What is transcendentalism?

When I first heard of transcendentalism I could barely even say the word without getting my tongue tied in a knot.  It was popular in the early decades of the nineteenth century, and stated that true knowledge is obtained by faculties of the mind that transcend sensory experiences of nature in its purest form.  It is interesting to me that there is a shift of enlightened thinking and non conformity to Strict devotion and non individualism.  In Europe for example lets start from the fall of the Roman Empire (enlightened thinking) to the dark ages (non individualism) to the Northern and Italian Renaissance (enlightened thinking) and the protestant reformation (non conformity) to the age of the Puritans (Strict Devotion and non individualism) to the Romantic, transcendental, and Gothic Period (enlightened thinking and non conformity).  This switch between the two is always reoccurring, but reoccurring with a new twist each go-around.  The thinkers of this movement wrote brilliant vibrant works that made a massive impact in American literature and philosophy such as Thoreau’s “Walden”.  Transcendentalists believed in God, but didn’t put as much emphasis on the teachings of the bible as immersing ones-self in nature in its purest form to connect with God and become enlightened.  Two of the more popular transcendentalists were Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson was born in Boston, Massachusetts on May 25, 1803.  He was the second son of Ruth Haskins and Rev. William Emerson.  Emerson was named after his mother’s brother Ralph and the father’s great-grandmother Rebecca Waldo.  In October 1817, at 14, Emerson went to Harvard College and was appointed freshman messenger for the president, requiring Emerson to fetch delinquent students and send messages to faculty. Midway through his junior year, Emerson began keeping a list of books he had read and started a journal in a series of notebooks that would be called “Wide World”.

Emerson always cared more for the present than the past, more for his reader than for the text in hand or the author in question. Poets, he said, are “liberating gods”; and Emerson at his best is also a liberator. “Meek young men grow up in libraries, believing it their duty to accept the views, which Cicero, which Locke, which Bacon have given, forgetful that Cicero, Locke, and Bacon were only young men in libraries, when they wrote those books.”

for a full bio of Emerson read my article life of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau was bon on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts, on his grandmother’s farm. Thoreau was of French-Huguenot and Scottish-Quaker decent. Thoreau was interested in writing at an early age. At the age of ten he wrote his first essay “The seasons”. He attended Concord Academy until 1833 when he was accepted to Harvard University but with his pending financial situation he was forced to attend Cambridge in August of 1833. In September of 1833 with the help of his family he was able to attend Harvard University. He graduated college in August of 1837.

for a full bio of Thoreau read my biography of Henry David Thoreau.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Most of his ancestors were clergymen, as was his father. He was educated in Boston and Harvard, also like his father, and graduated in 1821. While at Harvard, he began keeping a journal, which became a source of his later lectures, essays, and books. In 1825 he began to study at the Harvard Divinity School, and the next year he was licensed to preach by the Middlesex Association of Ministers. In 1829 Emerson married the seventeen-year-old Ellen Louisa Tucker, who died in 1831 from tuberculosis. Emerson’s first and only settlement was at the important Second Unitarian Church of Boston, where he became sole pastor in 1830. Three years later he had a crisis of faith, finding that he “was not interested” in the rite of Communion. He once remarked that if his teachers had been aware of his true thoughts, they would not have allowed him to become a minister. Eventually Emerson’s controversial views caused his resignation. However, he never ceased to be both teacher and preacher, although without the support of any concrete idea of God.

Emerson traveled to Europe in 1832. He met William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Thomas Carlyle, with whom he corresponded for half a century. After returning to the United States, Emerson lectured on natural history, biology, and history. In 1835 Emerson married Lydia Jackson and settled with her at the east end of the village of Concord, Massachusetts, where he then spent the rest of his life. Emerson’s first book, Nature, a collection of essays, appeared when he was thirty-three and summed up his ideas. Emerson emphasized individualism and rejected traditional authority. He invited the world to “enjoy an original relation to the universe” and emphasized “the infinitude of the private man.” All creation is one, he believed – people should try to live a simple life in harmony with nature and with others. “… the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God,” he wrote in Nature. His lectures The American Scholar (1837) and Address at Divinity College (1838) challenged the Harvard intelligentsia and warned about a lifeless Christian tradition. He was ostracized by Harvard for many years, but his message attracted young disciples, who joined the informal Transcendental Club, organized in 1836 by the Unitarian clergyman F.H. Hedge.

