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The Prisoner’s Dilemma is the Best-Known Game of Strategy
The World is incredible and there are so many amazing opportunities available to a large percentage of people. Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. This may perhaps be surprising, for most people—at least those in the Christian cultural tradition—are likely to think that beliefs in God and in immortality must go together. They are inclined to take it for granted that the main if not the only point of immortality—and sometimes perhaps of God, too—is to provide inordinate rewards and punishments. People tend to resist accepting evidence that contradicts their beliefs. Sometimes however, they have no choice. Eventually, people admit that Ariel the Little Mermaid does not exist. Belief perseverance, the persistence of notions people already accept, is a powerful thing. Motivated to protect self-esteem and avoid feeling foolish for believing incorrectly, people can ignore inconsistencies, make up rational-seeming explanations, reject new evidence, or otherwise justify sticking to their original beliefs. They might be right to do so. The new evidence might be wrong. Beliefs can be wrong, too, though. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9
A belief is a probability judgment that links some object or concept to some attribute. The terms object and attribute are used in a generic sense and both terms may refer to any discriminable aspect of an individual’s World. For example, I may believe that cigarettes (an object) are harmful to health (an attribute) or that my quitting smoking (an object) will reduce my capacity to work (an attribute). The content of the belief is defined by the object and attribute in question, and the strength of the belief is defined by the person’s subjective probability that the object-attribute relationship exists (or is true). An attitude is a bipolar evaluative judgement of the object. It is essentially a subjective judgment that I like or dislike the object, that it is good or bad, that I am favorable or unfavorable toward it. Once again, the term object is used in a generic sense. Thus, I may have attitudes toward people (exempli gratia, smokers), institutions (exempli gratia, the Federal Trade Commission), events (exempli gratia, the release of the Surgeon General’s report on smoking), behaviors (exempli gratia, my quitting smoking), outcomes (exempli gratia gaining status in the eyes of my friends), and so on. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9
An intention is a probability judgment that links the individual to some action. An intention is also an impulse for an action which has already found approbation, but whose execution is postponed for a suitable occasion. An intention can be viewed as a person’s belief about his or her own performance of a given behavior. Intentions can be general (exempli gratia, I will quit smoking) or specific (exempli gratia, I will not smoke any cigarettes at John’s party tonight), and they vary in intensity. Like other beliefs, intentions are usually measured by obtaining some index of the individual’s subjective probability that he or she will perform the behavior in question. Now, in the interval thus created, sufficient change may take pace in the motive to prevent the intention from coming to execution. It is not, however, forgotten, it is simply revised and omitted. For the case in which a specific behavior is to be predicted, the individual has certain beliefs about the probable consequences of the specific act that are the determinants of the attitude toward that act. In addition, the actor attributes specific behavioral expectations to references groups, individuals, or other social agents. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9
The totality of these expectations as perceived by the individual constitute the subjective norm concerning the behavior in question. Thus, a person’s behavior and one’s subjective norm. It is important to emphasize norms and attitudes are predictive of behavioral intentions. Thus, the ability of attitudes to predict behavior is dependent upon the strength of the link between behavioral intentions and behavior. One variable that can have an effect on the strength of the relation between behavioral intentions and behaviors is the time that has elapsed between the measurements of the intentions and the observations of the behaviors. Among the problems involved are the stability of the independent variable (intentions) and the operation of unanticipated situational factors that reduce the relationship between the variables of immediate concern. If I resolve in the morning to carry out a certain intention in the evening, I may be reminded of it several times in the course of the day, but it is not at all necessary that it should become conscious throughout the day. As the time for its execution approaches, it suddenly occurs to me and induces me to make the necessary preparation for the intended actions. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9
If I go walking and take a letter with me to be posted, it is not at all necessary that I, as a normal, not nervous individual, should carry it in my hand and continually look for a letter-box. As a matter of fact, I am accustomed to put it in my pocket and give my thoughts free rein on my way, feeling confident that the first letter-box will attract my attention and cause me to put my hand in my pocket and draw out the letter. This normal behavior is a formed intention corresponds perfectly with the experimentally produced conduct of a persons who are under a so-called post-hypnotic suggestion to perform something after a certain time. The suggested intension slumbers in the person concerned until the time for its execution approaches. Then it awakes and excites the action. However, other variables can effect the strength of the link between intentions and behavior. First, an individual has to have a high degree of correspondence in the levels of specificity at which both behavioral intention and behavior are measured. Second, this relationship depends upon the degree to which the individual’s behavior is under volitional control. Contextual variables do limit the choices available to the actor. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9
There is some evidence that the incorporation of measures of personal normative beliefs (that is, the degree to which individuals feel that they personally should perform the behavior in question) would improve the predictive power of the model. The situational variables may alter the individual’s beliefs about the consequences of the behavior which, in turn, will result in a change in attitude. The situational variables may alter the individual’s normative beliefs which, in turn, will result in a change in the subjective norm. The situational variables reduce the association between behavioral intentions and behavior. Therefore, if the link between behavioral intentions and behavior is tenuous, then a mode that predicts behavioral intentions may be of limited interest to those still concerned with the prediction of behavior. That is why staging a crime and predicting how an individual will respond, then by passing a jury trial and sentencing an individual based on a likelihood that they will respond as predicted is unlawful. People often base predicted behavior on how they would respond and it may not be an accurate prediction for the target because there may be other variables at play which have not be considered. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9
Dispositional factors are combined measures of attitudes with measures of personality traits, values, beliefs, or perceived norms in the attempt to explain additional variance in behavioral criteria. Also, the probability of attitudinal change is greater when the individual is unfamiliar and not highly involved with the attitudinal object. Such results suggest that predicting the behavior of the uncertain, uninvolved, and uninformed may require knowledge of more variables than are needed to predict the behavior of those who are certain, involved, and informed. Behavior can be more predictable when one considers attitudes toward the particular act toward a particular object. Situational variables prove that even if attitudes are highly stable, salient, personal characteristics, we should not expect high correlation between attitudes and behaviors under all conditions. Attitudes have predictable relationships with behavior to the extent that the actor has reliable expectations of the behavioral situation. However, it is hard to imagine anyone playing Prisoner’s Dilemma outside the laboratory. Two completely rational individuals might not cooperate, even if it appears that it is in their best interest to do so. There could be underlying factors, such as moral, values, logic, finances, and health that would act as inhibitors. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9
