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Grant Us Compassionate Hearts
Everyone has a story. We are all central characters in our own lives. Much of the human personality is made through socialization. Our rising generation is worthy of our best efforts to support and strengthen them in their journey to adulthood. As an institution, the function of the parents is to develop children into competent, moral, and self-sufficient adults. Parents socialize their children for membership in the larger society. In the process, of course, parents also become socialized. Relationships within the family are intimate, intensive, relatively enduring, particularistic, and diffuse. This is why the socialization that takes place here is usually the most pervasive and consequential for the individual. It is also the first socialization context that most of experience—the place where we develop our initial sense of self. The family, in contemporary society at least, is a relatively simple structure, usually composed of father, mother, and a few children. The parents generally have considerably more power and authority than the children (although the power disparity decreases as the children get older). Perhaps the most powerful thing you can tell your family is that you love them because it lets them now that they are not alone and you care. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9
There is a wide range of process and outcomes of socialization within the family, especially for the child. It is the context in which the child’s initial sense of self develops and basic identities, motivations, values, and beliefs are formed. A good deal of the socialization that takes place in the family involves learning appropriate role behavior associated with various family positions. For the children gender and age roles are very significant because of the consequences that they have for self-conceptions. They are sources of major identities that individuals hold. As such, they are sources of motivation (wanting to act in accordance with role requirements), values (having a beneficial or negative feeling toward the identity), and, perhaps most important, they engender relatively unshakeable conceptions of reality. They also develop very early in the socialization process, shortly after the acquisition of language. Not long after the appearance of reflective thinking (that is, the ability to view the self as an object), the child, in categorizing its World and constructing its reality, categorizes itself as boy or girl. This becomes a statement of fact, not subject to opinion nor negotiation—just as the identities of brother, sister, youngest child, and becomes statement of fact as the children forms. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9
The behavioral consequences of age and gender roles for boys and girls—that is, the role behaviors considered appropriate—take a long time to develop and are negotiable. Through a process of reinforcement from parents and others, through identification with various role models, through countless parental admonitions and instructions, the child is socialized into the specific behavioral expectations associated with these roles. Girls generally learn gender-appropriate behavior through identification with their mothers, whereas boys learn it through identification with a culturally defined masculine role. This difference in processes involved in gender-role learning is a function of the traditional division of labor in the home. As a result, the process of gender-role learning for girls is through observing their mother and modeling her behavior. However, since, generally speaking, the father is often less visible, the process of gender-role learning is more complicated for boys. Their problem is to determine, on the basis of various sources of information (such as mother’s sanctions against unmasculine behavior, males portrayed in the mass media, and observation of men in various circumstances), what constitutes appropriate masculine behavior and to use it as a standard for one’s own conduct. This involves abstracting from a number of diverse sources of information a general model of masculinity. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9
Many of the youth are remarkable in their spiritual maturity and in their faith. However, even the best of them are sorely tested. And the testing will become more severe. Children learn at a young age that there are distinct expectations for them based on their assigned gender. We must put family first and identify specific ways to strengthen our youth. Studies show that children are aware of gender roles by age two or three; at four or five, most children are firmly entrenched in culturally appropriate gender roles. Parents often supply male children with toy trucks, cars, action figures, robots, balls, sports toys, and books. Female children are often given dolls, doll houses, baking sets, books, balls, sports toys, and stuffed animals. Most children will choose to play with gender appropriate toys even when cross-gender toys are available, because parents give children good feedback (in the form of praise, involvement, and physical closeness) for gender-normative behavior. Our rising generation is worthy of our best efforts to support and strengthen them in their journey to adulthood. Make your family feel appreciated and acknowledged. People who show gratitude feel better about their lives, are more optimistic and in better health than people who are not. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9
In out routine of life, we often take our families—our parents and children and siblings—for granted. However, there is no question that what we care about most is our families. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose. Parents are not the only agents within the family important to the child’s gender-role learning. Siblings also have an effect. In a study of gender-role learning in two-child families, children who have a sibling of the opposite gender have more personality traits of the opposite gender than do children from same-gender sibling system, and this effect is greater for younger than for older siblings. Furthermore, this process of mutual influence is asymmetrical in the sibling order. Older siblings, because of their greater power and competence, have more influence over younger siblings. Identification as a process of development of gender-role identities is important in the formation of other aspects of self-concept, also. We develop a sense of who we are by identifying with and differentiating from others. By showing vulnerability, you can help a relationship feel more equal and bring you closer to your family. Kids do better when they ask for help. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9
In the name of tolerance, the definition of family has been expanded beyond recognition to the point that family can be any individuals of any gender who live together with or without commitment or children. Parenting styles and socialization outcomes are a product of roles, values, norms, and beliefs that are the main cultural contents transmitted from parents to children, more or less intentionally, in congruence with general socialization goals that parents hold. Much of the child’s family socialization is of this kind. However, it is inadvertent, unintentional, and often unconsciously produced by parents. Styles of parental behavior are more likely to be relevant to this aspect of the socialization process. Families, and especially children, a sacred privilege that will teach us to become more like God. Most parents throughout the World continue to know both the importance and the joy that are attached to families. Many parents want to be a bigger influence on their children than the media and the peer group. They want their kids to be functioning members of the community, and to treat people with love and respect and be loved and respected as well. In this culture of super competitive sports and pressure to achieve, tell you children how much you enjoy him or her doing the sport they love. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9
Parental support combined with inductive or authoritative (as opposed to authoritarian) control have the most favorable socialization effects on the child, that is, development of high self-esteem, sense of competence, conscience, internalization of adult standards, and high achievement motivation. Because the family is the basic unit of society, of the economy, of our culture, and of our government, the family will also be the basic unit in the celestial kingdom. A reason for the efficacy of these parental behavior is that both modeling and identification are affected by them. The most contagious models for the child is likely to be those who are the major sources of support and control. Furthermore, a strong affective relationship between parent and child facilitates the child’s identification with the parent (and the parent’s with the child). In short, parenting styles that result in a warm, supportive, reasonably constricting family environment produce a child who is readily socialized to adult standards. On the other hand, cold, rigid, and coercively-restrictive family environments produce children who are rebellious, resentful, and insecure. Accepting responsibility and owning up to our mistakes is one of the most important things we can do with family members. It is a way to mend relationships that are problematic. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9
Sometimes it is difficult for us to tell the people we care about most how much they mean to us. Since the relationship between parent and child is highly reciprocal, parents are also affected in the process. In fact, in the initial confrontation between parent and offspring, the parent is much more influenced by the infant than vice versa. By means of the cry and the smile, infants are very effective at shaping parental behavior. Socialization into the parental role is largely a matter of on-the-job training, with the child’s responses to the parent one of the major processes involved in the role definition of parent. Family-centered perspective will make people strive to be the best parents in the World. It should give us enormous respect for our children, who truly are our spiritual siblings, and it should cause us to devote whatever time is necessary to strengthen our families. Indeed, nothings is more critically connected to happiness—both our own and that of our children—than how well we love and support one another within the family. There can be no genuine happiness separate and apart from the home, and every effort made to sanctify and preserve its influence is uplifting to those who toil and sacrifice for its establishment. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9
Perhaps the greatest gift we can give someone is to let him or her know how their actions affected us—how something they did made us happier, stronger, and well. Heavenly Father, please shine your light upon our family. Give us strength to overcome all of the difficulties that we are dealing with and protect us against any and all problems we may encounter in the future. Lord, please bring us together as we are meant to be. May the love that binds us only grown stronger as we fulfill the destiny you have laid out for us. Grant our family forgiveness for any sins we have committed. May we also forgive one another, Lord. Provide for all of our need and protect us from harm and evil. God, thank you for blessing us with our families, and please lead us to the perfect truth. Family will be even more important when we leave this life and enter into the spirit World. Surely the first people we will seek to find there will be father, mother, spouse, children, and siblings. God reveal yourself to us and let us come into agreement with you. Grant us compassionate hearts. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9