“Nature’s dice are always loaded.”
“The corruption of man is followed by corruption of language.”

In 1840 Emerson helped Margaret Fuller to launch The Dial (1840-44), an open forum for new ideas on the reformation of society. In 1841 he published a selection of his earlier lectures and writings under the title Essays. It was followed by Essays: Second Series (1844), a collection of lectures annexed to a reprint of Nature (1849), and Representative Men (1850). In these writings Emerson encouraged his readers to trust instinct, to use their potential talents for authentic self-discovery as the great men have done, and to perceive Nature as a source of inspiration and great truths. In the 1850’s he started to gain success as a lecturer, and his books became a source of moderate income. His English Traits, a summary of English character and history, appeared in 1856.

Other later works include Conduct of Life (1860), Society and Solitude (1870), a selection of poems called Parnassus (1874), and Letters and Social Aims, edited by J. Elliot Cabot (1876). Emerson’s health started to fail after the partial burning of his house in 1872. He made his last tour abroad in 1872-1873, and then withdrew more and more from public life. Emerson died on April 27, 1882 in Concord. Appearing posthumously in the 1880’s were Miscellanies (1884), a collection of political speeches, and Lectures and Biographical Sketches (1884).

As an essayist Emerson was a master of style. “Emerson is God,” declared the literary theorist Harold Bloom once, and testified with this the importance of Emerson to American literature. Many of his phrases have long since passed into common English parlance: ‘a minority of one’, ‘the devil’s attorney’, ‘a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds’. His essays have speech-like characteristics and a prophetic tone, a sermon like quality, often linked to his practice as a Unitarian minister. Emerson’s aim was not merely to charm his readers, but encourage them to cultivate ’self-trust’, to become what they ought to be, and to be open to the intuitive world of experience. In his essay Books, Emerson advised to avoid mediocrities: “Be sure, then to read no mean books. Shun the spawn of the press of the gossip of the hour. Do not read what you shall learn…” Emerson encouraged American scholars to break free of European influences and create a new American culture. He had formulated this idea in the mid-1830’s in a Phi Beta Kappa address, which Oliver Wendell Holmes (Sr.) hailed as “our intellectual Declaration of Independence.”

Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts.  Thoreau was of French and Scottish decent. Thoreau took up writing at an early age.  He wrote his first essay “The seasons” at age 10.  Thoreau attended Concord Academy until 1833 when he was accepted to Harvard University but with his pending financial situation he was forced to attend Cambridge in August of 1833.  he was able to attend Harvard University in September of 1833 with the help of his family.  He graduated college in August of 1837.

When Thoreau returned home his family noticed a change in his personality.  He was no longer accepting people’s opinions as facts but would shock people with his own independent and unconventional opinions.  He desired to live his life with the freedom to think and act as he wished.  He obtained a local teaching job and refused to Flog children as punishment.  Instead he would give moral lectures.  The community objected to this method of punishment and forced Thoreau to flog his incorrigible children.  That day Thoreau ,believing that physical punishment should have no place in education, flogged six students and then turned in his resignation.

In 1837 Thoreau’s sister introduced hi to Lucy Jackson Brown. Lucy Jackson Brown was the sister-in-law of Ralph Waldo Emerson. She read some of Thoreau’s work and noticed a similarity between his writing and Emerson’s writing. When she informed Emerson of this news he demanded that the two meet. Upon meeting each other they quickly became friends. Emerson helped Thoreau deliver his first lecture “Society”. Emerson introduced Thoreau to the rest of the Transcendental Club, which included Bronson Alcott, Margaret Fuller and many others.

