Research Results

It has been found that ...

"People are less likely to lie and cheat in the morning..."

The resulting conclusion is that ...

"...the normal, unremarkable experiences associated with everyday living can deplete one's capacity to resist moral temptations..."

How can you NOT love science?

A thought repeated...

I recently read an article that juxtaposed the ACTUAL with the IDEAL.
Reality is our actual; perfection is our ideal.

This article submitted the following:

To be MATURE is to live with the actual while keeping the ideal in our sights.
To be a FAILURE is to accept the actual and reject the ideal.
To be IMMATURE is to accept the ideal and reject the actual.

Failures refuse to consider the ideal or its possibility. 
They are immersed in their reality and do not (or cannot) put energy or effort into movement toward anything better. 

The immature, on the other hand, refuse to deal with the actual.
They are immersed in the idea of perfection and do not (or cannot) contend with their own reality -- the facts of the matter.
The mature -- the wise, if you will -- know the balance of making the most of one's reality while putting time, effort and faith in approaching the ideal.

I found the idea thought-provoking ... and worth repeating.

try it ... you'll like it

Inside The Actor's Studio on Bravo
Switched at Birth on ABC Family'

Me Again by Keith Cronin
More Than You Know by Roslyn Story

Dancing in September with Isaiah Washington and Nicole Ari Parker
Pennies From Heaven with Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters

Abuse

A person in power violently mistreats a person with no strength or power.
And both parties hold the deep belief that the abuse is caused by the abused.

"I don't like to hurt you but you make me."

Years after the abuse has stopped, their common belief continues.
So there can be no apology, no closure, no healing.
"Get over it!  I can't apologize to you when it wasn't my fault!"
There can be little understanding from the public at large.
"Why does she stay with him?"
"Why does he let her treat him like that?"

When children are abused--
Before they've even had a chance to develop identity, connections or strength --
Their shame and lack of self-worth can last forever,
Making them angry, damaged, desperate and ill.

The African American experience is one of abuse.
Both Black and white parties hold a sad and deep belief.

"I am no racist! it's not your color that makes me better than you-- it's you."

Years after slavery is over, the common belief continues.
There can be no real apology, no closure, no healing,
"Get over it!  I can't apologize to you when it wasn't my fault!"
There can be little understanding from outsiders.
"Why do they act like that?"
"Why do they treat each other that way?"

When a people are stripped of their history, culture, connection and strengths --
And then abused violently and consistently --
Their shame and lack of self-worth can last forever --
Giving them anger, damage, desperation and illness
To pass along from generation to generation.

The abusers do their damage and walk away --
Confident in their now-clean hands.
The abused find a little relief in the healing of their physical wounds.
They try to live with or deny or medicate or ignore the pain of believing
That in their essence -- they can be worthy of no better.

Tuesday Times

I MISS BLOGGING !!!
It doesn't much matter anymore whether or not my friends read me -- I GOTTA BLOG !!
:-)

The Tuesday New York Times -- my favorite!

Interesting ... even though it's Botox ... quote: 
"Botox ... appears to alleviate depression.... at first seems obvious: If you stop frowning at people, they'll like you more and treat you better and you won't feel so blue.  But the process turns out to be considerably more sophisticated and complicated....facial expressions are...vital links in the unconscious neurological processes that create emotion.  In other words, if you cannot smile, you will never be as happy as if you could, and if you cannot frown, you will be unable to experience the full intensity of the negative emotions manifested by frowning, depression included." 
Not at all a reason to get Botox ... but interesting, yes?

More serious ... and upsetting ... is the "Too Many Pills in Pregnancy" story.  I've seen data saying that more and more kids are being diagnosed with autism, birth defects, ADD, etc., etc., etc.  It seems to me that there MUST be a connection to those increases and the following quotes:
"During the last 30 years, use of prescription drugs during the first trimester...has grown by more than 60 percent....About 90 percent of pregnant women take at least one medication and 70 percent take at least one prescription drug....Since the late 1970s, the proportion of pregnant women taking four or more medications has more than doubled....A growing number of pregnant women...self-medicate with over-the-counter drugs that once were sold only by prescription.  'We seem to have forgotten as a society that drugs pose risks...Many OTC drugs were grandfathered in with no studies of their possible effects during pregnancy.'"

The italics are mine.  We ALL take drugs -- some legal, some illegal, some prescription, some non-prescription, some of the time, all of the time.  And we ALL suffer the consequences and side effects -- subtle, not-so-subtle, recognized, unrecognized, worth it or not.  Does it help us at all to complain?

That's all I want to say today.