Archive for: May 2011

Physics and the Immortality of the Soul

May. 31 Science no comments

What does physics say about life after death?

In a recent article in Discover Magazine, Sean M. Carroll tackles the often controversial subject of whether there is life after death.  Sean concludes that although a majority of people (more than 50% according to the Pew Research Center) believe in some form of afterlife, current day understanding of scientific laws make it highly improbable, if not outright impossible.

Most of the information that we have regarding the existence of an afterlife comes from people’s accounts of near death experiences (NDE’s) and encounters with ghosts and spirits, or from religious teachings.  Scientists have yet to prove that these NDE’s are real and not just a figment of the imagination.  Regarding religious teachings, these are based on faith and not on scientific inquiry and knowledge. In order to believe in an afterlife, one must believe there there is some form of consciousness that persists after our bodies deteriorate.  Most people refer to that “consciousness” as a soul.  This leads to further questions of what that soul is, what it is comprised of, and how it interacts with the atoms that make up our bodies.

Even if you don’t believe that human beings are “simply” collections of atoms evolving and interacting according to rules laid down in the Standard Model of particle physics, most people would grudgingly admit that atoms are part of who we are. If it’s really nothing but atoms and the known forces, there is clearly no way for the soul to survive death. Believing in life after death, to put it mildly, requires physics beyond the Standard Model. Most importantly, we need some way for that “new physics” to interact with the atoms that we do have.

Sean points out that the mathematical equation that describes how electrons behave in our everyday world is called the Dirac equation.  Roughly speaking, this equation describes the relationship between the velocity of an electron and its inertia, and electromagnetism and gravity.  However, Sean admits that the equation is not complete as it hasn’t taken into account nuclear forces and the existence of the elusive Higgs boson (or God particle).   Could the inclusion of these help create that “new physics” that Sean requires in order to allow for the existence of a soul, and by extension, the existence of an afterlife?

Reader responses

Perhaps more interesting than the article itself, is the back and forth commentary of its readers.  In a period of 9 days, Sean’s article has garnered 170 responses.   As one would expect, there are a lot of consenting and dissenting views on the topic.  However, most agree that the subject needs more consideration and more variables in order to be fully accepted or dismissed.  Consider the following responses:

From davidstarlignm:

The general assumption — among physicists who believe in Christ, or Christians who believe in physics, or any combination of the two — is that the spacetime governed by the Standard Model is a subset of a more complete reality. Whether you want to use the extradimensional analogy of Flatland (the brain is to the soul as a cube is to a tesseract) or the computer science analogy (the brain is to the soul as the user input is to the user) or any other visualization, it isn’t that confusing.

If the spacetime we know and see and test is but a tiny slice of a larger reality, and the larger reality only regularly interacts with ours in a few controlled ways (consciousness, etc), there is no reason to presume that we would be able to detect any portion of that reality that is necessarily located outside our own, any more than we would expect a computer program to be able to tell you anything more about its hardware components than the signals it is receiving from them.

From Jesse M:

But in an infinite multiverse, isn’t it likely that somewhere out there a pattern of information identical to our own brain’s last conscious experience will arise somewhere, and will survive to have additional experiences? This would seem especially natural in the many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics, leading to the theory of quantum immortality.

From Andrew S:

There is no evidence for life after death, supernatural phenomena, free will, unnecessarily complicated physical theories, or any number of other fantastical things. The reason why many people believe such things anyway is because if they didn’t, then they would probably conclude that existence is the ultimate trap in which they have no power, no control, and no purpose. Thus, natural selection will favor those that believe in these things (even if these beliefs are false) to the extent that such beliefs allow or encourage them to reproduce rather than kill themselves in despair.

From Raghavan Jaganathan:

Consciousness without material is possible . But material without consciousness will merely be stone and mud. ( quarks and electrons).

 

To read the original Discover Magazine article and/or participate in the discussion go here.