Over the years, Thoreau’s reputation has been strong, although he is often cast into roles — the hermit in the wilderness, the prophet of passive resistance that he would have surely seen as somewhat alien. His work is so rich, and so full of the complex contradictions that he explored, that his readers keep reshaping his image to fit their own needs. Perhaps he would have appreciated that, for he seems to have wanted most to use words to force his readers to rethink their own lives creatively, different though they may be, even as he spent his life rethinking his, always asking questions, always looking to nature for greater intensity and meaning for his life.

People are always using money to consume rather than to conserve.  There is a constantly growing amount of spending excess money for the latest in clothes, vehicles, cell phones, computers, and eating out rather than at home.  To the average American money is something to “spend” on something you want rather than what you need, and when you do truly need that extra $1000 to pay for medical bills you don’t have it because you went and bought a Massive DLP television or a new computer that replaced you “old computer” that you bought a year or two ago.

First off there are three basic things you can do with money 1. spend money 2. lend money 3. own money.  Lets say you pay a monthly rent on an apartment that you shall out $550.00/month.  This makes you a “spender” and makes your landowner who receives the $555.00/month the “owner”.  Now lets say you NEED (not want)  a new vehicle, but don’t have the money and need a loan from the bank.  In this case you are still the “spender” because you will be charged interest on the amount that is lent to you by the bank who is the “lender” from loaning you the x amount of dollars, and is also the “owner” because of the profit the bank is making off the interest you have to pay them.

So you now know that you either spend, lend, or own money, but how do I save it?  Well a good strategy is putting 80% of you income into a fund (savings account, CD, time share, mutual fund, Roth IRA, 401 (k), or other) and do not touch it unless absolutely necessary!  Try to live off the 20% that is left.  Lets say your income after Uncle Sam has taken part of your pay totals to $2500.00/month and you put 80% of which amounts to $2000.00/month into your savings and you use the 20% which is $500.00 for your other expenses.  Develop the mindset of thinking that savings can’t be touched and that all you have to spend is that $500.00/month.  Now lets figure what the reward of saving that 80% would be given 2 years time.  If you had $2000.00/month for 2 years in an account that has 3% interest (usually a high yielding savings account, mutual fund, CD) would total to approximately a $1500.00 amount of interest.  This doesn’t sound like much, but lets say you look at it from a 15 year perspective and instead have this account in a Roth IRA with an average interest of about 3.2% throughout that 15 years the interest would equal $11,520.00.

In conclusion there are many ways you can save your money you can invest the money in the stock market or with an IRA and 401 (k) retirement plan which I talk a little bit more in detail in General Investing-Stocks and Retirement Plans.  The main thing to keep in mind is that to have financial freedom you must first learn how to save your money and to do that you must learn how money is used, and also keep in mind that besides what advice is giving to you part of the success is from failing or making a mistake it is learning from that mistake that makes you all the wiser.

General Investing.

The basic idea of investing is to put your money into a product, person, group or company that you are confident in that will give you a rate of return.  This can be done with stock, mutual dunds,  401(k), 403(b), bonds, Saving accounts, and so many other examples, but we are going to only cover some of them in this article.  By the time you get through this article you will have somewhat of a better understanding of investing and how to approach it properly.

Common and preferred stock

When someone thinks investing they think of the stock market and Wall-street.  Even though there are many types of investing opportunities a very popular way to go is with Stock Market.   A Stock (also known as an equity or a share) is a portion of the ownership of a corporation.   A share in a corporation gives the owner of the stock a stake in the company and its profits.   If a corporation has issued 100 stocks in total, then each stock represents a 1% ownership in the company. When you get down to it a stock is merely an equity security of a corporation.  There are two broad classes of these equity securities common stock and preferred stock.

The amount of common stocks you own are proportionate to the percentage of the corporation you own.  Lets say corp.#1 has 10,000 shares and you own 100 shares of that 10,000 you own 1% of the corporation and since you have common stocks you are entitled certain rights with that ownership.  You have the voting rights to who sits on the corporations board of directors or trustees and the right to request the minutes taken from those meeting and the agenda from each meeting.  Also in most cases you have a right of limited access to that corporations books and documents.