Even when situational variables also have been manipulated by a number of investigators in an effort to explore the impact of such variables on attitudinal-behavioral consistency, there could still be some strong inhibition to reacting as predicted. Even though, consistency can be influenced by direct interpersonal pressures and apparently by anticipated behavioral visibility or disclosure. Individuals who are informed and involved are resistant to attitudinal change. Therefore, staging crime and treating the victim’s response as a geometrical proof is not only illegal so you can convict them based on algorithms and predictions, can lead to a criminal conspiracy because it is an abuse of justice and it is not what the criminal justice system is about. No one should be able to abuse the law in such a matter just to seek revenge. In addition, such an act would take several parties to produce and would leave behind a lot of evidence as to what actually occurred and once the conspiracy is unraveled, all of the participants will be punished. We have seen cases where a criminal seeks revenge on the victim and spends years plotting the perfect take down and gets others involved. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9
People in high positions of authority and in prominent positions may help to facilitate the criminal in getting revenge on one’s target, but in doing so they are aiding and abetting a criminal in the commission of a crime, which means not only are they supporting the criminal and deeming his or her criminal act as acceptable, but they are now also an accessory to the crime itself. An accessory is a person usually not present when the crime itself is committed, but he or she has knowledge of the crime before or after the fact, and may assist in its commission through advice, actions, or financial support. Someone aids and abets a crime if he or she knows of the perpetrator’s unlawful purpose and he or she specially intents to, and does in fact, assist, facilitate, promote, encourage, or instigates the perpetrator’s commission of the crime. At some point, the group involved in the conspiracy has to admit they are wrong, but more than likely, they will keep playing the game, which has become a criminal conspiracy until they are arrested. “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish (Isaiah 41.11).” #RandolphHarris 9 of 9
Yes, Cry Over that Spilled Milk!
People often say that there is no use of crying over spilled milk. However, sometimes there is a point; maybe crying over spilled milk today will help me to avoid spilling more milk tomorrow. My old man? Do not be stupid. My old man? Let me tell you, he was never wrong about nothing. Do not tell me my father was wrong. Let me tell you something, a father who made you is wrong? A father, the breadwinner of the house there? The man who goes out and busts his butt to keep a roof over your heard and clothes on your back you call him wrong? Father, that is the man that comes home, bringing you candy. Father is the first guy to throw a baseball to you. And take you for walks in the park holding you by the hand. My father held me by the hand, hey, my father had a hand on him though, I tell you. He busted that hand once, and he busted the other on me to teach me to do good. My father, he shoved me in a closet for seven hours to teach me to do good, because he loved me. Do not be looking at me. Let me tell you something, you are supposed to love your father because your father loves you. How can any man whose loves you tell you anything that is wrong? My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5
It is important to consider the past carefully in order to learn from it. Sometimes we also need to consider the future carefully. Planning for the future is an important part of life and something that all parents try to teach their children. We find societies that are open to outsiders are extremely careful and strict in the behavior of individual members toward each other. We may find a romantic revolutionary system that wants to create a new World for everybody; in this case, the behavior of the members toward each other becomes of extreme importance and is firmly controlled. Thus, the social self—self-presentation—becomes crucially important and well defined. There is corresponding pressure on social rules to make self-presentation identical with the private self, that is, to open the private self to inspection. Authenticity, public self-analysis, and communal living become accepted life styles. Our sense of time is altered in these moments of deep and intense experience, so we know what now means. We feel at home in that now, in that eternity, because this is where we really are. We cannot be in the future and we cannot be in the past; we can only be in the present. We are only real to the extent to which we are living in the present here and now. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5
At the other extreme are societies that overemphasize group conditions. These societies stress duty toward society, show suspicion of outsiders, use magic to protect their personal boundaries, and distrust having new ideas come in our having their own knowledge go out. Fatherhood is something of prestige and power. The father possesses the idea and ideas as part of his inheritance. The virtual and spiritual gem that he receives and transmits eminently contains that specific and social characteristics of human being: stable essence, entelechy, final cause and supreme reason. Group memberships has consequences for the person, and these consequences are what make groups in society so important. We can represent this aspect of group membership by the statement that a group has power over its members. There is something distinctive in this power: it goes beyond the power of one individual may have over another; the channel of influence of one person over another cannot account fully for the effect of various group members on each other. There is something in the group as an entity which in itself is a source of power. The moral premise is that the law requires us to promote the highest good, which involves a perfect correspondence between the morality and happiness of every individual. However, the only guarantee of the possibility of this correspondence would be the existence of God, presumably because God alone would possess the power necessary to achieve it. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5
The group itself is the source of power above and beyond the power of the individuals composing it. In this sense, the group has an individuality, a separate meaning for its members. This meaning may be given by a name, “our family,” “our community,” but also by goals that membership in the group can mediate, say, prestige through being in a select circle, making the congenial friends through being members of the community. We speak of this attraction to the group itself as cohesion. The average strength of the motives enforces group cohesion. Loyalty to a group may differ over space and time; family and community cohesion may last over a long time and is often reinstated when it is lost. However, even weak cohesion, dependent on a short, common experience can be reinstated; alumni of one event, such as one blizzard, will arrange meetings after years. By being part of cohesive groups, a person accepts a willingness to cooperate as the price of staying a member. Thus, membership in a group leads to openness of influence by the group. A certain uniformity in behavior or attitudes results: this may be expressed quite formally—members of a group wear certain clothes or certain badge or profess certain beliefs. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5
Circles, especially, are founded on common beliefs. In determination of attitudes, communities are seen to be important. The stronger the cohesion, the stronger the influences toward conformity in general. This rule is not uniform over all potential issues, but only on issues that are important to the existence of the group. A church group may allow differences on supporting baseball teams; a fan club may include people of different religions. In fact, the longer and more intensely a group exists, the more easily can important and unimportant issues be distinguished. A secure, established group can tolerate differences about peripheral issues, that a new, insecure group cannot. Even without formal rules, the group members are dependent on the agreement of those who are members of those intimate groups. In fact, people may join groups to obtain this reinforcement. When this core of belief is established, an effort will be made to have all the members of group accept these standards. Efforts will be made to convince those who disagree, but if these fail, deviates will be excluded from group membership. We love strength. We love the World. Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5
I Don’t Want it!