Photo courtesy of HDRenesys.

The Men Who Stare At Goats

May. 31 Movies 1 comment

The film, The Men Who Stare at Goats contains jewels of profound spiritual knowledge wrapped in thick blankets of silliness.

This unusual comedy, based on the semi-fictional novel by Jon Ronson, reveals the many personal self-development programs the U.S. military explored and implemented starting in the early 1970′s after the Vietnam War.  The film is an extra fictionalization of Ronson’s book.  The story starts out with Bob Wilton, a reporter, played by Ewen McGregor who ventures out into Iraq during the current Iraq war to prove to himself that he is up to the task of war reporting.  He meets up with Len Cassidy, played by George Clooney, who is the best psychic soldier or “Jedi” soldier to come out of Project Jedi, the program for developing paranormal powers for the military.  Bob follows Len on a mission in the Iraqi desert and learns all about the history of the Project Jedi program. They meet up with the legendary Bill Jango, one of the original instructors of the program. Bill Jango, played by Jeff Bridges, is based on a mixture of people, one of them Jim Channon,who created the idea for the New Earth Army,and the First Earth Battalion, and wrote the handbook called, Evolutionary Tactics.  Jim Channon also has a plan to have all departments of the military in charge of cleaning up the earth.

The film is very tongue and cheek, but preserves the original spirit of the self-development military program, which was to protect soldiers, civilians and the Earth by preventing conflict.  According to the film, the purpose of the program was to see “how love and peace could win wars.”  But I must emphasize that the points in the film, even though sometimes awesomely spiritual, are mostly fictionalized.  I had to do some research to get to the truth.  In the film, they said the phrase, “Be all you can be.” was created by fictional character Bill Jango.  Clever and inspiring, but not correct.

To read full review click here

Official Move Website

 

Review written by Jean Jessup of Movie Reviews from a Spiritual Perspective

 

 

Year of Deadliest Tornadoes leave Thousands Grieving

May. 30 Death no comments

Help is available to those who grieve the loss of a loved one.

by Sandra Champlain
May 31, 2011

2011 has already equaled the record for deaths by tornadoes in a single year with 519 killed in the United States, with still one month to go in the tornado season, The National Weather Service said.

Alabama, which was hit by a wave of tornadoes last month, has suffered the most in 2011 with 243 confirmed deaths. There have been 139 deaths in Missouri from the Joplin tornado, followed by 33 deaths in Tennessee, 31 in Mississippi and 24 in North Carolina.

To some of us in other areas of the country, the tornadoes seem unfortunate, as we watch updates on the evening news.  Before long we are back to ‘channel surfing’ and may catch a reality show, have a snack, then go to bed.  We are peaceful, our loved ones are safe and sound, and the lights go out.

However, hundreds of thousands of people do not have such a luxury.  In Joplin alone, over 49,000 lives were impacted by the tornado.  Many of those people lost their homes, lost their businesses, lost their jobs, lost their every belonging, and many ultimately lost their dreams.  Although our lives are now filled with other activities, these people continue to experience the most painful emotion known to mankind:  Grief.

What is grief? Anyone who has ever had a loved one die, or lost a job or a relationship, or have been told they have a life-threatening illness knows what grief is.  They may not be able to verbalize a definition for you, but they can tell you about the immeasurable pain, sadness, anger, shock, rage, sleepless nights, the need to be alone and the genuine feeling that “life will never be the same.”

Most of us have never been educated about grief and are never prepared for how grief will impact our lives us until a tragedy occurs.  Most grieving people do not understand what they are experiencing is normal and there is a physiological reason why our bodies must experience grief.  Many of the bereaved sink into deep depression and live with regrets.  Many will allow their dreams, aspirations and relationships to die, when suffering a significant loss.  Some even commit suicide.