Now lets talk about  preferred stock.  Preferred stock is class of stock with a claim on the company’s earnings before payment may be made on the common stock and usually entitled to priority over common stock if the company liquidates. Usually entitled to dividends at a specified rate – when declared by the board of directors and before payment of a dividend on the common stock.  Preferred stock has a set rate at which the dividends are paid.  Unlike common stock that will fluctuate the dividend rate of return from year to year the preferred stock dividend is set at a fixed rate proportionate to what the corporation can afford to pay.

401(k) and 403(b)

Both of these plans are tax-sheltered annutiy plans which means that it is a retirement plan that permits an employee of a tax-exempt charitable, educational, or religious institution to contribute a certain portion of wages or salary into a tax-sheltered fund.  Both of these plans the 401(k) and 403(b) are a popular way to save for retirement in the United states and we will go into more detail with them.

First lets discuss the 401(k) retirement plan.  The basic idea of  a 401(k) retirement plan is to allow workers to save for retirement and to have the savings invested while deferring current income taxes on the saved money and earnings until withdrawal. The employee elects to have a portion of his or her wages paid directly, or “deferred,” into his or her 401(k) account.

Unlike the 401(k) the 403(b) is geared to public education organizations and some non-profit employers.  This retirement plan is similar to the 401(k) in that the plan lets employees defer some of their salary. In this case, their deferred money goes to the 403(b) plan sponsored by the employer. This deferred money generally does not get taxed by the federal government or by most state governments until distributed.

I always write down or copy and paste the most random German phrases throughout the year.  Even though 2009 is over (as written today January 27,2010) I would like to share some of them with you and I hope you enjoy them:

*Das nennen Sie ein Schinken-Sandwich? Nehmen Sie das sofort weg!

You call that a ham sandwich? Take it away at once!

*Wenn ich ihnen meine Telefonnummer gäbe, würden Sie sie wegwerfen oder behalten?

If I gave you my phone number, would you keep it or throw it away?

*Lass Deine Schwester ja nicht mehr singen! Wir wollen nicht, dass die Fensterscheiben zerspringen wie beim letzten mal.

Don’t let your sister sing again. We don’t want her to break the windows like last time.

*Entschuldigung, stört es Sie, wenn ich Sie eine Weile anstarre? Ich möchte mir Ihr Gesicht einprägen damit ich davon träumen kann.

Excuse me, do you mind if I stare at you for a minute? I want to remember your face for my dreams.

*Ich habe einen entzündeten Furunkel auf dem Rücken – kannst Du den bitte fausdrücken?

I have a large septic boil on my back. Would you burst it for me please?

*Wenn Sie denken, dass ich für das bezahle, dann haben Sie sich aber schwer geirrt!

If you think I’m paying for that then you’ve got another thing coming!

*Als die Katze die Schwiegermutter sah, raste sie den Baum rauf und ist bis jetzt noch nicht wieder runtergekommen.

On seeing my mother-in-law, the cat ran up the tree, and hasn’t come down since.

*Mein Sohn ist ein kalschnäuziger Gangster und ich brauche eine Umarmung.

My son is a cold-hearted gangster, and I need a hug.

*Mein Herr, ich weiss wirklich nicht, warum der Präsident Frauenkleider anhatte!

Sir, I’m not sure why the President was dressed in women’s clothing.

*Ich weigere mich, in dem alten verspukten Schloss zu schlafen – ich habe Angst vor Geistern!

I refuse to sleep in the old haunted castle. I’m frightened of ghosts.

*Keine Elephanten in der Bar nach 8 Uhr!

Elephants are not permitted in the bar after eight o’clock.

*Mein Getränk fühlt sich einsam. Würden Sie meinem Glas mit dem Ihrem Gesellschaft leisten?

My drink is getting lonely. Would you like to join me with yours?

*Solange Du auf dem Boden liegen kannst, ohne Dich festzuhalten, bist Du noch nicht betrunken.

You are not drunk so long as you can lie on the ground without holding on.

