). Next time you feel the need to tear someone down or hurt them in some way, think about it, you may be helping create a monster. That’s how I feel. Remember, we are all in this together.