The Winchester Mystery House
On a spirit quest, a paranormal investigator faces some fascinating and terrifying experiences while working in The Winchester Mystery House. She gets entangled in a web of demons and evil entities she never expected. https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/
Thank you for Being my Friend
Friendships are unique relationships because we choose to enter them. When we make a person feel he or she is wanted, their entire attitude changes. The processes of socialization contain an essential contradiction. Although socialization serves to perpetuate the existing society—its ideology, roles, norms, and values—socialization also contains seeds for change. Many people think a friend is a person who is willing to take us the way we are. However, if we leave a person the way they are, we are something less than a real friend. There seems to be a misunderstanding on the part of what it means to be a friend. Just as individuals may become differently socialized because of differences in the past experiences, motivations and capacities, so may they become differently socialized because of differences in the structure of the social settings in which they interact. Identifications with the socializer or the socializing group makes one more receptive to their influences and motivated to be socialized in accordance with their standards. It is in the interest of socializing agents and agencies to encourage the socializees’ identification with their socializers, and in the process, to develop identities appropriate to the group’s purpose and goals. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
Our friends are important to our happiness. Situations that are occasions for socialization vary in scope and duration, from relatively trivial and fleeting encounters to totally absorbing and enduring experiences. Acts of a friend should result in self-improvement, better attitudes, self-reliance, comfort, consolation, self-respect, and better well-being. Although friendships tend to change as we age, we want consistency from them. However, not all friendships last forever. The word friend is certainly misused if it is identified with a person who contributes to our delinquency, misery, deficiency, and heartaches. If our actions and attitudes result in improvement and independence, our friendship will be recognizable. It takes courage to be a real friend. The changes that individuals undergo as a result of social influences is relevant in organized social relationships. In this sense, there is a membership component to a sociological conception of socialization. To be socialized is to belong. All friendships should enhance our lives and teach of ways of showing people the love of God. Even if these friendships do not last forever, it is important to learn how to leave people better off for having spent time forming an emotional and psychological attachment with you. Friends are people we can talk to, enjoy, depend on, and trust. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
It takes courage to be a real friend. A process of unlearning is frequently a necessary step in the re-socialization process. That is, old identities, beliefs, and values may have to be abandoned in the process of creating a new self-concept and World view. Some of us endanger the valued classification of friend because of our unwillingness to be one under all circumstances. What is learned is not always what is taught. Fear can deprive us of friendship. The two most important elements of the internal structure of socialization contexts are the role system and the power distribution. The role system refers to the configuration of social statuses, along with the behavioral expectations, rights, and responsibilities, operating in a group. Some of us identify our closest friends are those with the courage to remain and share themselves with us under all circumstances, and everyone has a different level or power and a different position. Nonetheless, a friend is a person who will suggest and render the best for us regardless of the immediate consequences. We should also have time to devote to our friends. Sophisticated adults usually spend between 10 to 25 hours a week with friends. Because of busy life schedules, career demands, and family responsibilities, some people may or may not be able to spend that much time with their friends, even if they would like to. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
Roles are part of the social fabric in peer groups and they can be relaxed, amorphous, and emergent. Roles provide one of the main contents of socialization in because they encompass specific identities, behaviors, values, and beliefs. However, even more important, roles provide a major link between the social system and the individual. Two characteristics of roles are relevant in this regard: their reciprocity and their embeddedness. Our friends have these exuberant and profound importance in helping us figure out who we are, and they sometimes help us make decisions that shape us into the people we are. We are embedded in these interpersonal relationships that become sources of our personal identity, values, and beliefs. We become committed to these roles we play with our friends because we invest so much time with them. Friends improve our daily lives by their willingness to reprimand, admonish, love, encourage, protect, and guide our needs. Our friends treat us with a noble sense, are inspirational, and courageous. They take us the way we are and leave us improved. When it comes to friends, we prioritize events that will create experiences, which will make us happiest in the moment. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
Friends are relationships that we earn. After tests and trials, it is nice when we meet people who are faithful and true in all things. Some people do manage to stay friends for life, or at least a huge portion of their lives. Communication tends to be an importation aspect of the socioemotional part of friends. Hanging out with a set of good friends can be fun because you all have your own language, inside jokes, and references that only the group understands, which can be a bonding factor. As you know, communication skills and mutual understand also helps friends successfully transition through life changes that may be difficult. As we fully strive to comprehend the significance of friendship, we also try to keep our lives unspotted from the sins of the World. It is also a worthy daily goal to be a true friend to one’s self as well. And remember, if our life is of no value to our friends, it is of no value to us. That means we should only socialize with people who care about our lives and really love us and want to make sure that we stay safe. A friend in the true sense is not a person who passively nods approval. A friend is a person who cares. No greater reward can come to any of us as we serve than a sincere, “Thank you for being my friend.” #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
Friends are people we want to be able to trust with our secrets, house, kids, and family. When we are weak, we are made stronger through our friendships. Friendship is real. If we can be judged by our friends, we can also be measured by their heights. A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one’s heart, knowing that the gentlest hands will be there to uplift and set us right. May God help us to be friends. We need God’s friendship. He pleads for ours. God lives. He is near. God is available. God, thank you for our friends, you create beautiful friendships. Our friends are such a blessing in our lives. God, we are excited about the incredible things you are doing for us and through us each day. Thank you for shaping us, preparing us, and positioning us to fulfill our destinies. God, we pray that you will give our friends peace that surpasses comprehension and that in you will uplift each of our friends at work. God, help us to demonstrate your grace and friendliness towards the people in our lives and that we construct ourselves in Godly ways and friendly manners towards each and every one. Please strengthen our hearts, and calm the fears of all concerned, with the blessings, and your healing touch. Your Grace is sufficient for all our needs and your love for each of us the best thing in the World. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
Oysters Rockefeller–Leaving the Family and getting into Adulthood
Miracles happen all around us. Our supreme focus should be on the spiritual miracles that are available to all of God’s children. However, a myth supported by most theories of pre-adult development is that at the end of adolescence you get yourself together and, as normal, mature adult, you enter into a relatively stable, integrated life pattern that can continue more or less indefinitely. This is a rather cruel illusion since it leads people in early adulthood to believe that they are, or should be, fully adult and settled, and that there are no major crises, or developmental changes ahead. Instead of this rather tranquil picture of adult development, there are several key issues that must be resolved sequentially through adulthood; one is the process of becoming one’s own person. Unless the individual goes through some level of inner turmoil and reassessment at this time, further development will not occur and overall mental health will be affected adversely. Pain is a part of the unique human experience, accepting it is a sign of maturity. In many societies, adulthood is confirmed at different stages, when individuals have exhibited various kinds of psychological and social behaviour. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
Consistency and change in adulthood is dependent upon a variety of individual, social, and historical variable, in particular, health, education, and socioeconomic status. Stressful life events and adaption to them are central to socialization. Role transitions occur because of such life events, such as periods of depression, economic prosperity, war, marriage, birth of a child, and death of a loved one. For instance, during the Great Depression, people who experienced this cultural event early in their work careers were more negatively affected in the long run than were those already established. And although most members of society may shape their life courses by such social clock, it by no means determines the precise pattern of an individual’s life course. Individual sequencing that is divergent from norms, as well as historical events that upset the age-grading clock, may alter patterns either for individuals or entire age cohorts. An individual may postpone higher education to find him or herself, this deviating from both the age-grade norms and work ethic norms as well. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
Historical events, such as wars or depressions, or the construction of a sports complex in a low-income community, impinge upon the timing of life events, such as marriage, completion of education, and childbearing. For people from deprived families, changes in the family division of labour usually means getting a job which results in accelerated movement toward the adult World. Also, families who are dominated by a mother, usually makes an individual more vocationally aware and more likely to view values of job security and family life as important when they become adults. Nevertheless, although there are changes that will be difficult when an individual becomes an adult, it does not mean that the transition needs to be characterized by stress and turmoil. An individual may become a different person by virtue of changing physique, changing major social roles and changing participation. Cognitions to new situations and situational adjustments can be enjoyable. We know that buying a first house is much more than just finding a cute place and getting a decent mortgage. A whole host of factors play into this big life decision: location, interest rates, the length of time you plan to spend in the house, and the projects people will commit hours, days, and years of their life to. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