*Das ist das dritte mal diese Woche, dass einer der Patienten spontane Selbstenzündung erlitt.

That is the third time this week that one of the patients has spontaneously combusted.

*Trau keiner Frau, die alles auszieht – nur nicht ihren Hut!

Do not trust a woman who takes everything off except her hat.

*Wir haben mit eigenen Augen gesehen, dass der Feuerschlucker im Springbrunnen gebadet hat.

We have seen the fire eater bathing in the fountain.

*Der Drachen besteht darauf, dass wir ihm eine Jungfrau als Opfer bringen, anderenfalls wird er das Dorf völlig niederbrennen.

The dragon insists we sacrifice a maiden otherwise he will burn the village to the ground.

*Ich habe einen entzündeten Furunkel auf dem Rücken – kannst Du den bitte fausdrücken?

I have a large septic boil on my back. Would you burst it for me please?

(Within the “” is a direct excerpt from Jesus Freaks.)

Ivan Moiseyev
18 years old
U.S.S.R.
1970

“Although he had never been there before, Private Ivan “Vanya” Moiseyev knew what awaited him at the Major’s office. The Communists were endlessly calling him to headquarters for talks, trying to “re-educate” him, to talk him out of his faith in God.

It was lunchtime. The sun was shinning brightly in the blue sky and the snow was glistening. As Moiseyev walked along the snowy sidewalk, he praised God for this time alone, time to sing and pray.

The morning was so bright, at first Moiseyev didn’t notice; suddenly, it caught his eye. A bright star began to fall from heaven. Like a comet, it came closer and became bigger and bigger.

He looked up to see an angel above him, bright and powerful. Moiseyev’s heart was filled with joy – and fear.

The angel did not descend all the way to earth, but hovered about two hundred yards above the ground. He walked in the air above Moiseyev as though walking along the same road. Then the angel spoke:

“Ivan, go. Don’t be afraid. I am with you.”

Ivan couldn’t speak, but his joy was like fire within him. Somehow he made it to Major Gidenko’s office and knocked quietly at the door.

Major Gidenko, head of the Political Directive Committee, looked up as the young soldier entered. Ivan Moiseyev had been interrogated again and again by many others and had never backed away from his faith. Still, Gidenko was certain he could solve this problem.

“Moiseyev, you don’t look like a poor pupil to me. Why are you not learning the correct answers?” he asked.

“Sometimes there is a difference between the correct answers and the true ones,” Ivan answered. “Sometimes God does not permit me to give ‘correct’ answers.”

“So God talks to you? Who is this God of yours?” As soon as he had asked the question, Gidenko regretted it. Ivan leaned forward in his chair, his face glowing with joy at the opportunity to share his faith.

“Sir, He is the One who created all the universe. He greatly loves man, and sent His Son…”

Gidenko interrupted. “Yes, yes, I know the Christian teaching. But what has that got to do with being a soldier? Do you disagree with the teaching of the glorious Red army?”

“No, sir.”

“But you do not accept the principles of scientific atheism upon which is based our entire Soviet state and the military power of the army?”

“I cannot accept what I know to be untrue. Everything else I can gladly accept.”

“Moiseyev, no one can prove the existence of God. Even priests and pastors agree on that.”

“Sir, they may speak about not being able to prove God, but there is no question about knowing Him. He is with me now, in this room. Before I came here, He sent an angel to encourage me.”

Gidenko stared intently at Ivan. At last he spoke wearily, “I am sorry, Moiseyev, that you will not be reasonable. Your persistence will do nothing for you except bring discomfort. However, through the years I have found that men like you often come to their senses with a little discipline.

“I am ordering you to stand in the street tonight after taps are played. You will stand there until you are willing to reconsider this nonsense about talking Gods and angels.

“Since the temperature is likely to be thirteen degrees below zero, for your sake, I hope you quickly agree to behave sensibly. Tomorrow we shall make a plan together for your political re-education. You are dismissed.”

Gidenko expected Moiseyev to hesitate, to reconsider. Instead, he squared his shoulders and walked quietly to the door.