There is help available right now if you or someone you know is grieving!
The website, www.survivegrief.com is dedicated to helping people through grief and gives massive amount of hope.  A FREE 70 minute audio called “How to Survive Grief” is available to listen to or to download.  This audio gives details about why we grieve, what to expect while grieving, how to lessen the pain of grief, how to help others who are grieving and finally, gives profound hope to all that suffer.

Regardless of if or how you have been impacted by the tornadoes.  One thing is for sure:  grief will eventually twist its way through your life unexpected, as it did with the tornado victims.  I ask that you please do your part, find out who is grieving in your life, and share with them www.survivegrief.com.  Thank you.

To listen to the How to Survive Grief audio, click here. Click on the If You Are Grieving link, scroll to the CD link.

 

Sandra Champlain lives in Byfield. She is chef to race car teams and owns a coffee and chocolate store (www.kentcoffee.com). However, after the death of her father in 2010, she chose to release a free audio ‘How to Survive Grief,’ to give people hope and ease the pain their pain.

 

Image courtesy of Raingarden.

Creating a Vision Board

May. 30 Everyday Life no comments

Get visually inspired to follow your goals… create a vision board!

by Apearing Day’s Dawn Petherick

Whatever your goals, be they physical, such as diet and exercise, or inspirational such as learning a new skill, or whatever they are(!) you can give them a boost by creating a Vision Board.

This really is a fun thing to do as well as creating a visual reminder of your goals and why they are important to you. So, here’s what you need to do….

1. Find a suitable board or large piece of paper. I used a large stretch canvas that you would usually use for oil painting as they were on offer at Xmas and are quite sturdy. A cork board or A3 paper will do just as well.

2. This step will take a few days to complete…. focus on your goals, dreams and aspirations. Your board can cover your whole life or just one area. Whichever you choose think about what you want to achieve in that area and then let your subconscious mind start to find you inspriational pictures and quotes that represent success to you.  Sunday papers and lifestyle magazines are good places to look. Or you can search the internet or type up positive affirmations yourself.

3. When you’re ready set aside a couple of hours (at least!), layout your pictures and sayings on your board and then glue them on. You might like to start with a picture of yourself in the middle looking happy and contented.

4. Finally, place your vision board somewhere where you can see it everyday. Spend a few minutes looking at it and really tuning in to how great it will feel as items on your board start to manifest in your life. Picture yourself being, doing, having and feeling all the areas on your board as this helps to manifest more quickly and also gives you a great daily boost!

Have fun!

To learn more about Appearing Day click here.

Dawn Petherick, MBA is a life coach, NLP practioner and accredited Advanced Heal Your Life trainer and coach.

 

 

 

 

Vision Board Photo courtesy of Aspiring Millionaire.

Quantum Physics and God

May. 30 Audio 2 comments

If you’re your mind isn’t boggled by quantum physics, then you didn’t understand it.

Have you ever wondered how a rational mind can believe in the existence of God?  Have you ever wondered how a spiritual person can believe in science?  Are science and spirituality mutually exclusive?  Or are they two sides of the same coin?

Marilu Diaz, the founder of Soulgineering, attempts to shed light on these questions in an interview with Spiritual Perspective’s Sara Vitale.  Marilu is a student of life’s mysteries and has made it her personal curriculum to study quantum physics, spirituality, philosophy, psychology, religion and life 101. During her interview, Marilu attempts to breakdown some complex theories in Quantum Physics and show the relationship between those studies and religion’s or spirituality’s belief in God and humanity’s interconnectedness.

This hour-long interview covers “The God” particle, interconnectedness or quantum entanglement, the world of possibilities and collapsing them to create your reality, time and the 5th dimension, a little Law of Attraction, and even some talk about Jesus and Mary Magdalene.  Whether you are an agnostic or a fervent believer in God, you will find something in this interview that will call to you.

Does God exist and how do you know?