A variety of interpersonal and intrapersonal processes lead people to underestimate the degree to which the personality of others is in varying degrees from one relationship to another. They also help to explain why outsiders often misjudge the character of a relationship. Not only are many facets of a relationship shrouded in privacy, but an outsider’s view is greatly colored by his or her relationship with each partner. The partners are different persons to some extent when interacting with the outside observer than they are when interacting with each other. Also, each partner’s assessment of a relationship, like its form, is unique, dependent as it is on the distinctive characteristics of the persons involved and the history of the relationship. Relationships are occurring at two levels, the cognitive and the emotional. People may experience a variety of feelings and engage in particular behaviors they feel belong with a specific type of relationship. Their responses reflect individual differences in personality, including their responses reflect individual differences in personality. They also reflect shared cultural and subcultural definitions of the appropriate feelings and behavior of person who are linked in a particular relationship, as friends, as lovers, as parents and child, and so forth. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
Attractions appears to be augmented by both unpleasant as well as pleasant experiences. Emotional arousal whatever its source, optimistic or pessimistic, maybe experienced as attraction or love and is likely to happen because of the existence of an ideology in Western culture that suggests how persons in the early phase of a heterosexual relationship are supposed to feel. These ideas about how a person should feel and behave when in love are reflected in popular songs and literature throughout the Western World. I have often wondered because of the media, do people actually understand their own emotions, feelings, attitudes, and beliefs, or are the just being programmed by the media and do not understand it? “I want all my clothes designer, I want someone else to buy them. If I can’t get it right now, I don’t want it. Give me all of your attention, give me Summer in the Hamptons. If I cannot get it right now, I don’t want it,” are the lyrics of a song by Kim Petras called I Don’t Want it at All. The lyrics are significant because it shows the attitude of many youth and adults today. They want fancy things and your love, but are not willing to work for it or wait. Society has become increasingly materialistic and focuses on products and instant gratification. After all, people are willing to spend ten hours waiting in line to buy a $1,000.00 phone just because it is new. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
We are raising a bunch of Machiavellian persons, and they consider their goals to be of prime importance. The more extreme the Machiavellianism, the greater harm the person will be ready to indirectly (or perhaps directly) inflict on others to achieve their own goals. If parents were serious about helping their children retire in the future, that $1,000.00 could be put in a wealth account, and at a 6 percent a year interest rate over 65 years, it would produce $44,145 in tax-deferred savings. That is enough for a retired person to live on for a year. Also, the existence of a wealth account from birth would encourage more saving. Delaying gratification and spending can be beneficial. And if parents or grandparents invested $20 more a month, for twenty years, when the child retired that account would be worth over $240,000.00. It requires mindful planning and self-reflection to accomplish bliss within your life. When people go to work they goal is to create more freedom and happiness. The Holy Spirit works sanctification in our mind and soul in the present, and our Heavenly Father will align our minds with our spirits, so we are happier. The more we align our thoughts, will, and emotions with our flesh, instant gratification, and materialism, the less joy we experience. We must renew our minds daily in order to align our thoughts, will, and emotions with the Holy Spirit. And we are happiest when that worthy purpose is the kingdom of God. Labor much in the spirit, wrestle with God in mighty prayers, that he will pour out his Spirit upon you. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
Attraction can be explained in some part based on what is generally acceptable or thought of as normal. Love occurs as a rule in heterosexual relationships rather than in same sexed ones because of our culture encourages the labeling of states of arousal and consequently the experiencing of emotions in the form of love. The development of identity interdependence, along with sexual exploration and other activities typical of courtship, leads to both pleasurable and, at times, uncomfortable states of arousal. The heightened expectations concerning these matters fostered by romanticism, and the uncertainty of their realization, may explain why the intensity of feeling during this early phase of the initiation and consolidation of a relationship is followed by a more placid phase where uncertainty and unevenness in the rewarding quality of experience are replaced by certainty and routine, and the feeling between partners become more like those identified as companionate love. Companionate love is a kind of bond that is characterized by a deep commitment to one another, such as in a long-term marriage where the passion has left but not the deep affection for one another. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
The intensity of feeling characteristic of romantic love or passionate love does appear to recur, either where the situation is heavily laden with supporting cues and definitions, for example, a second honeymoon, or during periods of heightened physiological arousal. A variety of interpersonal and intrapersonal processes lead people to underestimate the degree to which the personality of others is in varying degrees different from one relationship to another. They also help to explain why outsiders often misjudge the character of a relationship. Not only are many facets of a relationship shrouded in privacy, but an outsider’s view is greatly colored by his or her relationship with each partner. The partners are different persons to some extent when interacting with the outside observer than they are when interacting with each other. And that is why married men are sometimes deemed more attractive than single men. Not only are they stable, but outsiders see how nice they are to their wife and children and it paints a picture that makes a man look monogamous and stable and that is what people look for in a mate. Whereas, single people seemed to be influenced by popular culture and are just looking for instant gratification and materialism. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
Commitment can be both viewed as a process and a state of mind. Perhaps because homosexuality is not seen as something desired by parents, many children repress their true feelings and marry the opposite gender because they feel it is the right thing to do. Not that I question Kevin’s sexuality on the situational comedy This is Us, but he was not ready to settle down with his girlfriend because he was not really happy with his life and he forced himself to go buy her three engagement rings, and showed up at her door step, but ended up tell her that he saw nothing but misery in their future because he was not happy with his personal life and did not want to be forced into a marriage, but would marry her if that is what she wanted. That just might explain why companionate love is what happens to most people after years of marriage. They just stick together because it is comfortable and they are committed to each other. Also, because opposite sex couples are deemed as more normal, it could by why homosexual tend to display characteristics that are not in alignment with their gender roles. Perhaps they assume they need to emulate a different gender role to be homosexual. For instance, most gay men are very flamboyant and call each other girl. Whereas a lot of gay women tend to be masculine. Acts of commitment not only increase outcomes and resulting attraction, but are also inherent in the development of power within a relationship. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