Homeownership is a rite of passage most of us dream of. Many people spend years thinking about their own house and designing to make it a space that is truly theirs. Pride of ownership is a major reason why people yearn to own a house. From the landscape, type of house, curtains, appliances, furniture, paint colors, wall paper to the light fixtures, type of bathtubs and the creative uses for different spaces in the house are decorative ideas that make people happy. When it is your house, you can do what you want with the space. Not only that, but you can listen to the type of music you like, watch TV shows that bring you pleasure, and have a sense of privacy, stability, and security. It is making an investment in your future. Also, homeowners can get mortgage deductions on their tax returns. The joys of home ownership really come to life when you have a housewarming party! It is a blessing to have friends, family, and coworkers over to celebrate the house that you own. You can have food and drinks and talk about life. Staying put in one place for long periods of time also creates social benefits that range from friendships with neighbors to community involvement and consistent educational opportunities for children. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
This proves that the assumption that major life transitions must be experienced as a crisis ignores the joys of life like child birth. New born babies are a big joy for many parents. The new born child is so cute and adorable and not something everyone can have; a baby is not something you can buy at the store, they are generally a mix of you and your partner, meaning that no one else can create the same bundle of joy that you can. The scent new born baby is the best, they smell so clean, their skin is soft, and they have cute cheeks, and cut little thighs with roles, and the babies sound so gentle. All they want is to be loved, protected, and fed. As they grow, they learn different things like how to give hugs. Jillian and Justin’s son Leo is just like a bright ray of sunshine with his gold hair. He has a big bright smile and is so smart. He just turned one year old and when he is hungry, sometimes he will walk over to the pantry and start looking for something to eat. He also like to dance. When he hears classical music, he reaches out his arms like he is dancing with a girl and sways them from side to side. And then sometimes when he wants to sit on the couch, he will climb up there, but cannot sit himself up right because he is still so young and gets frustrated and it is just so adorable. Or sometimes when he wants to be held, he will cry a little so you will pick him up. These are joys that only parents will experience. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
When grown children leave home, a lot of them choose to marry, and this allows for the possibility of new roles and personal growth. When people get engaged it is usually because they are in love. They met someone who has characteristics they like and makes them happy. It is part of trusting a person. People are excited to be engaged to their best friend—it is so romantic. Love is an overwhelming emotion, as individuals are excited to see what the future holds for them. That is why engagement is one of the most precious moments in everyone’s life. It is a beautiful and priceless time, as it is a symbol of love. You have someone who will be there to laugh with you, lift you up and to love you unconditionally through your journey in life. A faithful partner will love you selflessly. Human love is a wonderful adventure. Respecting someone, as though each of you are treasures that belong to each other reminds us that the Lord, our God is with us. God sees and hears you, and will bless your marriage with radiance and happiness. When you meet your soulmate it is utter proof that your years of prayers for a great partner have not go unheard. It teaches you that preparation for a marriage is more than just rings, flower arrangements, selecting a church or rose garden. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
Love is a process that revolves around the relationship, socialization, and social change. Being engaged to be married is an in depth spiritual process. You will know that God is at the center of our relationship. Finding someone you can spend your life with is truly a miracle. God said, “For I am God, and I will show miracles unto all those who believe on my name.” That is why we must firmly center our faith on God the Father and his holy plan. Faith in God allows us to understand and accept God’s will for eternity. Being a child of God is a miracle. Receiving a body in his image and likeness is a miracle. The gift of life is a miracle. The potential for eternal life is a miracle. While it is good to pray for and work for physical protection and healing during our mortal existence, our supreme focus should be on the spiritual miracles that are available to all of God’s children. No matter our ethnicity, no matter our nationality, no matter what we have done, if we repent, no matter what may have been done to us—all of us have equal access to these miracles. We are living miracles, and more miracles are ahead. Such a process is credited with bringing about social change over generations and redefinition of our roles over time. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
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Did You Follow My Recipe for Parisian Consomme?
The environmental influences the individual and the individual affects the environment as well. Humans are sensitive to their surroundings to survive, and because of that we have an innate awareness of our environment and seek out atmospheres with certain qualities. We have a strong need for safety and security and look for those attributes in our homes and community. It is good to have friends, to experience pleasure, to be healthy to be honored, and to have such virtues as courage at least to some degree. When we are in a place that feels safe, we are able to pursue our dreams and flourish. We affect the environment by how we take care of it, the structures we create, our attempts to beautify the World, and create peace. We are unified by our appreciation of the loveliness of our waterways, forests and the diversity of plants, bird, and animals. The exquisiteness of our landscapes is significant, and they bring us economic benefits. The environment is the natural foundation on which our economy is built. It creates thousands of jobs and generates billions of dollars. National parks, in 2016 had 331 million park visitors, they spent an estimated $18.4 billion. The national parks also create 318.1 thousand jobs, with $12 billion in labor income, and a total economic impact of $35 billion. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
The humanness of each person is the product of a socialization process that begins very early in life; some of the most important aspects of personality develop even before the school years. The new born human today is no different is no different from what he or she would have been if one had been born thousands of years ago in a Stone Age culture. However, infants immediately confront their 21st century parents, or nurse, and is subjected by them a process of acculturation that inhibits some of his or her potentialities and lets others become fully expressed. The infant is thus shaped according to our socially accepted norms and adapts more or less successfully to our World. The concept of development stresses an interaction between individual behavior and the environment and views a behavioral repertoire as the outcome of developmental processes, the concept of socialization generally refers to the ways in which individuals learn skills, knowledge, values, motives, and roles appropriate to their position in a group or society. We must recognize our own requirements for self-expression, uniqueness, novelty, and creative experiences, even when these conflict with the society’s needs as some seem them. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
Culture, as it is acquired with the growth of the personality, becomes the medium of that personality. You cannot swim without water, and water is the medium of swimming; you cannot paint a picture without paint, and the paint becomes the medium for expressing the message of the picture. The differences between culture and personality is the same as the difference between medium and the content of a picture. Human conduct takes place within situations that are defined by participants who act toward one another, the situations themselves, and the objects they contain on the basis of their definitions. When an actor enters an interaction situation one takes note of the various social and physical cues that are present and on the basis of one’s previous experience assigns meaning to them. And this will help an individual in the defining of an identity for self and for other, a definition of actor’s and other’s goals, and of course role definition for actor and other. It seems that if we are going to live sanely, then we must respect and be sensitive to differences, realizing that no two individuals are alike, and that is we really understand someone, we understand how he or she differs from us. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
Significant individual change continues through the lifetime of an individual because of reaction to socialization experiences, and upon entrance into adulthood. The reflexive self evolves as the individual take the role of others and understand how the various social roles encountered are interrelated to each other. The self evolves throughout a lifetime because the cognitive structures and process is continuing the transformation of the self. Since the reflexive self is inherently changeable through social interaction, it appears plausible to suggest that as the individual takes on new roles and encounters new situation, the self will continue to evolve and change. Cognitive structures and cognitive process that are developed through social interaction and that could conceivably lead to continuing change in the self over the life course. For instance, men who are married with young children might tend to be more attractive than single me because there is a perception that a married man with children is mature, a provider, monogamous, stable, and has good social and mental hygiene. Whereas single women without children might be considered more attractive because they have more free time, and might be viewed as happier because they do not have attachments. Of course, these are just generalizations. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
