How the World Turns

I found this comment from someone at this article (well worth the read):
http://www.naturalnews.com/030903_predictions_2011.html

Daddy? What’s a cog? Hm? What’s that dear? What’s a what? A cog. What’s a cog? Oh, you mean like a gear, or something of the sort? I dunno (shrugs)… That’ why I’m asking you. Where did you hear of cogs? Ms. Berlin, my teacher, was talking with another teacher— I forget his name. Anyway, she said that they were turning out good little cogs. Am I a cog? Well, I suppose you might just be… But certainly a very good little cog. (Frowning) But what is a cog? A wheel with teeth. A wheel with teeth! Oh gosh… does it bite? No, no (chuckling)… not in the sense that you mean. The teeth, they interlock. Then when one wheel turns, the other wheels around it— the cogs— also turn. It’s how machines are built. Machines? You mean like the washer? Yes! Exactly. The washer, the dryer, the car… all sorts of machines. They’re made of cogs… inside. I’m inside a machine? Yes… well, it’s a bit of… of a metaphor. A what for? A met-a-phor. A metaphor is when you say that one thing is really something else… but you know straight away that it’s not. So it’s a lie. (Sighs) More like a comparison… One that forces you to look at a thing from a new angle. D’you see? (Nods… slowly) So… if I’m pretending to be a cog, what sort of machine am I in? Oh, well… let’s see. A very big one I suppose. Nowadays you’d have to call it The World. That big? Like the whole planet! No, well, I confess that your teacher probably wasn’t thinking quite that big. How about Civilization? Or The Global Community? That’s big enough, hm? Like all the people in all the cities everywhere? That’s a whole lot! Almost seven billion. And that’s the machine that you’re part of— one of its cogs… one of its essential cogs. (Smiles) (Momentarily smiling) ...But what does the machine do? The washer washes our clothes. What does the Civilization machine do? It does everything. Indeed. What doesn’t it do? It built your school and hired your teachers. It built the roads you ride your bike on. It keeps groceries on the shelves when your mother needs to go shopping. It does everything. And who operates the machine? You drive the car, and Mommy pushes the buttons on the washer to tell it what to do. Who steers the Civilization machine? (long pause) Is it Mr. Obama? Well, no dear. I don’t think even Mr. Obama believes that he’s doing the driving. Then who is? Is it God? Oh God no! He couldn’t possibly be that inept. Then who? Does my teacher, Ms. Berlin even know where the machine’s going? I very much doubt it. I honestly don’t know. I’m not convinced that anyone does. We’re all just cogs in the machine. And there’s seven bazillions of us? (chuckling) Close enough. And no one’s driving? Apparently so. Seven bazillion wheels with teeth… Gosh, that must be a whole lot of teeth. I know what the machine does. You do? Uh-huh. (nods) It’s devouring the world. 

Setting Sail...My New Career is Launched!!!

A ship in harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are built for.

John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928

I recently heard a metaphor that compared a ship in a harbor to our financial lives. So often we choose to sail in the safety of the harbor, rather than venture out to experience the possibilities beyond, because we are scared of the unknown, potential buffetings of the great blue ocean. As we view the ship as our financial lives, I would like to add the idea that all too often we never leave the dock. Preferring the safety and solidity of land during the storms of life that inevitably come. Then we wonder why our financial ship is sinking, having been thrashed against the dock and rocks on the shoreline in our neglect. 

Today, I set sail. I enrolled my first client in my new career of Personal Financial Coach. So far I am still in the harbor since my first client is a dear relative of mine, but my course is set and I am headed straight for the strait that lies between me and the sea of humanity beyond. I can hardly wait to see how my vessel handles! She is completely mine. Designed from the ground up upon what I consider to be true and eternal principles such as love, stewardship, accountability, spirituality, service... The world so often seems to miss the boat regarding these fundamental principles preferring to make decisions based upon profits and increasing shareholder value (as measured in dollars). They fail to factor in less measurable but truer, deeper, thicker value such as the joy that comes from deep, loving relationships, the joy that comes from service to those we love, the peace that comes when we know we are doing what is right in the sight of God. No amount of money can ever replace the value of these. 

Ben

Inspiring-to-Greatness quote by Marianne Williamson

Marianne Williamson

Someone used this quote in a speech I heard today and I loved it!

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." (A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles", Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3)

Why?

Why am I writing this blog?

1. Share the gospel.  
1. I believe in God.  I hope through this blog to show how He influences my life in hopes that it may help others recognize His hand in their lives as well.  
2. Grow personally.  
1. Similarly to a journal, I hope that by putting my thoughts down on 'electronic' paper, it will facilitate my own spiritual growth.
2. Putting thoughts down in words can bring clarity to a subject.  If I blog about significant events and decisions, it will clarify the direction of my life.  "The unexamined life is not worth living." (Socrates [via Plato, Apology 38a)])
3. If I document life's learnings, perhaps I will better remember them and not need repeat whippings.  
3. Benefit the world.
1. I hope to better the world in some small way through my life's efforts.  If I capture my thoughts here they will be made available to future generations and available to others currently living.  Even if nobody else ever sees this blog, by electronically capturing thoughts I have along the pathway of life, they will be more easily retrievable by me later in life when I have better figured out what I am doing.  
2. The world includes my posterity.  If I can capture some of my life's learnings in this blog, it will hopefully help my posterity avoid some of the pitfalls that have beset me.  
4. Draw closer together as a family.
1. By sharing this blog with family members, I hope it draws us closer together.
5. Enable people to get to know/trust me.
1. The farther I get in life, the more I understand the importance of personal relationships. If I can capture the thoughts and desires of my heart in this blog, it will enable others to get to know me, to an extent, and thereby come to trust me.  Hopefully this will facilitate relationships. 

In the Beginning

Well, I have finally decided to move into the 21st century and start blogging instead of journaling.  For today, we will declare victory just for having set this thing up and registered a domain name for our family's website: www.bc-p.us.  It was the shortest url I could find that somehow tied into our family (my first initial, Chris' first initial, -, last name initial, 2-letter tld that applies (we live in the US) and signifies our family (us)) and had some degree of rememberability.

Update 1/22/11: There is no substitute for journaling. Blogging does not replace the NEED to journal.