Walk after the Holy Order of God
The powerless are frequently canny observers of the workings of society and active agents of resistance. Ongoing subordination is the product of other people’s continuous efforts to dominate, and even the powerless participate in this matrix of domination when they work to protect their privilege, meager as it may be. The development of methods for studying groups has been helped as well as hindered by the peculiar position of the group in human thought. Typically, the motivation for studying groups has been to do something about them, and the methods proposed combine analysis and action. Only when work is further developed can analysis and action be separated. Sociometry, one of the earliest examples of a method designed for the study of groups, was invented by a Dr. Jacob L. Moreno (1889-1974) as an adjunct to psychiatry. Sociometry means the socius—the interpersonal connection between two people. Using the organization of institutionalized groups as a therapeutic device is a method of Sociometry. Sociometry consists of asking individuals about their associative preferences in taking specific actions, such as playing football, making masks, or rooming with others in a house. Examining choice rationales presents other challenges. People tend to be uncomfortable with the process because, for example, they believe that feelings may be hurt or they are confused by their own ambivalences and lack of awareness of their reasons. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5
The purpose is to organize groups by asking people why they make the decisions they make and what things the like and dislike in an effort to put people in groups that they can relate to. Unlike psychology, sociometry does not ask questions and then assume they know the answers, there is an emphasis placed on correctness. However, in some cases, even with a variety of criteria, the results can become so complex that the data is never used. Some people look at participation in experiments as playing a game. The experiment is an activity that is free, separate, uncertain, governed by rules, unproductive, and make-believe; these are the characteristics of games, and such experiments are called analyses of games. The task of the experimenter is, therefore, to have people play a game in which certain generalizable relationships are exhibited. The experimental group does not need to resemble any group functioning in society. The extreme conditions may never be as clear-cut in actual life; what is wanted is the understanding of the effect of particular variables, not a simulation of social conditions. The action is a new creation, invented particularly for the purpose of study. For this reason, however, it represents the general attributes of groups, those aspects that all groups—regardless of their origins—have in common. My soul will always know the power of God’s healing love. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5
God’s greatest desire is for us to see a clear picture of his character. When we see God, we will see him clearly, and find that his love is irresistible. As we begin to experience God’s love, our own lives will start to make more sense. Frequently I think of the church I belonged as a child. It is Elmhurst Seventh-Day Adventist Church, located on 9658 Thermal Street in Oakland, California 94605. The Pastor is Kietrich Germany, Head Elder is Alvin Moses, and the Head Deacon is Arthur Nervis. We used to always go to church early in the morning on Saturday, and it was a tall beautiful white castle, the former Mormon church. Inside there was a lot of beautiful mahogany wood, and these huge stained-glass windows that when the Sun would beam through, the would be cascades of gorgeous colorful rays of green, yellow, read, and blue light that used to make me feel warm and smile. Every time I think of the church we used to belong to and the pledge we made to give our lives over to God, I remember it was God’s sanctuary. And contemplating about it makes me want to devote myself with even greater dedication to the beliefs we share and the community. Sometimes God’s voice speaks through stories, and they teach us how to handle the troubles we face. Others fill us with hope, love, and peace. Each of them is like a personal letter from God to us. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5
My soul longs for the fullness of life, which God will reveal. The family is one of the oldest and most persistent forms of human association. Among its most intriguing characteristics are its biological necessity, the permanent affiliation of its members, it history through the members’ lives, and the strong bonds, beneficial and negative, that hold members together. The main characteristic of the family is the extension of the individual through time. This characteristic links the individual with one’s ancestors and descendants, providing continuity, and transmits the biological as well as social and cultural traits. The family has been a favorite metaphor for group formations and even larger human associations. Thus, within organizations, we see some groups characterized as families or even as siblings or cousin relationships; and even in more abstract relations we find phrases like job families, or colonies referred to as daughters of the mother homeland. Dr. Freud stressed the importance of the family. He used the term family romance as the basic story that humans let play out over and over: the relationship to the mother and then to the father are the basic conditions of human socialization, as well as of its failures. All human associations are models of the family, and develop historically from it. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5
Now, we must understand that the word of God is liberal unto all, and no one has been deprived of the privilege of assembling themselves together to hear the word of God. God loves us and wants to give us all the highest quality of life imaginable. God does not want anything to get in the way of our relationship with him, and we were designed with special talents and skills that have helped us become the uniquely valuable beings that we are. We have built sanctuaries, and we do assemble ourselves together to worship God. We do believe that God will save all people. Nevertheless, the children of God have been commanded that they should gather themselves together, and have mighty prayers on behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who do not know God. God’s love is about you. God has a very special plan for your life. It is a plan with hope, love, peace, and activity that will result in priceless salvation freely and fully without limit. You are all the children of a king. I pray that we all experience eternal life, peace, purpose, forgiveness, transforming grace, an increase in faith and unconditional love. Life is so wonderful that we all want to hang on to it. As we build our faith in God and grow older, we see how much more valuable life is. We know that God’s tender compassion is with us, and we trust God’s promise of eternal life. This is the holy order according to the revelation of the truth. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5
How Come He got the Holy Ghost and Not Me?