In the stages of development corresponding to notable life transitions, there appears to be a presumption that each stage must be resolved in a particular way or the individual may experience mental health problems. The stages are generally between childhood and adulthood. The child actively assimilates and organizes new information according to her or his existing cognitive structures. If new information cannot be integrated, then the child accommodates her or his cognitive structure. The rational part of a teenager’s brain is not fully developed and will not be until she or her is twenty five years old or so. And research indicates that adult and teen brains work differently. Adults think with the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s rational part. This is the part of the brain that responds to situations with good judgment and an awareness of long-term consequences. Teens process information with the amygdala, which is the emotional part. No matter how smart a teen is, good judgment is not necessarily something they excel in because the connections between the emotional part of the brain and the decision-making center is still developing. So, teens are more likely to respond to things based on feelings. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
Cognitive-developmental stages through assimilation and accommodation produce the cognitive reorganization that constitutes various stages of development. Movement through these stages (broadly: sensorimotor, concrete operations, formal operations) represents, in part, a shift from being ego-centered to decentered, and from understanding concrete objects or pairs of objects to comprehending complex relationships (forms rather than concrete substances) as totalities. By ages twelve to fourteen, the individual is capable of deducing propositions about objects she or he has never seen and is able to grasp possible transformations of social and physical reality without every seeing them. This change is viewed as crucial because it allows for notions of morality; it makes possible the concern with decisions about the future, notably career choices; and it enables the individual to have affective relationships in which she/he not only realizes that others may have different perspectives from her or his own as well. The latter ability is central in role-taking and in a number of other social interaction skills as well. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
Without some kind of optimistic outlook, our lives would tend to stagnate. When I was a kid, a friend of mine was a member at the country club, we used to sneak in and play tennis. One time we got away with playing three rounds without getting caught. And, individuals who are members of different generations undergo different socialization experiences. The idea that cultural arrangements may help or hinder adjustment of life transitions has been quite influential, particularly in the study of adolescent socialization, aging, and life crises. Thus, culture of a given society can affect the character and outcomes of life transitions, even though such transitions may be in part maturational processes. Parents are the most important role model children have, and the way an adult behaves and fulfills their responsibilities will have a profound and long-lasting impact on their children. God, we are all your children and run to you for protection. Do not disappoint us. You do what is right, so come to our rescue. Listen to our prayers and keep us safe. And may the Lord Bless your soul, and receive you at the last say into his kingdom, to sit down in peace. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
Master Your Pain—Do Not Let Pain get in the Way
We cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. No one is born acting responsible. It is a character that is formed over time. Responsible people act the way they should whether or not anyone is watching. They do so because it is right and we have the courage and self-control to act decently, even when tempted to do otherwise. We learn to think, feel, and act with respect for ourselves and for other people. It is a time when we pursue our own well-being, while also being considerate of the needs of others. The development of personal and social responsibility helps us to make choices, even when doing so is hard and the material rewards are few. We hold deeply to our moral and religious convictions as the foundation for ethical behavior. Fairness, respect, courage, honesty, and compassion become acquired habit and character traits that we rely on. As mature adults, we take pleasure in thinking and behaving well, as this is the best chance to lead good lives as individuals and as citizens in the community. Not only that, but there is also a concern with eternal life and we want to be the best people that we can be and have a clear conscience. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
People with integrity of heart are people to be trusted—because trust is built on integrity. Leaving together depends on trust. In times like the present, people should utter nothing for which they will not willingly be responsible through time and eternity. Honesty means telling the truth. It means not misleading others for our own benefit. It also means trying to make decisions, especially important ones, on the basis of evidence rather than prejudice. Honesty includes dealing with people and being honest with ourselves. Without honesty, trusting each other becomes impossible. It is also our responsibility to learn from our errors and do our best to correct them, not to dwell on them. With this honor devolves upon us also a corresponding responsibility. As the country herein trusts us, so under God it will sustain us. Earning God’s trust is a blessing based on obedience to God’s laws. Earning the Lord’s trust comes as a result of being true to the covenants we have made. Attentive observation is sufficient for the acquisition of a new response, but if these responses are to have any long-range effects on behavior they must be retained over time and attentive observation may not be sufficient for long-term retention. When we keep our promises to God, his trust grows in us. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
Being a person of integrity means our intentions, as well as our actions, are pure and righteous in all aspects of our lives, both public and private. Courage is taking a position and doing what is right, even at the risk of some loss. With each decision we make, we either merit more of God’s trust or diminish his trust. Honoring God means being neither reckless nor cowardly, but faring up to our duties. It includes physical courage, intellectual integrity to make decisions on the basis of evidence, and moral tenacity to stand up for our principles. However, being courageous does not mean never being afraid. As we grow, we learn to overcome our fears, but some trepidation is good because it keeps us from going into danger without any discernment for our well-being. The key to eliminating incidences focus on safe behavior and pay attention to our surroundings. An observed pattern is likely to be retained if it is coded in images. Then when the stimulus cue occurs later, actor finds that one can dredge up a vivid visual image of what the model did in the past. Verbal coding is even more important, particularly when the behaviors are complicated. Thus, rather than trying to retain mental pictures of the turns required to get our destination we tell ourselves to make a left, then a right, then a left, and we find when we are trying to recall what has to be done. As God lives, we live, we will go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord has commanded us. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
The acquisition of new behaviors can occur through direct experience involving trial and error and the selection of effective responses, human beings get most of their ideas by observing the actions of others who serve as models. We then learn largely by visual observations of overt responses by others. Effective contact with a pattern of behavior is necessary for its acquisition, and effective contact is attentive observation. Reward is not necessary for acquisition. The people with whom one regularly associates delimits the type of behavior that one will repeatedly observe. Self-control is the ability to resist inappropriate behavior in order to act responsibly. Beyond noting that we tend to associate with people who are attractive to us and who display functional behavior. It involves persistence and sticking to long-term commitments. It also includes dealing effectively with emotions, such as anger, and developing patience. We tend to be attentive to others when we expect that they will be rewarded (vicarious reinforcement); when they are similar to us; when they give responses that seem to have functional value; when we expect to be rewarded for our attentiveness; and so forth. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
In addition, intense responses are more likely to be observed, training in attentiveness can increase it, and novel responses are more attention-getting. People with self-respect take satisfaction in appropriate behavior and hard-won accomplishments. We do not need to be condescending toward others, nor have a lot of money to respect ourselves. People who respect themselves also view selfishness, loss of self-control, recklessness, cowardice, and dishonesty as wrong and unworthy of them. As we mature, we have learned the lessons of responsibility, and developed a good conscience to guide us. Rehearsal is another assistant to retention. The value of overt practice for the mastering of complex behavioral patterns need hardly be defended to anyone who has attempted to learn a manual skill or memorize material, but overt repetition of the desired responses is not the only way to rehearse. Humans are capable of engaging in covert rehearsal; they can run through the behavior in their imaginations, and by this means set in their memories. This procedure is quite effective and our ability to do this is important, for many significant human actions cannot easily be practiced overtly. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
Respecting our healthy and safety is similarly import. Our character should be fortified enough, and we should have enough for our minds to develop, so we are not easily manipulated by others. Patience or tolerance does not mean allowing others to mistreat us. And even with these high stands, it is imperative to that there will be hardships and failures at times, but being successful means trying again and doing our best. Rehearsal will take place when the level of actor’s self-esteem, the level of other’s interest, the degree of attraction between actor and other, the novelty of the behavior, and the extent to which actor can obtain privacy. Having trust in someone is similar to having faith in someone. Without that trust and faith, there is fear and doubt. Trust brings peace, love, and an environment where that love can grow. The essential point is that people will choose those behaviors that are tied to reinforcement. It occurs because human minds make the connection—awareness is an important element in this view of learning. Humans can learn the lessons contained in the reinforcement received by others (vicarious reinforcement), they can provide their own rewards (self-reinforcement), and they can anticipate the future—they can plan their actions in terms of their expectations as to what will follow from their behaviors. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
It is our prayer that we might all place our trust in the Lord, and then, through the integrity of our hearts, earn the trust of our family, friends, and community. As we understand and apply this sacred principle of trust built on integrity, we will be true to our sacred principle of trust built on integrity, we will be true to our sacred covenants. Actors can be creative and create opportunities for themselves, and to some degree they determine what they will be taught. And human beings engage in abstract modeling. They can extract the abstract principles underlying an observed pattern of behavior, and apply those rules to new situations. Essentially, they can develop a conception of a generalized role from the observation of concrete cases. The sociological concept of role-taking suggests that people can put themselves in the place of others through the use of their imaginations and by this means see the situation from other’s perspective. We will also succeed in presiding in our families with love and righteousness, providing the necessities of life, and protecting our families from the evils of the World. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