What kind of god does Marilu believe in?  Quantum Physics states that in order for reality to exist, there has to be an observer that creates that reality, aka The Great Observer.  It is this concept of god that she believes in:

If you’re talking about the God that grants prayers and grants miracles, the God of Moses and Abraham, then no I don’t believe  in that God. If you’re talking about a god that grants order out of chaos, grants sublime organization throughout the universe, I do believe in that god.

What form does that god take?  Is it an old man with a white robe and long beard?  Marilu doesn’t think so.  Her inherent belief is that God = Love:  God is an energy. Like light, you can’t touch it but you can see it everywhere…[In Quantum Physics] everything is united by a field, and that field can be defined as love and that love is God because God=Love. Love is the thing that unites all human beings; it makes the world go round. Love is what unifies the entire universe.

To further clarify how she can believe in the existence of God,  Marilu uses an analogy from the movie “What the Bleep Do We Know”.  The story takes us back to the time of Christopher Columbus and the approach of his three ships to the coasts of the New World.   The story states that  at the time, the natives could not see the ships on the horizon because they had absolutely no concept of a ship’s existence. Until one day when the shaman noticed ripples in the water.  He studied the ripples for days until he opened his mind just enough to be able to see the ships. As Marilu states in the interview, she might not be able to prove to you that God or The Great Observer exists, but she can see the ripples on the horizon that its presence creates.

To listen to the full interview on Spiritual Perspectives click here.

Here are additional resources for those interested in learning more about the topics and studies Marilu talked about:

5th dimension and possibilities, What the Bleep Do We Know http://www.whatthebleep.com/

Dr. Quantum’s two slit experiment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfPeprQ7oGc

Schrodinger’s Cat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrxqTtiWxs4

Books mentioned about Jesus and Mary Magdalene

Holly Blood Holy Grail http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holy_Blood_and_the_Holy_Grail

Woman with the Alabaster Jar http://www.margaretstarbird.net/books.html

Kathleen McGowan Series:  http://www.kathleenmcgowan.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=55

Law of Attraction Michael Losier http://www.lawofattractionbook.com/

 

Image courtesy of microbot23.

What Being Broke has Taught Me

May. 29 Editorials 2 comments

One day I was having what could have been perceived as a tough conversation with my niece.  We were on the way to the pawn shop and we were talking about why we needed to be there.  I explained that my sister had offered to pay the pawn fees in exchange for being able to use my digital camera – a camera that I need to take beautiful photographs and earn a living but had had to pawn for grocery money.  I should have been embarrassed or distraught or facing a similarly negative emotion.  Instead, I found myself talking about the great service that pawn shops provide when someone is in a bind and need money quickly.  This in turn led to a conversation about money and the role of credit in our lives.

In remembering the conversation and going over it in my mind, I realized that I’ve come very far in my personal development.  I went from being poor growing up (although I didn’t realize it at the time), to being a broke student in college, to being well off with a stable career, to being broke again.  I have found that I really did believe at some point that money buys happiness.  Now I know it’s not true.  I have consciously decided to leave the corporate world behind and become self-employed.  A risky move in these tough times, but a decision that leaves my soul smiling from ear to ear.  I am in a good place emotionally and spiritually and I have good relationships with my loved ones.  I have no doubt in my mind that these things are what make me happy.  Money comes and goes, but my inner health and well-being and my relationship with loved ones are what bring me peace and joy.

I’ve learned a lot by being broke.  I’ve learned to distinguish between true friends and conditional friends.  I have learned that I don’t need to buy my family expensive gifts or invite them to lavish dinners in order for them to love me.  I have found that when money fails, I can still help others in need by giving them something that everyone craves: love, attention and validation.  I have learned that you should never judge a homeless or destitute person because you don’t know the circumstances that brought that person there. I have realized that a dinner cooked with love and served with a healthy portion of affection is more valuable than dinner at the fanciest restaurant. I’ve learned that buying generic can save valuable dollars that you can later use to treat your loved one to a movie or an ice cream.  I have found that sometimes a listening ear and a compassionate heart are more valuable than all the money in my bank account.