There are three ways for language to affect us. It can move us toward what is good; it can move us toward what is evil; or it can, in hypothetical third place, fail to move us at all. What a dream has told us of our relations to the present (reality) we will then seek also in our consciousness, and we must not be surprised if we discover that the monster we saw under the magnifying-glass of the analysis is a tiny little infusorian. For all practical purposes in judging human character, a person’s actions and conscious expressions of thought are in most cases sufficient. Actions, above all, deserve to be placed in the front rank; for many impulses which penetrate into consciousness are neutralized by real forces in the psychic life before they find issue in actions; indeed, the reason why they frequently do not encounter any psychic obstacle on their path is because the unconscious is certain of their meeting with resistances later. In any case, it is highly instructive to learn something of the intensively tilled soil from which our virtues proudly emerge. For the complexity of human character, dynamically moved in all directions, very rarely accommodates itself to the arbitrament of a simple alternative, as out antiquated more philosophy would have it. #RandolphHarris 1 of 10
And what of the value of dreams in regard to our knowledge of the future? That, of course, is quite out of the question. One would like to substitute the words: “in regard to our knowledge of the past.” For in every sense a dream has its origin in the past. The ancient belief that dreams reveal the future is not indeed entirely devoid of truth. By representing a wish as fulfilled the dream certainly leads us into the future; but this future, which the dreamer accepts as his or her present, has been shaped in the likeness of the past by the indestructible wish. Awaken our souls! No longer droop in sin. May our hearts rejoice an give place no more for the enemy of our souls. May the gates of Hell be shut continually before us, because our hearts are broken and spirits contrite! God, do not shut the gates of your righteousness before us, that we may walk in the path of the low valley, that we may be strict in the plain road! God, please encircle us around in the robe of your righteousness! Lord will you make a way for us to escape from our enemies. Will you make our path straight before us! God, please will you not place a stumbling block in our way—but will you clear a way before us, and hedge not up our way, but the ways of our enemies. #RandolpHarris 2 of 10
It was not just a scare tactic employed by our church. I wanted God to show himself to me, so I had no choice, but to get worthy and become a person God paid attention to, before it was too late. I wanted God to be my best friend, so I made it my goal to mention him every day and thank him and tell him what I desire. It is important that we maintain a deep, personal faith. God loves us and he protects us. This makes us want to be good to others. It is generally accepted that all life on Earth has been created by God exactly as it exists in the present, and the belief that life forms cannot change is known as fixity of species. The plan of the entire Universe is viewed as God’s design. The argument from design explains that anatomical structures were planned to meet the purpose for which they were required. Wings, arms, eyes, and so on, fit the functions they perform, and nature was a deliberate plan of the Grand Designer. Also, many people believe that the Grand designer had completed his work fairly recently. An Irish archbishop called James Ussher (1581-1656) analyzed the begat chapter of the Book of Genesis in the Holy Bible and determined that the Earth was created in 4004 B.C. #RandolphHarris 3 of 10
Behold, my soul delights in the things of the Lord; and my heart ponders continually upon the thing which I have seen and heard. Archbishop Ussher was not the first person to suggest a recent origin of Earth, but he was the first to propose a precise date for it. And this date was so important to people, that for decades, book printers put in it Bibles, in the margin next to the Genesis account of the creation. This idea that we have been exposed to has impacted our lives in the most profound way possible. The prevailing notion of Earth’s brief existence, together with the fixity of species, provided a huge obstacle to the development of evolutionary theory because evolution requires time, and the idea of immense geological time, which today we take for granted, simply did not exist. Lord, we have trusted in you forever. We will not put our trust in humans as our saviors; for we know that cursed is one who puts their trust in the human as an idol. Yeah, cursed is one that puts their trust in humanity or the strength of human beings. Yeah, we know that God will give liberally to one who asks. Yeah, our God will give us, if we ask not amiss; therefore, we will lift up our voice unto God, as he is the rock of our righteousness. #RandolphHarris 4 of 10
Behold, our voices shall forever ascend up unto God, our rock and our everlasting God. Truth is the stubborn, objective restraint which evil endures to overcome. Base rhetoric is therefore always trying to keep its objects from the support which personal courage, noble associations, and divine philosophy provides individuals. Naturally enough, examples of the typical base rhetorician are the journalist and political propagandist, who especially avoid true dialectic and the concept of acts without agents; indeed, these features now also apply more closely to the so-called mental-health professional than to anyone else. Contrivance [that is, of base rhetoric] occur on every hand in the impassioned language of journalism and political pleading. In the World of affairs which these seek to influence, the many are kept in a state of pupillage so that they will be most docile. Nothing is more feared than a true dialectic. By discussing only one side of an issue, by mentioning cause without consequence or consequence without cause, act without agents or agents without agency, the cause-and-effect reasoning is blocked. #RandolphHarris 5 of 10
Small groups, as a feature of the social environment, is a convenient place to study many social phenomena; they are laboratories of social life, literally so in the experimental work of social psychology. This, each group represents a reality of social life, in addition to exemplifying more abstract principles of group dynamics. As the base rhetorician uses language to increase his or her own power, to produce convert to his or her own cause, and to create loyal followers of his or her own person—in contrast, the noble rhetorician uses language to wean people away from their inclination to depend readily accept anything they hear without proof, facts, and comprehensive consideration. We also encourage people to think and speak clearly so that they can be their own masters. The rhetoric at its trustiest sense [that is, noble rhetoric] seeks to perfect people by showing them better versions of themselves, links in that chain extending up toward the ideal, which only the intellect can apprehend and only the soul have affection for. This is the justified affection of which no one can be ashamed, and one who feels no influence of it is truly outside the consciousness of the Lord. If we know what happens to one particle, we can predict better what will happen to the other. This can be just as true in the description of a physical object as of a social unit. #RandolphHarris 6 of 10
It is possible to save time by turning people it the sources of spiritual power in their cultural heritage. We can define member of a social group in a similar way, for instance, by saying that is one member’s opinion is changed, this will affect the opinions of the other members of the group. This, of course, is just as true of different parts of the individual, for instance, of various organ systems, or of larger units of a society, of social classes, or of ethnic groups. The unity of groups is just as real as the unity of any other object we may specify. An individual cannot help his or her age; one can only express that it is doomed. And this is the only way in which one can bring help to it. The science of psychoanalysis has not yet acknowledged that human beings come in two genders. However, there is also an ungendered species of humans who do not accept the way they are born and are brained washed into thinking they are something other than what is described by their natural biology. All that is true and noble lies concealed in the origin. As nature is the origin of human life, so language is the origin of human creativity. #RandolphHarris 7 of 10