Discover Your Birthright and Personality
There is no more beautiful sight than a person who glows with the light of the Spirit, who is confident and courageous because he or she is virtuous. One determinant of reference group selection might be termed a normative prescription—the stipulation by a superordinate reference group, or by more general reference norms, that certain individuals, groups, or categories are to be accepted as authoritative in a given situation. For example, some 500 women students in a small, private, liberal arts college in Oakland, California who were asked of eight adults, who were most important to them in making decisions in academic, leisure, and financial areas. Well, fathers were chosen most of the time for academic matters, and mothers for social matters, and this is no surprise because most people are conditioned with gender roles. However, as society changes, more women are often running household and working in high ranking positions, so as more people are exposed to the real World, their views about business and social matters will change. They will see that they can go to either a man or a woman for advice, but when it is more specific information that they need for their gender, then they will go to a man or a woman. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
The definitions may vary for different statuses within the society, and they may further vary from one subgroup to another. For instance, a man would go to his father to get advice on things that relate to manhood and a woman would go to her mother to get advice a women’s concerns, but business and social are more neutral ground for both genders in the real World. In a study of spontaneous references to ethnic group memberships as component of the self-concept, it is predicted that ethnicity is usually more salient to a person who is in the minority; and it usually becomes more salient as the ethnic heterogeneity of a group increases; and it will become more salient as the proportion of an ethnic subgroup in the larger group decreases. It means that people usually become more aware of how they are different from the majority as their socialization group decreases, and no matter at what level, they value the group that they are affiliated with and it becomes more important when their members are removed. It has also been discovered that when people are in segregated situations, they sometimes have high self-esteem, but as situations are desegregated, their self-esteem declines because they have different types of people to compete with and compare themselves too. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
The Lord has blessed us with a very clear understanding of who we are and why we are here on Earth at this time. The Lord loves us, and we love God. It shows in our countenance, in our modesty, in our desire to choose the right, and in our commitment to remain virtuous and pure. We have been warmed by the light of faith. And our hearts remain virtuous. We know that ego may feel much or little emotional commitment to a given norm. Many individuals in our own society do not feel strongly committed to various important norms. Thus, the fact that they must violate internalized norms does not necessarily cause difficulties for people because their commitment to the norms they are breaking may not be very strong. And if the breaking of the norm does come some stress, the gains to be had may represent more than adequate compensation. Generally, social structures increase the likelihood that the actors will be able to solve sociological ambivalence by providing rules for ordering priorities; creating differences in power and interest between the interactants; setting up conditions that permit actors to be insulated from observations by others, which may lead to a moderation of their demands; creating opportunities for actor to form alliances; providing opportunities for actor to form alliances; providing opportunities for actors to leave difficult situations. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
Our visions remain the same. It is to be worthy to make and keep sacred covenants and receive the ordinances of the temple. The key point is that it is based upon the idea that human beings evaluate various course of action and choose those that they believe will maximize their gain. However, there is complexity and disorderliness in social life. Human behavior is in constant flux. Roles are made anew each time people assemble and orient their conduct toward one another. With the tendency to create and modify conceptions of self- and other- roles as the orienting process in interactive behavior, the impression one gets is that new roles emerge out of each interaction. While many suspect that people’s personalities are fixed in childhood, we now know personalities evolve throughout our lives. For instance, when someone gets involved with a career in law enforcement, their personality changes. They become more autorotative and protective. That behavior is not only a part of their career, but it becomes their pervasive norm as a human being. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
Teenagers change as they age because not only is their brain developing, but they also become more accepting of themselves and all that goes along with that. The changes people undergo also has to do with what is going on in a person’s life. As a result of this gradual change, personality can appear relatively stable over short intervals—increasingly throughout adulthood. Adults know they have to mature and cannot be so emotional and as they age they may find certain traits more attractive than others, and so if you assume you know a person, you actually may not. Teens are becoming educated and learning new roles as they become an adult, so they have adopted new characteristics. People are embedded in a social system that affects what occurs in their interactions. Actors behavior is purposive, and the goal is the maximization of their profits. They try to create a situation whose anticipated rewards will exceed the anticipate costs by as much as possible. Actors may set their sights lower than the heights because they believe that the costs associated with the higher reward will be so great as to wipe out additional profits or because they are willing to settle for a lower, but more certain or quicker, payoff. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
It should be sufficient to assert that a cogent analysis of structural effects requires a precise conception of the details of the interaction process. How can one delineate effects without knowledge of the nature of the thing being affected? People come to interaction situations with previously learned role repertories, and they choose particular roles for the encounter, and these roles serve as guides for their actions. We will continue to do all we can to help each other stand in holy places and receive, recognize, and rely on the Holy Ghost. The future is full of noble and birthright. Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither dismayed, for God is with us everywhere we go. We are people of great faith. We brought our faith with us when we came to the Earth. We have fought with our faith and testimony to defend the plan that God presented us with. Dear God in Heaven, please help us accomplish all that needs to be done each day and to find rest. As we work, help us to be productive and peaceful. A we love others, help us to be calm and encouraging. We need your peace in every area of our lives today and always. Thank you. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
A Better Lifestyle with Family Benefits
One basic the basic concepts of forgiveness is that one must be truly repentant, having satisfied justice before forgiveness can take place. There should be no license for sin. God is merciful, but he is also just. An eternal aspect of justice has been decreed by divine law, that God is not mocked: for whatever a person does, is what they shall get back in return. History is made by strong individuals who issue commands to the masses about how to play the game; these leaders fit into the World. This is not the way spiritual history is made; it is made by exceptional people who do not fit into the World, who have a conception of the World other than that given in the games people play. What these people do not realize is that, even with the self-sacrifice of their lives, the most they can achieve is a small change in the rules by which these communal games of humankind are played. Self – (or social) evaluation can come about through a process of comparison with others. An individual’s judgment of how well he or she is doing is formed not only directly, on the basis of appraisals by others, but also indirectly, as a result of comparing his or her situation with that of others. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8
Even in self-evaluations resulting from social comparison, however, normative factors come into play. In the first place, such factors mat specify the group with which the comparison must be made. And second, the comparison has consequences for self-evaluation only to that extent that the standard against which an opinion, performance, or situation is compared has normative force—that is, constitutes an expectation level that carries with it the implication of ought or should. It can be horribly mortifying when we experience the prospect of becoming hopelessly trapped in someone else’s story. And if one can find any way out of our culture, then that is a trap too. Just wanting to get out of the trap reinforces the trap. Many of the classic investigations of reference group behavior have concerned themselves with the consequences of conformity to the perceived prescriptions of some valued group for attitude stability or change. However, what is one to do when they do not want to conform to the group, are not accepted by the group, and the group is like a pervasive cancer, acting as a source of oppression at every move one makes to advance oneself. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8
Sometimes hardworking people with a lot of promise and determination get stuck in awful places. However, what one may consider awful, others might consider a paradise. And it may seem no matter how hard we try to upgrade our lives, nothing seems to work out. One might have thought that years ago, they would be in a better situation. Then they look and are still in the same place and trying even hard to keep a roof over one’s head and advance. Another year rolls around, and they think to themselves, within six months from now, I know I will be in a better place, I cannot see being in this same situation any longer than that. Yet, three more years pass, and they are still in the same place. The influence of a reference group on attitudes or behaviors is a factor that should be considered. The salience of a reference group can increase a subject’s resistance to the propaganda directed against the group or increase the frequency of responses conforming to the norms of that group. That is why some people choose to join church, it helps them to be thankful for the everything in their lives, and they realize that at some point, through an increase in faith, that their hard work and determination will pay off. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8