“Private Moiseyev!”

When the soldier turned around, Gidenko noticed he was a little pale. Then he had understood the order!

“You will obey my instructions in summer uniform. That is all.”

That night, as the bugle sounded, Ivan made his way down the stairs of the barracks and into the snowy street. He recoiled from the icy blast of wind that burned his ears and made his eyes water. His thin, summer uniform was no help in the bitter cold. He glanced at his watch. It was one minute after ten o’clock.

Tonight, he would have a long time to pray! But for the first time since he had been in the Soviet army, prayer did not come easily. He was worried. Could he stand out here all night? What if he froze to death? Would they let him freeze to death? What if he got so cold he gave to their demands?

The “what ifs” flooded his mind and left it spinning. He knew he had to think of something else. Then he remembered the angel who had visited him that morning. The angel said “Do not be afraid, I am with you!” Suddenly he realized the angel’s words had been for tonight! Although he could no longer see him, Moiseyev knew the angel was still there with him. He began to pray fervently.

It was twelve-thirty when he was distracted from his prayers by the crunching of snow. Bundled in their overcoats, hats, and boots, three officers were slowly making their way toward him.

“Private Moiseyev, have you changed your mind yet? Are you ready to come in and get warm?”

Even in the dim light Moiseyev could see the officers were amazed and confused. How could he stand such cold?

“Do you plan to stand out here all night long?”

“I don’t see how anything else is possible, and God is helping me.” Ivan checked his hands – they were cold, but not too cold. He could still move his toes easily. It was a miracle! he looked at the officers and could see that even in their coats they were already shaking from the cold. They were stamping their feet and slapping their hands, impatient to return to their heated barracks.

“You’ll feel differently in another hour,” the senior officer mumbled as they quickly turned away.

Ivan continued to pray for all the believers he knew. He sang Christmas carols. He prayed for every officer he knew and knew of. he cried out to God on behalf of men in his barracks. But gradually his mind seemed to be floating somewhere outside of his head. As much as he tried, prayer eluded him.

Ivan was dozing on his feet when, at three o’clock, the senior officer was on duty woke him and let him return to the barracks.

For the next twelve nights, Ivan continued to stand in the street outside his barracks. Miraculously, he did not freeze, nor did he beg for mercy. Ivan continued to speak about his faith to his comrades and officers. He sang about the glory of Jesus Christ in his barracks, though this was strictly prohibited. To those who threatened him, he replied, “A lark threatened with death for singing would still continue to sing. She cannot renounce her nature. Neither can we Christians.

Soldiers around him were converted, impressed by his ardent faith.

His commanders continued to interrogate him, trying to get him to deny Jesus. They put him in refrigerated cells. They clothed him in a special rubber suit, into which the pumped air until his chest was so compressed he scarcely could breathe.

At the age of 20, Ivan knew that the Communists would kill him. On July 11, 1972, he wrote to his parents, “You will not see me anymore.” he then described a vision of angels and heaven which God had sent to strengthen him for the last trial.

A few days later, his body was returned to his family. It showed that he had been stabbed six times around the heart. He had wounds on his head and around the mouth. There were signs of beatings on the whole body. Then he had been drowned.

Colonel Malsin, his commander, said “Moiseyev died with difficulty. He fought with death, but he died as a Christian.”

The father of this Christian hero writes to us, “May it be that this living flower which game the fragrance of its youth on the cross should be an example for all faithful youth. May they love Christ as our son has loved Him.” ”

——————————————–

Emerging from the Russian Empire following the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Russian Civil War of 1918–1921, the USSR was a union of several Soviet republics, but the harshness and cruelty of the USSR cannot be truly understood by the average mind.  To have lived in such a place; to have be a soldier there and one that believed in Christ is a miraculous account.

To stand the negative temperatures in mere summer attire for hours on hours end is nothing less than a miracle, and on top of that the discipline and obedience to God to stay out there!  Thoughts of a warm meal, a bed, and a fire were surely images going through his mind from time to time, so to stay outside for that amount of time is extraordinary to say the least; what an act of loyalty to God.

