In today's world you have to be pretty swift on your feet to be able to survive. Many times you take a lot of turns and twists just hoping that you won't fall down and not be able to get back up. Life is in general a very good learning experience. Survival goes to those that experience and learn from those experiences. For some survival is just existing day to day, for others survival is an accumulation of experiences that make sure they can anticipate and weather anything that happens. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone had such knowledge about life.
A computer arranges files in order according to its sorting system, most people use a value system that  places others in some type of order giving value as a friend, foe or sometimes having no value. If you could strip away all points of reference of religion, monetary,  social, and other values and had each person face eye to eye -- would there be a moment of equality and freedom to smile without reservations?  MAL
Someone said that a person needs "...potential to earn a comfortable living in a safe environment under the protection of our armed forces, police, FBI and firefighters...". If the entire worlds population could have all such necessary protections in order to have a safe and free environment wouldn't it be a nice world.
USNewsAndWorldReport October8 2001"Asymetric warfare is "unanticipated or nontraditional approaches to circumvent or undermine an adversary's strengths while exploiting his vulnerabilities through unexpected technologies or innovative means,"..."more simply put: it is dirty fighting that gives the weak the best chance to defeat the strong." Note: The world has changed in a way that is now almost irreversible and change will continue to happen until good triumphs over those who profess evil and destruction.
"Integrity means doing what is right---even when it costs victory" --The price of victory is sometimes too high and the battles must continue in order for the victory to be a total success
"Funny how you see things...I keep seeing things as they used to be"--?Isn't that what most of us want?
Blessed are those who expect nothing because they are never disappointed. By expecting nothing they have the freedom to speak their mind, do as they please, and never have to worry about being misjudged because of their motives.
Feied --"We put in the turf, allowed people to walk where they wanted, then paved in the parts people were using." This is the type of approach that is a way of having positive success without the waste of trial and error, and guessing what you think people will do.
Live each day as if it was your last and if you had forever
Excellence can be obtained if you care more than others think wise, risk more than others think safe, dream more than others think is practical, and expect more than others think is possible
There a difference between power and responsibility. Responsibility is when you are held accountable."--Richard C Daly Jr.
From Carol Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you'll understand what little chance you have to change others. We are who we are and have to be accepted that way.
Muttley 19-- to May 5,2002. The freedom you had wished for you have achieved. Thank you for being my friend.
If it is to be, it is up to you. How many times have you wanted something to occur, something to be changed, or hoped that you could change the course of your life -- but you hesitate because of the effect it will have on someone else, thus letting someone else make the decision for you.
Time has a way of bringing things to the surface no matter how deep they are buried, the depth to which they are buried is the weight which you must carry both on your shoulders and your mind.
Senator Byrd on the plight of polar bears with a traveling circus--"I guess my little dog Billy has a lot to do with my attitude towards animals...He is an animal, but he feels pain. He must understand affection and love because he gives that to me." Thus..."we should treat animals humanely." As life continues on, experiences happen, and your molding as a human being progresses. Everyone hopes that one day the age of the innocents will happen, when the children, animals, and the wiser elders will have priority over everything else.
When you are in charge of people, let them follow strive for the goals you set, but allow them to follow their own hearts to achieve that goal.
N.U.-19-Russia "All I can do is work as hard as I can to make a difference in my own life, to be a good person, to make something of my life. And I will do that as best as I can."-----------The average people throughout the world just want to make the best they can for themselves and those around them, therefore is it time for the majority to impose peace, and make those who fester violence accountable for their actions??
The world has begun another change in attitude. Events which happened have sent a wave of ripple like effects throughout the world. Has the age of the innocents begun? Will those who just wish to live their lives, unburdened by the standards set by others, be allowed to pass the years in happiness and tranquility? Will the innocence of childhood be guarded by those with the ability to maintain peace and the knowledge of what is good and evil?