The base rhetorician seeks to move people toward evil; since it seems to be the nature of people that he or she wants to go to Hell as quickly as possible, it is not surprising the effective base rhetoricians can greatly accelerate this process for millions, and tens or even hundreds of millions of persons. After all, many individuals try to drive people into slavery, as if they are nothing more than human capital. And it makes sense, people who harvest organs value a healthy human being at about $1 million because that is how much they can get by illegally harvesting and selling organs. African American young men, for some reason, are especially vulnerable to these practices. We must urge people to be better than they are, the noble rhetorician cannot possibly succeed in changing those who prefer to remain as they are or become evil. Indeed, because our task is to bring people to themselves, not to us. Therefore, we should be judged on our clarity which we proclaim our counsel. Should not a single person heed our advice, the noble rhetorician will still have to be judged successful in proportion as we succeed in perfecting our own soul by perfecting our own language and behavior. #RandolphHarris 8 of 10
Success is purifying one’s self by purifying one’s own language. Did you know people who drink a lot of alcoholic beverages can develop gout in both legs and will eventually be confined to a wheel chair? It is fruitful to look at the small group as an extension of an individual in space or time. After all, the individual could not exist without the tradition of human culture as it has been developed, or without any other fellow human beings to keep one in the human condition. Many traits that makes us human are only developed and take on meaning from association with others, and from their meaning beyond individual lives. Examples of this would be the capacity for language and for nonverbal communication, the agility necessary for tool use, which depends on cooperation, and the capacity of the young to learn the culture of their society. The young, especially, by being born unprotected and needing a social group for a long time, assure human continuity. A child learns that obtaining real satisfaction is possible only through the medium of another person, and thus the circle between perception of a need, such as hunger and its gratification includes signaling and influencing another person who can supply nourishment. Dr. Freud constructed an early model of this interpersonal relationship as a basic part of the individual self. #RandolphHarris 9 of 10
These scriptures, which you had not with you, the Heavenly Father commanded that we should share them with you; for it is wisdom in one that they should be shared for generations. In many other ways, the development of a complete human being is emotionally as we as instrumentally incomplete without direct interaction with others. Social atom is distinct from physical atoms. Groups can be studied according to their common features as types of social atoms. One can also classify groups into different types according to their function in the social World, and according to some characteristics, such as their existence in time and space, the relationship between the members and between groups, or by abstract characteristics. And God did expound all things, even from the beginning until the time that he should come in his glory—yeah, that all people, and all kindreds, and all nations and all languages shall stand before God, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—if they be good to the resurrection of everlasting life; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of damnation. May we all be found to be good. Bless it be. #RandolphHarris 10 of 10
A Performance Expectation–Live a Great Story!
Fifteen minutes a day, for one year adds up to over ninety-one hours. Lord, it is good for us to be here. It is good for all of us to have been here. We pray that the same sweet spirit which has prevailed will continue with us, and that our record of prowess and skill are forever safe, as the group is task-oriented, patient, caring, thoughtful, and good at listening. In the interior of our consciousness, each of us has a private hall of fame reserved exclusively for the real leaders who have influenced the direction of our lives. This means that the members envision future events or states of the World that their present activities may help bring about or prevent, and they define some possible future events or states of the World as success and others as failure. We need not assume they know exactly what constitutes success, merely that they assume that when the time arrives they will know whether they have succeeded or not and that their present activities are related to the future outcome. The leader whom we admit into this private sanctuary of our reflective experience is usually those who set our hearts afire with devotion to the truth, who makes obedience to duty seem the essence of humanity, who transforms some ordinary routine occurrence so that it becomes extra ordinary and we see the person we aspire to be. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
The group task is at least partially intrasystemic. This means that the standards for evaluating success or failure are developed within the group rather than being imposed from the outside. An ambiguous task (for example, writing a story to accompany a picture) is one case of an intrasystemic task, but even tasks for which there are clear objective standards may be intrasystemic, if the group is able to redefine the meaning of a particular outcome or the importance of the task (“he has a bad day,” “we really care about that after all”). The crucial point is that the rules for evaluating a task outcome are developed by the same persons who are part of the power and prestige structure. Adam, the first man to live upon the Earth is worthy of being in our personal Hall of Fame. Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord. Adam qualifies. We want to be right for God. It is important to be virtuous and there are terrifying consequences for the alternative. It helps if we have a big imagination and can see further than the present moment, which means we have to have a clear sense of the consequences of our actions, even when we think no one is watching. The Church always preaches about God is coming, and what if you are in sin at the exact moment he arrives? That is a horrifying thought. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
The group members are collectively oriented. This has two components: one, that the group members are interdependent, that is, they need to take into account other member’s acts; and two, that it is legitimate to seek and give advice, to be influenced by or attempt to influence others. The term collective orientation as used here does not precisely mean cooperative orientation (all goals shared so that something that rewards one group member rewards all). People could have a collective orientation in some cases of competition; in fact, there are competitive elements in face-to-face groups, especially the competition for time and attention imposed by the necessity to limit talking to one person at a time. Because of time constraints and the unknown time when God will return to Earth, many people do not want the moment of sin and the moment of reckoning to be the same. What if the Rapture comes and you are left behind? The Lord has commanded us to live by his convents, and he shall prepare a way for us that we may accomplish them. Negative reactions often lead to disagreements, but not always, for groups sometimes try to avoid having to resolve conflict and simply ignore or redefine the issue. Influence is defined as the direction of the resolution of a disagreement; the person whose idea is accepted is said to have influenced the one who accepts it. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