(Within the “” is a direct excerpt from Jesus Freaks.)

Anila and Perveen
17 and 18 years old
Pakistan
1997

“Anila met Perveen at school. As their friendship grew,
Anila gave Perveen a Bible and taught her Christian songs.
Perveen quickly learned Christian songs and began to teach
them to her younger sister when her parents weren’t home.
Perveen’s parents soon learned of the songs. Being strict Muslims,
they were not happy about them. But rather than confronting
Perveen right away, they had her younger sister try to
find out where she was getting this Christian influence.
Anila eventually invited Perveen to a Good Friday service.
When the young Muslim heard the Gospel presentation,
she immediately accepted Jesus. Perveen became very
excited about her new relationship with Jesus and saw great
changes take place in her life. She read her Bible and praised
God boldly. Anila knew that, before long, her friend would
encounter opposition from her family.
Perveen’s parents were furious when they learned of her
conversion. They had previously arranged for her to marry a
Muslim man. When Perveen again refused, she ran away.
When Perveen’s parents could not find her, they accused
Anila and her pastor of kidnapping her. They had Anila
arrested. Anila was slapped and beaten in front of her parents
for over nine hours. Finally she was taken to prison.
T heir st or ies must b e t old
Anila’s pastor and his family were taken to prison on the
following day. Anila and her pastor experienced horrible tortures
in jail. She was whipped sixteen times (five times
would make a normal man pass out). When they were
released, Anila could not sit for two months, and her pastor
could barely walk from the bruises on his hips and thighs.
Perveen was later found by her family. In Muslim nations,
children are often severely beaten for converting to Christianity.
Others are killed by their own parents or siblings for
apostasy, converting to another faith.
To restore the honor of his family, Perveen’s brother
stabbed her to death. He then turned himself in to the local
authorities. As is not uncommon in such situations, he was
eventually released without incident.
Anila was then arrested on charges of kidnapping.
She was imprisoned, then released on bail a little more
than a month later. She and her family went into hiding, as
their lives were threatened by radical Muslims.
In May 1999, Anila was acquitted of all charges. Praise
God for the prayers of faithful believers around the world!
Continue to pray for her protection as she remains in hiding.
“I have seen the world,” Anila said, “and it has nothing
good. Jesus is my only peace.”
There”

——————————————————————————————

Put yourself into this situation:  You’re in a different country much colder and crueler than most of the world today.  You find a friend that you truly connect with and trust.  Such a friendship is a rare thing to have especially one that is powerful enough to sway someone of one religion to convert to another, and to stand up for that religion through torture, suffering, and pain by others that was directly caused from making that friendship and believing in Jesus Christ.

When being tortures think about what thoughts might be going through this young woman’s mind:  “Why did I do this?”, “Why did I make this person my friend?”, “What purpose does this justify?”, and “Why did God put me here?”  The amazing extraordinary thing about it is that despite these questions, that must of been thought of somewhere in the back of her mind, she stood firmly in her belief that Jesus is real and that there is a great reward waiting for me in heaven.  What an awe inspiring leap of faith that was taken.  The question that we must ask ourselves is:  “What would I do if I were in her situation?” and “Would I of acted the same way she did?”

One of the most difficult aspects of life to answer is one’s purpose.  “What am I supposed to do in life?” and “What am I good at doing?”  These questions are the first step to come to know who you are and why you are here.  I am going to try to help with this article to answer these questions.  Only you can answer them because as far as I’m concerned you are the expert here not me. Who better knows about your life than yourself? You have all the answers I am merely making you question yourself to find whatever your purpose is.

There are several factors when asking yourself “What am I supposed to do in life?”  You can look for these answers through religion, personal analysis, and through other people.

In the religion perspective one has a generic purpose of serving their God and living and dying for that God.  In Christianity one is taught that whatever personal skill he or she posses should be to glorify Christ, but is still only justifying that generic purpose that religion is based on (NOTE: I have a strong relationship with Christ, but am presenting this article on an unbiased perspective.)