JeanetteNancyLeahy Oct22,1928-July4,2001 Mom, I hope you have found your Shangri-La.
"I don't mind being alone, but I don't want to feel lonely....Lonely people want friends,  but it is difficult to find other lonely people."--from a Bette Davis movie. The difference in being alone and the feeling of being lonely is perhaps one of the biggest hurdles every person has to face in their life.
As you float along on the sea of life, the sun fells warm and comfortable. You can feel the vastness both above and below you. Sun, sky and light versus the cold and discomfort of the deep depths. As your life goes on you build the raft that makes up your character, pulling pieces  you from within and adding whatever driftwood you experience upon. Your life is full, but from within there is an emptiness that  rolls with the vastness of the sea. You happen upon another traveler, a look, a glance, a movement and all of a sudden the rocking of the sea stops. An island is born - solid and unmoving. A feeling of oneness that nothing can move. Trust, honesty, and holding each other, brings  peace and tranquility  that builds the beaches and forest that you call home. All is well with the world. One day clouds appear on the horizon, a cool fog of doubt and suspicion rolls across the island.  The heavy rains of mistrust, the bolts of anger and thunder of accusations tear at the beaches and lay waste to the forest. The volcanic rumblings arrive with the uttering of the words - I don't love you anymore. Your island sinks within a blink of the eye. You hold on, not willing to let it happen. The coolness of the deep and wanting to breath air, makes the mind numb. You hold on dearly, saying I would rather not survive than let this happen. All of a sudden you release and drift to the surface. As you drift along, you breath the fresh air and feel the warmth of life itself. The raft again becomes your home. Life goes on.
To be hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage is jealousy. To love is to have feelings towards someone you could not live without, along with respect and a willingness to work in tandem towards common goals. It is hard for the two to coexist in the same space at the same time. As has been said many times -- it is hard to change yourself and even harder to change someone else.
An event occurs, your focus moves to that event. Your focus expands around the event. Knowledge comes from knowing if the event now has control of your reactions or if you now have control of your reactions to the event.
You listen as people talk, respond in a way to make the conversation a fair exchange of views. You speak well of people knowing that you need not whisper or worry who hears your conversation. The one thing about speaking the truth is that you don't have to remember the previous conversation, so not to be caught in a lie. But holding to your values and the principles by which you are guided can sometimes bring a sadness to your heart and a burden upon your shoulders that you must endure.
As a child time has no real meaning, there will be time for anything and everything. As a young adult, responsibility, rebellion, and a search for your own personal principles bring the idea that time is of the essence. Middle age passes quickly trying to achieve all that you have dreamed of. As the half century mark passes there is the sudden thought that there is more time behind than ahead. Time finally catches up with age when many you have known start to pass. It is truly unique how time does fly by.
Psychologist Harold Maslow came to a conclusion which he called the human hierarchy of needs. Everyone requires food, water and shelter to live a basic existence. Beyond that they need love, esteem, and self-actualization to progress from basic needs to the fulfillment of their greatest human potential
Has the work place progressed to such an advanced state that an individuals job survival rests on their performance, as defined by a computer generated standard, which is set by people who define a good worker as one who is expendable when the standard is not met.
Instinct is defined as--An inborn pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimuli. So what are the instincts' that motivate the human species to behave in the manner that it does to create the world wide environment today that we call modern civilization.
Money can buy a house, medicine, fun, sex, or a church but cannot buy a home, health, happiness, love or heaven. Yet a large part of judging a person today centers on their monetary worth. Is it time for a review of values ?
In the wilderness you are either the hunter or the prey. In the world today do the same rules apply?
When there is no apparent resolution, and a refusal to compromise there is an impasse. When there is an absence of compromise, the greater force prevails.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us
Happiness is in wanting what you have, not having what you want
We're never to old to learn. There is some other reason
Gently in manner,strong in deed. Eisenhower desk paperweight
There is no limit to what a man can do, or where he can go, if he doesn't mind who gets the credit. Ronald Reagan desk
point du hoc?
the reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. george bernard shaw