Being broke also led me to re-discover myself.  I found things about me that I had long forgotten or skills I didn’t even know I had.  For example, I found that I love photography and graphic design and people actually enjoy my work.  I discovered the gift of gab that had long been dormant.  In spending more time with my nieces and nephews, I found that I have a natural ability to teach.  During periods of unemployment or underemployment, I found that I had plenty of time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and what made me tick.  Working 60-hour workweeks and commuting at least two hours a day left me exhausted and grouchy.  I had no desire to ponder the meaning of life and my role in it.  The extra time allowed me to figure out who I was, what I wanted to do, and what legacy I wanted to leave behind.

In this society, money is still needed to survive.  While I’m still willing and able to earn it I will continue to do so.  However, money to me has become a tool that enables me to take care of the everyday things so that I can focus on the bigger picture.  Money is not my destination, it is a tool that helps me on my journey.  Money doesn’t define me anymore.  My actions and beliefs do.  I can hold my head up high and let the world know that I may be broke, but I am not broken.  It is a lesson that has cost me most of my worldly possessions, but a lesson that I will gladly repeat if it means that I can continue to be free inside.

 

Image courtesy of milenita.

Is Social Media Good for You?

May. 28 Everyday Life 3 comments

Sites like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube have enabled us become a global and instantaneous society but are there any downsides to using these kinds of sites?

First lets define the term social media.  While there are many different definitions out there, the one thing everyone can agree on is that social media is the use of web or mobile technology used to promote social interaction.  It is you, the user, who generates the content on these sites.  Hardly anyone doubts that social media is here to stay.  After all, companies are making money without having to pay someone to generate the kind of instantaneous content that millions of users can generate.

Users use social media in different ways.  Some like to entertain themselves by watching the latest music video or “fail” on Youtube.  Others like to connect with friends and acquaintances that can be found all over the globe.  A lot of users keep up with the news by checking three or more different news sites daily.  And then there are those who like social media because it gives them the opportunity of talking to everyone without leaving the comfort of their home.

Social media is evolving so rapidly and there are so many new sites popping up every day that it is hard to analyze it.  However, ProCon.org has given it a try and they have come up with some interesting results:

Proponents of social networking sites argue that these online communities promote increased communication with friends and family, familiarize people with valuable computer skills, and allow contact with people from around the world.

Opponents argue that social networking sites expose children to predators, increase vulnerability to computer viruses, lower worker productivity, and promote narcissism and short attention spans.

Here are some of the pros and cons of using social media.  Which ones do you agree with?

PROS CONS
Connecting with family and friends worldwide. Cyberbullying is easier and more public.
They promote creative achievement at a reasonably low cost. There is no way to truly verify every user’s identity.  This leads to potential predators and stalking behavior.
People who aren’t comfortable with face-to-face interaction have an avenue to share ideas and meet new people that they might not otherwise have. Social isolation is more likely to occur as users spend more time on the internet than with their families.
When you have a life issue that you’re dealing with (breakup, layoff, family troubles, etc.) you can gain access to friend and expert opinion quickly. Information that is shared on these sites can be retrieved even if it has been deleted.  This may lead to embarrassment at the least, or identity theft, sexual harassment, and loss of employment at the worst.
Students have access to real-time help and assistance.  They can also practice their social skills, practice on their writing and grammar, and gain new and creative ideas and insights. Extensive use may cause children to develop personality disorders including short attention spans, Attention Deficit Disorder, the need for instant gratification, and inability to have normal face-to-face social interactions.
Users can cross racial, economic and geographic boundaries. Accidentally downloading a harmful virus and sharing it with your contacts is easier than ever.
Social media can be a powerful tool for social change. Social media usage at the workplace leads to millions of dollars in lost productivity.
Social media sites with a specific focus can help content users with people that are facing similar issues and provide them with information, peer support and encouragement, and access to expert contacts. The physical health is not optimal as users spend more and more time sitting in front of a computer rather than exercising or playing outdoors.