People with the greatest desire to succeed will stand a greater chance of reaching his or her goal. The term influence is not synonymous with control; a person whose performance output is accepted without challenge has obviously exercised control over the group, but since there was no disagreement, influence has not occurred. In determined people, we can see the difference between knowing and doing. Those who really desire to reach their goals will do whatever they must do in order to achieve them. Let us not just talk about what we want to be. Let us not just dream about what we want to be. Take action to reach your goals, you may have to work harder than you ever have worked before in your entire life. God wants us to tell him, with all honesty, that we have worked harder than anyone else we know. That we have tried as hard as we can to live right, do good, and succeed. This desire should be enough to help us to improve a little or greatly. God sees everything, so we cannot lie to him. He knows what we are doing at all times. In whatever we want to improve upon, whether if it is a project at work, school work, or studying the scriptures, just give it a little extra time—every day. Even if it is just an extra fifteen minutes. Remember how well-spent time can add up. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
A performance expectation is a prediction about the quality of a performance output of a group member. Do not quit. We are all going to have hardships and setbacks. However, our Heavenly Father will not give us a hardship that we cannot overcome. An individual may hold a performance output of a group member. An individual may hold a performance expectation for his or her own behavior (a self-expectation) and/or the behavior of another (other-expectation). The value of an expectation is defined as high (prediction that the performance output will move the group toward success on its goal) or low (prediction that the act will move the group toward failure on its goal). As children of our Father in Heaven, we can have setbacks of sin. However, we must never quit or give up faith. Heavenly Father has provided a way to overcome spiritual setbacks through the great gift of repentance. God truly loves us and wants to forgive us. All we have to do is to go through the process of repentance, and we will triumph over our transgressions. It is important for us to set our goals very high, for if we do this, our intermediate goals will be easier to reach. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
Let us not settle for mediocrity. We should always try our best. The concept of expectations is basic in sociology, and its use as a fundamental building block of theory marks expectation states as distinctively sociological. Let us decide now what type of person we want to be, and when a difficult situation comes along we will be prepared to pass the test. Performance expectations are predictions of quality only, rather than including predictions about for or content of behavior. We must keep a proper perspective on our goals. Let us never lose sight of God and his words of wisdom in pursuing our temporal ambitions. We have signs enough that there is a God. There are testimonies from men and women of the church, and also all the holy prophets. There are the scriptures laid before us, and all things denote there is a God, right? Even the Earth, and all the things that upon the face of it, right? And the motions, yeah, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator. People know in their hearts that there is a God and they will testify that God exists. Dear God in Heaven, please bring your Kingdom to Earth and help heal our unobservable mental and physical states, and bless our dreams and goals so that they may come true. Thank you. The National Anthem is a song sung to God, and it is thought that his presence is near when it is sang. Therefore, to sit or kneel in the presence of God, without being told by a figure of authority, shows extreme disrespect for the Lord. After all, this is God’s House. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
It is a Wonderful Life
It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and reality of tomorrow. In many ways, culture has enabled us to transcend many of the limitations imposed on us by our biology. However, that biology was shaped during millions of years of evolution in environments very different from those in which most of us live today. Whether we will become a different species or become extinct as a species (remember, that is the fate of almost every species that has ever lived on Earth) is not something that we can predict. However, as long as new pathogens appear or new environments are introduced by technology, there is little doubt that the human species will continue to evolve, just as almost every other species on Earth has done. Culture has enabled us to transcend many limits imposed by our biology, and people who never would have been able to do so in the past are today surviving and having children. This in itself means that we are evolving. How many of you would be reading this if you had been born under the health and economic conditions prevalent 500 years ago? #RandolphHarris 1 of 5
Imagine if is we lived in a future society driven by eugenics where potential children are conceived through genetic manipulation to ensure the best hereditary traits of their parents. And people conceived outside of the eugenics program struggles to overcome genetic discrimination. Everyone is monitored through a genetic registry database, which uses biometrics to classify people who were genetically engineered as valids, and those who were conceived by traditional means and more susceptible to genetic disorders as in-valids. Although genetic discrimination is illegal, it is practiced in genotype profiling used to identify and segregated valids, and intermingling with in-valids is basically illegal and because of that they are limited to the types of jobs they can perform. This is the plot from Gattaca, an American Science fiction film that came out in 1997. It was written and directed by Andrew Niccol and it stars Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Jude Law. The film was very interesting because it deals with some themes we could face in the future with skyrocketing health costs, population growth, and economics. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5
Perhaps, people will choose to have genetically engineered babies to guarantee their health and success? Are we building lives of honesty and integrity? Are we following the counsel of our prophets, past and present? Are we covenant keepers? Do we hold our family home evenings and study the scriptures, trying to live the precepts we gain from them? Do we obey the Word of Wisdom? Are we good neighbors and loyal friends? Can we honestly say that we not only repent of our mistake, but learn from them? If we are not comfortable with the answers to these kinds of questions, we need to begin right now to build a more exemplary life so that those dearest to us will see of our good works, and glorify our Father which is in Heaven. We must confess that whenever our lives have failed to measure up to the standards of our forebears, it is because we have allowed Worldly priorities to take precedence over our spiritual ones. However, it is possible to redirect our goals and to put our sights on eternal values. Groups develop shared beliefs about who occupies what place in the structure, and the maintenance of the structure of inequality can become one of the groups goals. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5
Other things being equal, an individual’s position in a power and prestige structure is a function of his or her performance in relation to valued behavior standards of the group; the more likely other group members think it is that the individual’s position in the power and prestige structure. In this sense, we should say that the religious value with reference to the outer World manifests itself through the belief in the creation, with reference to the fellow-World through the belief in the revelation, and with reference to the inner World through the belief in the salvation. In this sense—the immediate values of life are to be coordinated with the true, the beautiful, and the good. The World is penetrated by the belief in God. The intensity and vividness and depth of the religious consciousness must decide how far religion succeeds in reaching the pure value of a perfect harmony of our values. The certainty of truth, or the perfection of beauty, or the dignity of morality must be each in itself complete—no value has to wait for sanction by a belief in God. The power of truth cannot arise from the fact that it harmonizes with beauty or morality. However, the harmony of the World attains its ultimate completion. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5
