Business and Society Articles

Reflections on the seeming complexities of love. When reflecting on the seeming complexities of love, contrasting the nemesis of love seems appropriate. Offending or being offended is not something one can do with love. It challenges our love and tempts us with unforgiveness and bitterness. When offense rears its ugly head, love gets stuffed down into forgotten compartments within ourselves. When we get offended, emotions like anger, wrath, and hatred come forth, as we seek to protect and get vengeance for ourselves and loved ones. What is Love? It takes a special person to not get offended when others do. They have learned to overcome the temptation of anger by passing over the offense. Most of us get offended somewhat easily. When this happens we realize how conditional the love we give is. Are we only loving those who love us back? That seems to be the natural reaction for most people. What is love then? Is it simply a conditional behavior we extend to those who love us back? Is it

  My 9th book has been published called Staying Optimistic While Being Realistic . It is a collection of 13 society articles from the perspective of a Protestant Christian, middle-aged, married, Oregonian man from Dec. 2022 until Nov. 2023. Essentially, this book is a social analysis of 2023 American culture, society, politics, and Christian faith. With an added introduction and 13 color photos, this book is 80 pages in print and around the same as an eBook. The main theme is society, specifically American society, yet drawing on the general term as a way to explore the complexities and challenges of people in terms of finding the truth of themselves and the reality around them beyond the periphery. I have a B.S. in Human Services, so this is part of my service to fellow humans. Making it easier to digest my writing efforts in hopes readers will find valuable inspiration inside that will direct their course with more stability, reason, peace, and faith in a loving God. Eventually, wit

When have we done enough? When is it good enough, and to whom is it good enough for?  This is a question many of us humans struggle with or ponder when we consider the meaning and purpose of our lives. Maybe we don’t consider it deeply enough to understand the underlying motivations, the subconscious drivings that make us never feel satisfied with our accomplishments.  Everyone has accomplished something if they are alive and getting by each day. If we have learned to dress ourselves, brush our teeth, drive a car, or ride a bicycle, then we have done something at least.  As a child, expectations weren’t as high, and we, along with those around us, were generally happy with the small accomplishments that come with growing up. These expectations grow as we get older, sometimes from others close to us and sometimes from ourselves. Many times, it is our own expectations of ourselves that really set the tone for our contentment with our accomplishments. Where do these expectations come from

Where do our values come from anymore? As Americans, we share similar experiences from culture, society, and geography in some measure. Many of us have been here for generations and have a historical connection as well. Even going back to where we came from before we came to America.  Most of us can talk about similar movies, television shows, music, sports, and historical events that shaped our lives.  The Holy Bible used to create the majority of the values in America, yet now I would say the majority of the values come from social media.  Social media has replaced the Holy Bible when it comes to creating the values of American society.  Even the mainstream values before the smartphone and social media on the internet were much better than what we have now.  When we watched a sitcom, a movie, or listened to a song, we learned values such as: being honest caring for family and friends being a productive member of a community helping someone in need staying true to our marriage partner

Learning to be positive without being false.  O ne of the most challenging tasks in life is to look at ourselves and the world truthfully while remaining optimistic.  We don’t have to look very far to find trouble in the world and within ourselves.  Some people try to shield themselves from all negative news, thoughts, and people. Others tend to dwell on the negative aspects of life. Neither of these extremes teaches us how to cope with life in a balanced way.  If we are in a helping profession or are a counselor-type of person, we will find ourselves dealing with troubled people and realities often. Just dealing with the realities of day-to-day life with family, friends, and community asks us to look at the problems of life.  So how do we look truthfully at the problems of life while staying optimistic?  We can see what happens to people when they aren’t able to figure this question out, they often become: addicted to substances and bad habits negative and mean people everyone avoids