 

If you would like to visit ProCon.org for more information about the information presented, go here.

If you would like to see some infographics about social media you can find some excellent ones here.

Three Fruits of the Spirit

May. 28 Religion 1 comment

Gentleness, goodness and kindness are three concepts that will help us bring out the best in others through action.

In the following article, Kaylene Maize shares with us specific examples and guidelines that we can use to share these fruits with those around us.

The more I reflect on the fruits of the Spirit the more I begin to realize they all go hand in hand! You can’t have one without another! You can’t be kind unless you’re gentle and you cannot be joyful without love, and peace comes from being patient…. I think you get my point! I don’t think God gave us these fruits as virtues to be practiced individually; rather He gave us these fruits so that we can be highly effective Christians who practice all of the fruits of the spirit in our lives.

As Christians we are called to go out into the world and spread His love and life everywhere that we go, just like St. Francis of Assisi once said: “Proclaim the Gospel always, use words if necessary.” We are called to serve God through not only our words but also through our actions. That’s where gentleness, kindness and goodness come in.  These three fruits of the spirit are important to practice in today’s society especially. We live in a world that is lacking in these areas, there are people who yearn to be loved and accepted in this world and it is our duty as Christians to make sure each and every individual knows that they are loved and they have value and worth in this world! We need to bring out the best in people in instead of bringing out the worst. We need to build up strong men and women of God, not tear them down.  As brothers and sisters in Christ and sons and daughters of God we can be the change our world so desperately needs!

Gentleness

  • The Greek word translated as “gentleness” is also sometimes translated as “meekness” or “mildness.”
  • Thomas Aquinas, for example, teaches that meekness “moderates anger according to right reason” (Summa Theologica II:II:157).
  • Von Hildebrand captures the true power of gentleness: “For the meek is reserved true victory over the world, because it is not they themselves who conquer, but Christ in them and through them” (Transformation in Christ, 421).
  • Mass: For our God is full of gentleness and compassion
  • Gentleness comes from growing in union with the Heart of Jesus, as we love, trust, and imitate him more
  • Two qualities belong to the meaning of gentleness and they are strength and love
  • Only strong people can be gentle, because gentleness restrains strength by love.
  • Gentleness is impossible in the absence of humility
    • If we wish to be in imitation of Jesus, to be gentle we must become humble.
    • The best indicator of how humble we are is how gentle we are
    • Have we ever asked ourselves why do we get irritated with people? Why do they bother us?
    • Speck in our brother’s eye, and we don’t see the beam in our own. And do you know why? Because maybe the beam is so big in our own eyes we can’t even recognize the fact that the person does have virtue, does have fine qualities.
    • We always see others through our own eyes. And our eyes are sinful eyes
      • Decenter your selves! Too often we think we’re the center of the world! The moment we realize we’re not the center we become more at peace and can more fully meet people where they are.
  • The virtue of gentleness is built right in to the middle of the Lord’s Prayer. Forgive us, we plead, with God.
  • Nothing under heaven except the grace of God can make us, as we should be, gentle. We need that grace. Jesus will give it to us if only we earnestly ask Him. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like unto thine. Amen.