Still, there is also an account for the ability to maintain a deviant perspective by its anchorage in a significant reference group or individual or have demonstrated that adoption of new reference figures (as through the development of close friendships) is associated with adoption of a new, at times deviant, perspective. For example, the fact that adolescents who use drugs are more likely to report drug use among their friends does not necessarily mean that such use is a consequence of selecting a particular reference group; the choice of reference group may be contingent on drug-taking behavior, or both may be consequences of particular combinations of residential, social, and other statuses. That is why parents who have lived in bad neighborhoods and low-income communities work hard to send their children to school, so they can provide a better environment for them so they do not have to be in a community with gang activity, crimes, and drugs. However, some people are jealous of people who are good, no matter what their situation is, and what do whatever they can to see that person fail. It brings them joy to see someone they do not like struggle and suffer. #RandolphHarris 4 of 8
And then the cycle continues where the good person has to figure a way out of an oppressive situation that they were never meant to experience. As you can see, there are consequences of reference orientations. Yet, love changes everything. Medical studies about young children report that nurturing and supportive parenting can lead to improved physical health and possibly greater intelligence later in life. Kids need love, care, and people to teach them things. The effect of nurturing could be even stronger the younger the child is because it is possible that the brain is more sensitive to change earlier. People who have families are generally more happier and satisfied, and the motivation helps them to live a healthier life. People with families are motivated to eat healthier, exercise more, drink less alcohol, and put themselves in dangerous situations less often. In turn, this suggests that attitudinal similarity may be a potent factor in the formations of groups, which subsequently function as powerful references groups in inducing further attitude change. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8
You have all you need to stand strong and firm and true because you have the Lord on your side. Notwithstanding the afflictions about us, notwithstanding the sordid things we see almost everywhere, notwithstanding the conflict that sweeps across the World, we can be better. I do not know what we did in the preexistence to merit the wonderful blessings we enjoy. We have come to Earth in this great season in the long history of humankind. It is a marvelous age, the best of all. As we reflect on the plodding course of humankind, from the time of our first parents, we cannot help feeling grateful. We promise to love the Lord, to honor him all the time—daytime and nighttime, Summer and Winter, good times and bad times—love the Lord and let that love show by the way we live. We also take time to thank God, take time to ask for help, take time to seek guidance, and then take time to listen. Take time for that still, small voice which will whisper to us, help us, and give us courage. Both laboratory experiments involving the choice of partners for limited kinds of interactions and investigations of friendship choices in the real World have pointed to some sort of similarity as one principle underlying the selection and acceptance of groups that function as normative referents. However, the question immediately arises, similarity with respect to what? #RandolphHarris 6 of 8
Social psychologists tend to emphasize similarity with respect to individual values, attitudes, and other personality characteristics. Another factor is the social structure, which may make one group (individual, category, status, and so forth), more salient than another, in terms of its appropriateness or in terms of its power to confer rewards; the other is normative structure, which may be define one group (individual, category, status, and so forth) a more appropriate or more rewarding. Our Heavenly Father does bless us when we show our love for him in all things. We will stand witness in all places—both public and private, in secret, in dark or in light places; in church, school, home, or cars; in mountain places, or beach places; on the street or in the park. The potency of physical structure is dramatically demonstrated in a field of experiment in which the functional distance between apartments turned out to be a powerful determinant of friendship formation among persons who are similar to one another on a variety of social characteristics. Structural factors also come into play in those situations in which individuals adopt as a point of reference group whose values are quite dissimilar from their own. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8
It is given unto you to judge that you may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain that you make know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night. Stand as an example of a worthy child of God in all places. Heavenly Father, we come to you asking that you come into our lives and heart. As we are learning to discern the prompting of the Spirit, there are so many distractions. It is experience that helps us know good from evil. It is experience that helps us recognize the promptings of the Spirit. Experience can also help us recognize when good feelings are lacking. Dear Father God, we thank you for this wonderful free gift of Salvation and the knowledge that there is nothing left for us to do except to believe in you as our Savior. Thank you for your perfect righteousness and for giving us eternal life, which a special place reserved with us in Heaven, for all eternity. There are no words that can express our love and gratitude for this amazing free gift of grace—thank you. You Father God, are amazing and loving and graceful. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8
Kindness is the Essence of a Celestial Life
Kindness is how Godlike people treat others and should permeate all our words, education, works, and actions. The temporal aspects of exchange relations allow the development of emergent aspects of the relations, such as trust, commitment, solidarity, investments, concerns about justice and equity, and contractual agreements. The most important single feature of the exchange process is the tendency for actors to become—through exchange—drawn into patterns of more or less lasting mutual dependency. However, if one person is more powerful and uses that power advantage to gain benefits, that individual or organization becomes more dependent and the advantage is lost. That is why reciprocity is important is business and intimate relationships. Reciprocity is developed and woven into good enough relationships, sometimes without participants knowing what they are doing. If a relationship is important enough to them, partners will be emotionally invested in it enough to work at building and maintaining it. Business reciprocity as a strategy has huge advantages. People do business with those they know, like, and trust. When you give first, without expecting anything in return, it goes a long way in helping to build the like and trust factor. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9
What is your business giving away? What product, service, bit of knowledge, or piece of information could you charge for, but should probably give away instead? When you give away valuable information or goods and services for free, your business has greatly increased its credibility and likelihood of picking up new customers through this strategy. When someone foes you a solid favor, you feel compelled to return the favor. The same goes for your customers. No good deed goes unpunished. It is completely counterintuitive, but without fail, when you give first (without expecting anything in return), you will get back much more than you initially gave. Competitors may use you, possibly. However, whose credibility and reputation just went up, your business who is providing enormous value for free, or your competitor, who is now trying to sell what you are giving away for free? (Believe this, your competitors will not try to repay a good deed, and if they are stealing your material, they will not understand how or why the law of reciprocity works.) Some of the benefits include search engine optimization, increased brand recognition, and customer loyalty. A charity enduring long, and is kind, and fair, and is not ostentatious, is not easily provoked. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9
If we are not kind to others, we do not honor God. When a competitor is using you or your business and providing no benefit in return, and they become dependent on you, the coalition formation will transform the structure of the network, redistributing power to your advantage, and eventually you will be able to vertically integrate markets and channels of distribution. Vertical integration is a strategy where a company expands its business operations into different steps on the same production path, such as when a manufacturer owns its supplier and/or distributor. Family lines can be analyzed similarly with kin-based economic opportunities flowing down and filial loyalty and support flowing up across generations. Examples of negatively connected networks include competitive economic market structures, dating networks and friendship networks. Most concrete networks involve connections of both types. If we do not have charity, we are nothing, for charity never fails. Therefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail, but charity is the pure love of God, and it will endure forever, and those whoso are found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with God. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9
Judging from the frequent occurrence of such words as power, influence, dominance, and submission, status, and authority, the importance of power is widely recognized. When I was in college and studying for my final examines, my grandmother asked me did I pray to God to help me on my exams. Even though I was raised in the church, I did not understand, at that time, how God could help me with my education. I did not yet see spirituality as a holistic concept. Nevertheless, I prayed to God and that semester in college I got a 3.83 grade point average, and the next semester God helped me earn a 4.0 grade point average and I was accepted into an honors program to attend college overseas. Each student had to have a 4.0 grade point average to be accepted. Power relations are frequently intransitive. The scriptures teach us that the righteous exercise of our ability is dependent upon our living the principles of kindness, charity, and love. By kindness, and pure knowledge, we shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile. Social structure is created, maintained, and changed through symbolic interaction, and once created is a constraining interaction. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9
If people do something anyway, there is no need to have a norm prescribing it. The norm is redundant. It is a waste of time prescribing things that people are going to do even if they are not prescribed. Let us examine our lives and determine to follow the Savior’s example by being kind, loving, and charitable. And as we do so, we will be in a better position to call down the powers of Heaven for ourselves, for our families, and for our fellow travelers in this sometimes difficult journey back to our Heavenly home. We have a deep tendency to create social ties through exchange of gifts. Exchange theory offers a soft interpretation of power. Exchange theory emphasizes mutually beneficial exchange rather than coercion. Therefore, power inequalities are seen to result from asymmetric or unilateral exchange. Stated differently, power inequality stems from unequal dependence. However, a person does not necessarily require a Church calling, an invitation to help someone, or even good healthy to become an instrument in God’s hands. Domination is usually found in institutionalized forms of power called authority, embedded in or deriving from a legitimate social order. Both weak and the strong party can gain through the yielding act of a weak person. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9