However some other religions, while popular or not, explain a more specific purpose.  Transcendentalism for example, which was a common religion in the 1800’s, states that one’s purpose is to gain knowledge from communing with nature.  This idea sounds unorthodox, but is what it is..a religion.  No matter what religion one follows the key is finding the one that can justify and answer your specific purpose and the meaning of your existence.

Through a analytical view one can learn about what type of mindset he/she may have through personality tests, brain function analysis, color tests, IQ tests, and ink blot tests.  This method is very helpful in finding certain characteristics of a person, but by itself simply doesn’t answer that big question.  However it is still a good tool to determine how one’s mind works, and with learning that helps you on the path to personal meaning and existence.

Finally the aspect of having others opinions, who are close to, to give you an outside look of your personality and is greatly helpful.  When you have people who are close to you or know very well will most likely be very honest with you if you ask them to be.  You are looking for an opinion that is unbiased as possible.

However use caution with this method, for it can backfire on you if not used properly.  Pick the most trustworthy and true friends with this method if you want good results.

Everyone has some unique skill that are theirs and theirs alone, and the idea of personal purpose comes from this philosophy.  To determine what ones is good at and loves to do can sometimes be hard to discover.  Most people are living their lives with a job that they don’t enjoy.  Why would one choose this when one could be living his or her dreams and having a worthwhile and enjoyable career that they have always wanted?  The majority of people live their lives  “Inside the box” just like everyone else and they think they are stuck there with know way out.  The good news is that simply isn’t true.  If you have a dream and have the skill to achieve that dream the only thing left to do is set up a reachable goal and have mini-steps to obtaining that goal, because it is possible to accomplish.

Achieving these aspects of life to find your purpose is a good possibility and is something everyone should at least try to do.  It would be idiotic not to at least attempt, so give it a try and begin to feel a deeper meaning and usefulness in your life.

Our current school system started in the 50’s and is still being used today in the majority of the world in some similar shape or form.  Over time the world has changed & evolved while the school system has not.  We still use the classroom structure of a teacher and a group of students that must pass with satisfactory grades on assignments.  The current school system  has served its purpose for many years, but has outlived its usefulness for the past 15-20 years.  The first schools started not in American but in Europe.  The only difference between our system and the ones in Europe is that the students stay in one class and the teachers switch classrooms.

The world curriculum and advancements in technology make it seem somewhat idiotic to sit in a desk for seven hours, pay for supplies, and pay for services provided by the school.  When you can do this from the comfort of your home computer or laptop.  Also you can go for a one on one situation with a tutor.  one teacher for every 8-40 students is a totally different environment.  Students need a more in depth curriculum; our current system just cant support that.

In past years more and more students drop out of high school.  Some are supporting a unintentional new-born or some a job commitment.  We need to come up with a better educational system to the students of the world.  Some of the worst dropouts are in the larger schools, and its not that the kids are stupid its not that their kids are stupid its just they aren’t being motivated, supported, or challenged enough.  A system that does this in a more effective way would be a great help to the student population.  Another factor is what classes are available that is beneficial and interactive for a student to get involved in?  If there were more classes that spiked that spiked that student’s interest it would dissipate some of that “Dropout” thinking.

The role of teacher is a job that hasn’t changed much except for more rules, regulations, and added responsibilities.  A modern day teacher also has to be a parental figure, mind reader, drill Sargent, classroom janitor, and a motivator.  They are way under paid and overlooked by society.

Teachers are supposed to be the facilitators of knowledge of the coarse you are thinking.  They are responsible for your education, well-being, and preparation for your future life in the real world.  Teachers should be more respected by society because they mold the future of the adult population.

Our system is totally centered around the standardized tests instead of your personal education.  Now-a-days teachers try to only teach you what is on these tests which isn’t the goal of the tests in the first place.  Studying for t these tests should be secondary for it is not the original purpose of the educational system to prepare you for tests it’s designed to prepare you for life.  English for example is something everyone must have, and while it is important to learn proper grammar; you will never use most of what you have learned after your college life.