Goodness

  • A few simple guidelines for feeling good everyday
    • Be honorable in all your dealing
      • May your yes mean yes and your no mean no!!
      • Fully and faithfully commit yourself to the activities you are involved in
      • Don’t be a minimalist- we are called to not just survive but to thrive
      • “It is He who provokes you with that thrust for fullness that won’t let you settle for compromise” –JPII
      • Use your influence to help someone else
        • We have influence! Like salt, we flavor life by what we say and do
        • Let time be a tool, not a tyrant
          • Relationships thrive under one condition: Carefree timelessness
          • Don’t be too busy trying to be happy, simplify your lives so that you can see the good in the world! In very ordinary times God’s love shows through in extra ordinary ways!
        • Build and maintain a support network
          • God puts people in our lives for a reason
        • Practice forgiveness daily
          • Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
        • Strive to be a true friend
          • “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter” -Sirach 6:13
          • The foundation of relationship is acceptance
          • Three As of friendship: Affirmation, acceptance and assurance

Kindness

  • Ways to bring back kindness
    • Remind yourself that kindness is in short supply
      • National problem: we do not get enough positive human contact in our daily life
      • Make kindness your daily priority
        • No matter what you do or where you live, commit to making kindness a priority in daily life
        • Make it a daily goal to speak and act kindly
        • Random acts of kindness
          • Holding the door open for someone
          • Offering to help someone with their groceries
          • Praying for the person who cut you off on the freeway instead of getting angry
        • Offer the kindness of gratitude
          • Your kind expression may be a rare word of appreciation heard by a person
          • There are 6 billion people on the planet, and 5.9 billion of them go to bed every night starving for one honest word of appreciation.
          • Smile it is contagious and opens people’s hearts
          • People will forget the things you’ve said, People will forget the things you’ve done, but they will never forget… the way you made them feel.
        • Practice kindness in your neighborhood
          • Kindness should come from our hearts, should start at home with our families, our neighbors across the street, those right next door and this kindness should then reach everyone
          • People are meant to be loved and things are meant to be used, but too often we love things and use people.
          • Make it a point to remember people’s names, it is music to their ears

The fruits of the spirit are virtues that are given to us from God not just to have as more rules or things to think about, He gave them to us so that we can become more gentle, kind and good people who care about one another and respect each other. More often than not our actions speak louder than our words! What is keeping us from being the kind, loving gentle people God created us to be? Do not be afraid my friends, we’re all in this together!!

If you want to change the world, start with those around you! Your family and friends, neighbors and coworkers!

 

This article was written by Kaylene Maize.  To contact the author please e-mail Soulgineering’s Editor.

Law of Connection

May. 28 Books no comments

The Science of Using NLP to Create Ideal Personal and Professional Relationships.

This is the perfect book for anyone that ever needs to speak to any other human being. Once you learn the ideas presented in the book, you will be able connect easier with your spouse, children, co-workers, students and even groups of people. If you can master this easy-to-follow book, you might even manage to capture rapport with the customer service person from your bank or cell phone company.  Just as he did in his bestselling book, Law of Attraction, Michael takes what could be a complex topic and breaks it down into easily digestible sections.

First, we learn about what the Law of Connection actually means and what rule governs it:

The Law of Connection states that when two people are in rapport they will have a better connection. The more rapport you have with somebody, the stronger your connection with that person. The less rapport you have with someone (or when the rapport is broken) the weaker your connection is with that person.

Like stacking building blocks, Michael tells us of the 3 conditions of the law that will help you learn and then combine the conditions to achieve the ideal connections.

This book is definitely meant as one of those tools that you put into your life’s toolbox. It has easy-to-read pages and diagrams and helpful worksheets to help your indentify your communication needs.  It helps you determine whether your learning style is visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or digital.  Once you have mastered the differences between these styles, Michael also helps you determine the style of the people you interact with.  Once you have identified the relevant communication styles, you can then use them to build rapport and adjust your style to meet their style.

Listen to a great interview of Michael Explaining The Law of Connection

 

Visit Michael J Losier’s Law of Connection website

 

 

The Girl Who Silenced the World for 6 Minutes

May. 28 Videos 2 comments

In 1992, 12-year-old Severn Suzuki addressed the United Nations Earth Summit as a representative of the Environmental Children’s Organization, which she founded at age nine.  She gave a dramatic speech which was received with great acclaim, not only by the delegates present at the time, but also as an internet sensation: the video of her speech has over 4.7 million views on Youtube.