Power, like exchange, can be symmetrical and even equal. Domination can take purely coercive forms, but taken by itself, coercive rule is unstable and costly. Stable and enduring forms of domination are based upon claims of and beliefs in the legitimacy of domination (including the right to use coercive force). When legitimized, domination is called authority. Different bases for legitimacy generate qualitatively different systems of authority. Three pure types of authority can be analytically distinguished, deriving their legitimacy from rational-legal, charismatic, and traditional sources. Concrete empirical systems approximate those types in varying degree. However, none of the forms of domination can be conceptualized properly on the basis of exchange. Charity and love are the greatest principles in existence. If we can lend a helping hand to the oppressed, if we can assist those who are despondent and in sorrow, if we can uplift and ameliorate the condition of humankind, it is our mission to do it, it is an essential part of our religion to do it. When we feel love for God’s children, we are given opportunities to help them in their journey back to his presence. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9
Power and influence are based upon exchange processes, but domination and authority are not. There are two diametrically contrasting types of domination. Domination by virtue of constellation of interests (in particular: by virtue of a position of monopoly), and domination by virtue of authority. The purest type of the former is monopolistic domination in the World; of the latter, patriarchal, magisterial, or princely power. God has asked us to journey, go on missions, accept callings, invite someone to church, or help someone in need. The Lord will grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with the, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, others to the knowledge of truth. Do we really want to be instruments in God’s hands? If so, our desire will permeate our prayers and be for focus of our reality. It may be conformity with respect to a belief, an attitude, a value, a behavior; it may be conceptualized as deviance from one set of norms, that than adherence to another; it may be thought of as conformity to the norms of a group to which the individual aspires to belong rather than to those of one in which he or she currently hold membership. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9
What do all of these have in common in shaping of behavior, feeling, or thought in accordance with that of a referent, and to the extent that such attitudes and behaviors are organized around a particular social status (student, mother, father, teacher), the consequence of normative reference orientation is socialization or anticipatory socialization. It illuminates social mobility, acculturation, attitude change. May our minds be enlightened and the cloud of darkness lifted from us. Let us see with our spiritual eyes. Financial difficulty is a reality faced by millions of people. There is precious little money for the essentials—things like food, mortgage, rent, car repairs, and luxuries like dining out and going to the opera or theater. That is a reality in many households. However, fear not. God is there and he has already given you the key to prosperity: prayer. It is not just a matter of asking for money, there is more to it than that. God, we come to you with thanksgiving for all you have given us, and how you have blessed and sustained us for all this time. We lift up to you our finances and that you for your words and promises that you will supply all of our needs. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9
We pray that you will bless us with your provision now. Open the storehouse of Heaven and pour financial blessings up us. Give us wisdom as to how to handle all finances, and keep us from making any foolish decisions. Bless our work with success. Reveal to us how we can earn more and handle our finances more efficiently. Show us where we have spent unwisely and how we can reduce our debt and expenses. Show us if we are doing what you want us to do, or if you have other work for us. Open our eyes to see where we are not ling your way with regard to our finances. Teach us how to spend, save, invest and better organize our money and resources such a land, estates, travel, and other forms of capital. We know that our true treasure is found in you. Forgive us for any times when we have not fully loved out that truth. We choose to seek you, God, and your kingdom first and foremost in our lives, trusting that you will provide all we require. It is our glory that we may be an instrument in the hands of God, to bring some soul to repentance; and this is our joy. May our confidence in God increase. God treasures those who help his children (grown and youthful). Kindness is key to a celestial life. #RandolpHarris 9 of 9
Speak the Truth?
Some voices speak of the things of the World, providing useful information we need to make our way in mortality. Others, whom are called alternate voices speak on important subjects without calling or authority. The alternate voices are conducting Psychoanalytic character assassination. It is a pathography, and is dignified as a scientific endeavor designed to find out fact rather than destroy reputations. That form of analysis has become the worst enemy of the soul. It killed what it analyzed. The individual conducting the psychoanalytic analysis lacked any trace of self-mastery, and seemed to be altogether unrestrictedly at the mercy of their instincts. The analysis displayed the unconscious mechanisms of which, moreover, implicated they have that mental disease, schizophrenia. They acted as false prophets in their dehumanizing organizations, whining and trotting about, listening to a chorus of voices in their heads. Many people have heard the things reported by these alternate voices, and as a result some people have been misled, put in danger, and the work of the Lord can suffer. #RandolphHarris 1 of 10
Our age has witnessed the decline of a number of subject, and has suffered more amazingly in this respect than rhetoric. When one recalls that a century ago rhetoric was regarded as the most important humanistic discipline taught in our colleges—when one recalls this fact and contrasts it with the very different situation prevailing today—one is forced to see that a great shift of valuation has taken place. Alternate voices are pursuing selfish personal interests, such as property, pride, prominence, or power. Other voices are the bleatings of lost souls who cannot heart the voice of God and trot about trying to find their way without his guidance. Some of these voices call out guidance for others—the lost leading the lost. Many alternate voices are of those whose avowed or secret object is to deceive and devour the children of God. The great shift in valuation, of course, is the movement away from the value-laden languages of theology and tragedy, poetry and prose, in short of the humanities, and toward the ostensibly value neutral languages of junk science. This attempt to escape, or to deny, valuation is, for obvious reasons, especially important and dangerous in psychology, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, and the so-called social sciences. #RandolphHarris 2 of 10
Indeed, one could go as far as to say that the specialized language of these disciplines serve virtually no other purpose than to conceal valuation behind an ostensibly scientific and therefore nonvaluational semantic screen. There have always been alternate voices whose purpose or effect is to deceive. Alterative voices are heard in magazines, on TV, in journals, newspapers, in lectures, and conferences. Language, which is thus predicative, is for the same cause sermonic. We do not wish to isolate people from alternative voices, but it is important to teach correct principles and then leave people to govern themselves by personal choices. We are all of us preachers in private or public capacities. We have no sooner uttered words than we have given impulse to other people to look at the World, or some small part of it, in our way. Language is intended to be sermonic. Because of its nature and its intimacy with our feelings, it is always preaching. This brings us to the necessity of concluding that the upholders of mere dialectic are among the most subversive enemies of societies and culture. That is why it is important to listen to the voice or source that can provide a spiritual quality, which informs, but uplifts people. #RandolphHarris 3 of 10
Among these subversive enemies, social scientists can be very high on the list. If science deals with the abstract and the universal, rhetoric is near the other end, dealing in significant art with the particular and the concrete. All of these reasons combine to show why rhetoric should be considered the most humanistic of the humanities. It is credited to individual people in their individual situations, so that by the very definitions of the terms here involved, it takes into account what science deliberately, to satisfy its own purposes, leaves out. If a source is bias, it is a threat to human freedom and dignity. Your medical records are considered confidential information under federal privacy rules established by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. However, you still may become the victim of improper disclosure of medical records through a data security breach, the improper maintenance of records, or the unauthorized snooping of your patient file. The law states you have a right to sue for invasion of privacy or breach of doctor-patient confidentiality, and receive damages as compensation for injuries suffered as a result of the disclosure of medical records. #RandolphHarris 4 of 10
The idea of humaneness, the demarcation between the human and nonhuman being, is characterizes as the bearing and behavior that a paradigmatic individual exhibits in order to promote a flourishing human community. A slave is one who cannot speak or communicate one’s thoughts. Which raises the question: Is a person a slave because one cannot speak nor communicate one’s thoughts, or is one a slave because one in not permitted to communicate? Humaneness springs from an internal source, namely human nature. This means that humane conduct is an outgrowth of inherent traits, and hence moral or humane conduct comes from the virtue of humaneness. Goodness is a moral behavior. The internalization of virtue advocates that humanness, rightness, properity, and intelligence all are virtues that can and should be performed. The mind’s feeling of pity and compassion is the sprout of humaneness; the mind’s feeling of shame and aversion is the sprout of rightness; the mind’s feeling of modesty and compliance is the sprout of propriety; and the mind’s sense of right and wrong is the sprout of wisdom. #RandolphHarris 5 of 10