Grace Under Fire: Patti Davis on Her Father's Final Years

By Patti DavisSunday, Feb. 06, 2011 Time Magazine

Reagan with his daughter Patti.

Courtesy Patti Davis

Several years into my father's journey down the narrowing road of Alzheimer's, when he was still going out for walks, I looped my arm through his one afternoon and walked with him along a leafy street near my parents' home. A few people recognized him, waved and called out, "Hello, Mr. President" and "God bless you." He smiled and waved back. Then he looked at me, confused, and asked, "Do I know them?"

No, Dad, I said. "They recognized you and wanted to say hello." He looked even more perplexed. "But how do they know me?"

I already knew his memory of being President had been extinguished. He remembered ice skating as a boy and swimming in the Rock River in summer but not his impact on the country and the world. I didn't want to add to his confusion. "They've seen you walking here," I told him. He smiled, and his eyes lit up. "That's very sweet of them," he said. "They're nice people." (See TIME's photo-essay "Ronald Reagan's Fulcrum Year: 1966.")

Moments like that revealed what was most essential about my father — his graciousness, his kindness toward others, his gratitude and his humility. Even at the end, Alzheimer's didn't kill those qualities, although it killed a lot.

I often imagine what it would be like if my father were still here to mark his 100th birthday, if Alzheimer's hadn't clawed away years, possibilities, hopes. What would he think of all the commemorations and celebrations? (See more about Patti Davis and Alzheimer's disease.)

Basically a humble man, he'd be embarrassed, I suspect, although certainly flattered. He would cover his emotions with a joke — probably something about George Burns' living to 100 and how he just couldn't let George get all the glory for making it that far. I'm sure he'd be disappointed in the meanness of politics these days yet amused by all the politicians trying to adhere themselves to his legacy, even aiming to be "the next Ronald Reagan." He'd probably suggest, with a twinkle in his eye, that they should figure out who they are as individuals and be the best at that.

But most of all, I imagine spending time with him as a daughter — and his allowing the residue of my rebellious years and the hurt I caused him to blow away like dust, maybe with a bit of humor, since I did manage to snag his attention by being the bad girl. I'd like to ask him if he was ever really fooled by me.

I'd also like to ask him about the nearsighted boy he once was, whose father frequently disappeared on drinking binges so severe he'd pass out, often miles from home. Maybe my father would finally open up to me about the uncertainty and the waiting ... and the fear. (See pictures of how Presidents age in office.)

Yet he had no fear, and I wish more than anything I could sit with him by a window in the dying light of day and ask him about that. How did you come from where you came from and learn to be so confident? How did you learn to trust so completely in your faith that fear didn't stand a chance? I want to tell him I remember the nights when I was a child and he traced the constellations for me, showing me Pegasus and Orion. I want to tell him that even though light-years came between us later on, I never stopped believing he hung the moon.

My father's body lies in a stone tomb high on a hill. People walk by, pause, think their own thoughts about him and move on, back to their own lives. I can never move on. He is everywhere. I know you think I mean publicly, especially now that he would have been 100 years old. And in part, I do mean that. But what I really mean is, he lives in me on the edge of dreams. He lives in the regrets that burden me and the sweet memories that keep me afloat. There was a moment, midway through the Alzheimer's years, when I was leaving my parents' house and I said to him, "Bye. I love you." His eyes opened wide in surprise and he said, "Well, thank you. Thank you so much." He had no idea who I was. He was startled and typically gracious about another human being's telling him she loved him. I don't know if I will ever reach that level of grace, but I'm grateful for having been born to a man who did. (See pictures of Presidents at the beach.)

Until the last three years of his life, when he became bedridden, he carried in his pocket a coin that says "Let go and let God." I keep it now in a box on my dresser. I don't know where he got it, but I'm guessing someone handed it to him when he was out walking and he looked at the message on it and thought of how lovely it was and how he related to it. Every day after that, he put it in his pocket — as a talisman, perhaps, but also to remind him of a stranger's kindness.

He was not a perfect man. He was not a perfect father. But he tried to reach higher, to understand what God wanted of him. He was a unique person who carved out a unique place in history. I sat beside him as he died. And now he sits inside my heart as I live my life, without him but with him.