Severn went on to write a short book entitled Tell the World, received a Bachelors degree from Yale University in ecology and evolutionary biology, and helped launch the Skyfish Project – a think tank focusing on the environment.

Here is a transcript of her historical speech:

Hello, I’m Severn Suzuki speaking for E.C.O. – The Environmental Children’s Organization.

We are a group of twelve and thirteen-year-olds from Canada trying to make a difference:
Vanessa Suttie, Morgan Geisler, Michelle Quigg and me. We raised all the money ourselves to come six thousand miles to tell you adults you must change your ways. Coming here today, I have no hidden agenda. I am fighting for my future.

Losing my future is not like losing an election or a few points on the stock market. I am here to speak for all generations to come.

I am here to speak on behalf of the starving children around the world whose cries go unheard.

I am here to speak for the countless animals dying across this planet because they have nowhere left to go. We cannot afford to be not heard.

I am afraid to go out in the sun now because of the holes in the ozone. I am afraid to breathe the air because I don’t know what chemicals are in it.

I used to go fishing in Vancouver with my dad until just a few years ago we found the fish full of cancers. And now we hear about animals and plants going extinct every day―vanishing forever.

In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals, jungles and rainforests full of birds and butterflies, but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see.

Did you have to worry about these little things when you were my age?

All this is happening before our eyes and yet we act as if we have all the time we want and all the solutions. I’m only a child and I don’t have all the solutions, but I want you to realise, neither do you!

  • You don’t know how to fix the holes in our ozone layer.
  • You don’t know how to bring salmon back up a dead stream.
  • You don’t know how to bring back an animal now extinct.
  • And you can’t bring back forests that once grew where there is now desert.

If you don’t know how to fix it, please stop breaking it!

Here, you may be delegates of your governments, business people, organisers, reporters or poiticians― but really you are mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles―and all of you are somebody’s child.

I’m only a child yet I know we are all part of a family, five billion strong, in fact, 30 million species strong and we all share the same air, water and soil―borders and governments will never change that.

I’m only a child yet I know we are all in this together and should act as one single world towards one single goal.

In my anger, I am not blind, and in my fear, I am not afraid to tell the world how I feel.

In my country, we make so much waste, we buy and throw away, buy and throw away, and yet northern countries will not share with the needy. Even when we have more than enough, we are afraid to lose some of our wealth, afraid to share.

In Canada, we live the privileged life, with plenty of food, water and shelter―we have watches, bicycles, computers and television sets.

Two days ago here in Brazil, we were shocked when we spent some time with some children living on the streets. And this is what one child told us: “I wish I was rich and if I were, I would give all the street children food, clothes, medicine, shelter and love and affection.”

If a child on the street who has nothing, is willing to share, why are we who have everything still so greedy?

I can’t stop thinking that these children are my age, that it makes a tremendous difference where you are born, that I could be one of those children living in the Favellas of Rio; I could be a child starving in Somalia; a victim of war in the Middle East or a beggar in India.

I’m only a child yet I know if all the money spent on war was spent on ending poverty and finding environmental answers, what a wonderful place this earth would be!

At school, even in kindergarten, you teach us to behave in the world. You teach us:

  • not to fight with others,
  • to work things out,
  • to respect others,
  • to clean up our mess,
  • not to hurt other creatures
  • to share―not be greedy.

Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do?

Do not forget why you’re attending these conferences, who you’re doing this for―we are your own children. You are deciding what kind of world we will grow up in. Parents should be able to comfort their children by saying “everything’s going to be alright”, “we’re doing the best we can” and “it’s not the end of the world”.

But I don’t think you can say that to us anymore. Are we even on your list of priorities? My father always says “You are what you do, not what you say.”

Well, what you do makes me cry at night. You grown ups say you love us. I challenge you, please make your actions reflect your words. Thank you for listening.

 

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