One’s natural tendencies enable one to do good; human nature is good. When one does what is not good, it is not the fault of one’s native capacities. The mind of pity and commiseration is possessed by all human beings. While it is understood that some people have to be tough and mean to stay safe, and they may have to defend their homes, it does not mean they are bad people. God loves us all and we should not judge each other, we all sin. And sometimes our sins keep us safe. For instance, we cannot say what we always think as it may cause problems. On Bewitched in an episode called Speak the Truth, which originally aired 16 December 1965, Endora magically makes everyone speak the truth, and chaos ensured. Darrin told his wife that he did not find her beautiful with rollers in her hair, he also told a client that the was worthless, did not like working on his account, although the product was great, he wanted a more prestigious account. A lot of people’s feelings got hurt because they did not truly know what they were saying. They did not take the time to craft their messages in a constructive honest way. #RandolphHarris 6 of 10
Another important issue is racism, especially with rap music and TV shows using certain words. Some people thing just because people use certain words, regardless of if they should be used or not, makes them racist, but that may not be the case. I tried to explain to someone that Archie Bunker, from All in the Family, was not truly racist, he just did not have much experience with other cultures and some of the people he was around were not friendly to other culture. However, Archie Bunker never went out of his way to hurt people and he never assaulted any one, expect for the one time he was trying to defend a Puerto Rican lady from a thug. On the TV show, The Jeffersons, in an episode called Me and Mr. G, which aired originally 12 December 1979, Louise, George’s wife takes in a troubled orphan for a week. The girl really opens up to George Jefferson, and starts calling him Mr. G. However, George called one of his neighbors a derogatory term, and the told the little girl it was okay to use that term. So, she called a social worker that name, and they removed her from Mr. G’s custody. The little girl was not racist, she did not even know what it meant, but it was a term she learned. They have to explain to her that it was not okay to use that word because it hurts people. #RandolphHarris 7 of 10
People sometimes misuse language because they are mad, angry, hurting, or confused, but that does not necessarily make them a bad person. They just may need to be taught not to use those words. A lot of rap music uses a word that makes many people uncomfortable and I am surprised they are still allowed to use it. Imagine how uncomfortable it would be to be in the car with someone and a rapper uses the N word. Or imagine how offended you might be if you hear someone listening to music and they sing along and use the N word. And although it may be offensive it does not necessarily make someone racist. Racism is more when you allow certain cultures to break laws others have to obey or when you target someone because of their culture, ethnic background, race, gender, or medical condition and purposely hurt them, physically, mentally, systematically, and verbally. Some people sin because they like to. They do not have to, but it brings them great joy to hurt others and they will eventually be judged by the laws of human and God. #RandolphHarris 8 of 10
Some of life’s most complicated decision involve mixtures of good and evil. To what extent can one seek the benefit of something good one desires when this can only be done by simultaneously promoting something bad one opposes? That is a personal decision, but it needs to be made with a sophisticated view of the entire circumstance and with a prayer for Heavenly guidance. The noble person has as one’s nature humaneness, rightness, decorum and wisdom, which, being rooted in one’s heart, grows apparent in the brightness of one’s countenance. Dear God, loving essence of all there is. Please fill us with your sacred presence. We ask for your love and guidance and for your blessing, as we explore the deep reaches of our heart. May you grant us assistance in releasing that which stands in the way of true love. Make our hearts pure and our intentions clear. Please bring us to our most perfect partners. We seek someone who enhances us by their very being, who brings more love, joy, peace, and prosperity to our lives, who we can fully love, and who can fully receive our love. In our presences, we wish to see people who loves, honor, and cherish us completely and always. #RandolphHarris 9 of 10
May our hearts be open and head be clear. May life be ready to welcome true love. God, embrace us in a circle of your love and may we be uplifted by your grace. We seek learning by studying the accumulated wisdom of various disciplines and by using the powers of reasoning placed in us by our Creator. We should also seek learning by faith in God, the giver of revelation. Many great discoveries and achievements in science and the arts have resulted from a God-given revelation. Seekers who have paid the price in perspiration have been magnified by inspiration. The acquisition of knowledge by revelation is an extra bonus to seekers in the sciences and the arts, but is the fundamental method for those who seek to know God and the doctrines of his gospel. In this area of knowledge, scholarship and reason are insufficient. A seeker of truth about God must rely on revelation. The way to revelation is righteousness. Diligently seek and we shall have the mysteries of God unfolded unto us by the power of the Holy Ghost. It is important to have our minds on the things of God. Whatever it is, always know you can go to God, and he will handle it. #RandolphHarris 10 of 10
Matsuri Takahashi’s Employer Decides it was Time for her to Die
Hard work and sacrifice have long been synonymous with Japan, and strong social expectations make people work hard to be successful. However, Matsuri Takahashi (age 24), a beautiful young lady, promising graduate of Japan’s top university, leapt to her death 25 December of 2015, leaving being a trail of letters relentlessly begging for help. She worked over 265 hours in October of 2015. That is a total of 13.25 hours a day, five days a week, for a month. Matsuri Takahashi’s death was labeled “Karoshi” or death by overwork. The government warned her employer, Dentsu, and others that some of their employees were in danger of dying from being worked to death. In one year, 191 people have died from being overworked. Dentsu was reported to have worked Matsuri Takahashi so hard at their advertisement firm because they wanted more revenue. Because Dentsu ignored government regulations, their offices were raided, and Dentsu’s President Tadashi Ishii took full responsibility and resigned as president at a board meeting in January of 2016. Tadashi Ishii reported that Dentsu and a company employee had been referred to prosecutors by the Japanese labor ministry’s, Tokyo labor bureau on suspicion of violating labor standards. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5
Many people wondered why did Matsuri Takahashi just not quit her job? Well, employees often feel a debt of gratitude for being hired and are reluctant to quit even if conditions are bad. Others, especially new hires, feel they have to work longer hours than their colleagues to get promoted. A Tokyo court ruled that the advertising giant made staff work beyond legal limits, and could not forget the death of Matsuri Takahashi, especially because the company ignored warnings that the employees were in danger of dying, and had been asking for help, but were ignored. Dentsu was fined just 500,000 yen ($6,050). At the very least, it must be granted that the knowledge of death depends not only upon experience, but also upon a level of mental culture that makes it possible to interpret experience accurately. It is just tragic that this young lady thought that the only way she could escape was through sacrificing her life on Christmas day. She kept asking for help and clearly felt her life was in danger and was stressed out and decided to end it on her own terms. She probably sat up at night thinking about how much she wanted to live and what would happen if she killed herself and finally gave up her life. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5
Death reminds us that there is a spirit in humans. As we viewed the remains of our young friend, Matsuri Takahashi, it was obvious that more than blood had left her body. The light of her spirit no longer animated in her facial expression, nor the twinkle in her eyes. The smile that would light up the room was gone. She had her life taken from her at a tender, young age. However, it is important to remember that Matsuri Takahashi was good young lady and very successful. Just as we are born to parents to greet us, we also have eternal families. There are caring family members to greet her spirit, and other spirits in Heaven, and they will assist her in the adjustment to a new life. While standing before the casket, we thought that the separation was not only a shock for her mother, friends, family, colleagues, but also for the community and the World as well. We are sure she wishes should could tell her mother once more how much she loves her. This is just a reminder that the purpose of life is to teach and show others the love of God. If you know someone is truly suffering and has no way out, one should try to help them solve the problems they are having, even if you have to talk to their boss or report the person who is terrorizing them to the proper authorities. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5
Death, even if accidental, must be part of the plan. Perhaps Matsuri Takahashi gave her life to be a voice for those who are being abused and cannot get help. Developing faith in and coming to know one’s Creator is at the core of the plan. Having hope with regard to one’s eternal destiny and experiencing joy must also be part of life’s purpose. Death teaches that we do not experience a fullness of joy in mortality and that everlasting happiness can be achieved only with the assistance of God. God will help grieving parents and loved ones have faith in his plan, death’s void is softened just a little as we understand that our loved one’s have passed into Heaven and are no longer suffering in pain. This realization will help broken hearts and give peace. A divine prescription for this healing has been given by our Heavenly Father, which has eternally significant implications. Remember to plead to the Lord for mercy, strength, and forgiveness until one receives it through the Holy Ghost. You will be blessed with peace of conscience. The moment God put a dream in your heart, the moment the promise took foundation, know that God will bring your dreams to come true. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5
Just know that you will go beyond your barriers and become everything God created you to be, and you will have everything God intended for you to have. Ultimate forgiveness comes from the Lord to the repentant individual. He or she knows by the power of the Holy Ghost when forgiveness has come. God, our Father, your power brings us to birth, your providence guides our lives, and by your command we return to Heaven. Lord, those who die still live in your presence, their lives change, but do not end. I pray in hope for our families, relatives, friends, and for all the dead known to us. Those who have died may they rejoice in the Kingdom of God, where all our tears are wiped away. Unite us together again in one family, to sing your praise forever and ever. Wait on God, and he will work, but do not wait in spiritual sulks because you cannot see an inch in front of you! Are we detached enough from our spiritual hysterics to wait on God? To wait is not to sit with folded hands, but to learn to do what we are told. God never made a promise that was too good to be true. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5
Randolph Harris II International 