Friendliness, warmth, pleasantness, likability, intelligence, activity, and maturity are attributes more relevant to describe rational human beings. Our lives are touched for good, and we are both edified and ennobled as we savor the sweet blessings of association with dear members of the family. We must have a great spirit of cooperation. Lord, God, we come to you for protection; rescue us and save us from all who pursue us. Truth and love are your nature, and when something happens that betrays truth and love, you resist. We stand with you for truth and justice, in love. We are confident you will support us. We pray that you will right all the wrongs that take place in the World and vindicate those that are being treated unjustly. Keep us Father, from trying to take matters into our own hands, for vengeance is yours and you will replay—but Lord in your grace and mercy, we pray that you would give justice and peace to all those that have been cruelly and unfairly treated by their fellow people and may the injustice and carelessness that they have had to endure be the means to draw them into your saving arms of grace—we ask this in the name of you, God. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5
Peter My Mink is Dragging on the Floor
A stunning first impression is not the same thing as love at first sight, but surely it is an invitation to consider the matter. We are drawn to people, inspired by them, and even strengthened by their examples. If first impressions are sufficiently favorable, persons will be motivated, when they begin to interact, to provide behaviors that will result in favorable outcomes to the other, and to the degree each is successful in this respect, they become progressively motivated to provide rewards that will maintain the relationship. Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. One of the most important rewards that persons exchange as a relationship develops is support for each other’s view of themselves as persons, their self-concepts. How do you and I become so converted to the truth, so full of faith, so dependent on God that we are able to meet trials and even be strengthened by them? A fundamental purpose of Earth is personal growth and attainment. We will have challenges, even difficulties, where decisions of great importance must be made so that we can grow, develop, and succeed in this mortal test. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
Gratefully, God’s love is perfect. God has moved so deeply in the hearts of so many. Some people regard unconditional love is something that is real, and the most real things there is. The most consistent finding in the empirical literature on attraction is that persons are attracted to others whom they perceive as accepting them as they see themselves and who allow them to behave in a self-validating manner. Thus, in the early phases of interaction, each person begins tentatively to reveal one’s self to the other. The process of self-disclosure involves first, information about the self that each feels relatively confident about and relatively certain that the other will find acceptable. We may disclose information about our intellectual aptitude, or athletic abilities to see how we relate to others. This type of comparison helps us decide whether we are superior or inferior to others. Disclosures about abilities or talents can also make us more relatable to others. For instance, 80 percent of people find faithfulness as a top attribute they find attractive about a person. A sense of humor is important and it makes people seem more intelligent. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
For long relationships, individuals tend to prefer others who are altruistic, kind, and do good deeds. Being involved in a charity is seen as a really attractive trait. Other studies have shown the people with dogs are generally more attractive also because they have a capacity to love and care for another being over a long term. We want to make ourselves open to others, through self-disclosure, but we also want to maintain a sense of privacy. If someone knows too much about you upfront, it might impede them from going further in the relationship because they see it as too much of a risk or hassle. Later in the process of self-disclosure, persons revel more intimate details about which they are less confident, hence in greater need of social validation, and which they are less certain will be regarded favorably. Revelations at this level play an important part in the process of self-creation. As a relationship develops, each person feels sufficiently secure to try out or tentatively display new elements of identity. Such displays may take the form of revealing hitherto private hopes and fears about the self, or more indirectly, of recounting to the other past or current episodes of behavior where the person behaved in a fashion viewed as confirming some nascent element of self. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
Studies of the self-disclosure process generally find that, in the early part of a relationship at least, each person tends to pace the process of disclosure by revealing to the other information about the same level of intimacy. As in any other exchange, persons feel obligated to adhere to the norm of reciprocity. To the extent that one person’s revelations at progressively more intimate levels are increasingly rewarding in terms of signifying regard and trust to the other partner, the latter feels obligated to return revelations thought to be of equal rewarding value. However, disclosures that are too intimate often highlight character, personality, or other kinds of sensitivity information, thus decreasing congeniality. People who make intimate disclosures too early in relationships are often perceived as insecure, which further decreases someone’s interest in them. One time I was walking by a fancy Italian restaurant, and two guys in their forties were on what seemed to me as their first date, and one of them was telling the other guy about how painful his recovery from cancer was. The guy he was with replied, “Oh, gees,” and picked up a bread stick and ate it. He seemed rather pensive and I got the impression that it would probably be their last date. The process of self-disclosure contributes to another basic interpersonal process, the growth of trust, which in turn further facilitates more intimate disclosure. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
While there is not complete agreement on a definition of trust, a key element appears to be a sense of certainty that the trusted person will not behave at some point in the future in a way that endangers anticipated favorable outcomes of the trusting person. When first dating, you want to make an individual feel good and talk about things that make them happy. It is like you are selling yourself in a sense. People have options and they do not want to get attached to someone who might drain them of their emotional or financial resources. Each person’s revelations of progressively more intimate details concerning one’s self, and their acceptance and confirmation by the other, give assurance that any resultant vulnerability will not be exploited, either because both partners are equally vulnerable or because each perceives the exchange of progressively more intimate details as a sign of increasingly close interpersonal ties. Generally, as the details get more intimate, that means that the emotional bond in the relationship is probably increasing. So, when the relationship seems to be getting more serious, that is a good time to tell a person sensitive information about yourself that might affect them wanting to have a long-term commitment with you, and that is only fair. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
More than likely if a person cares enough and can deal with it, then they will likely continue in the relationship because they are already emotionally and somewhat financially invested. For instance, some people have commitment issues and cannot figure out whether they want to move to another part of the country or go back to school, or even just a plan to get a cup of coffee with a friend. One might be reluctant to disclose that he or she has problems making choices, from something as small as choosing what movie to see, to something more significant like signing a lease for house. The fact that persons perceive the intimacy of disclosure as indicative of attraction allows the self-disclosure process to function as a pacing device in the development of a relationship. By the depth of disclosure to another, a person may indicate one’s degree of emotional involvement in the relationship. While our emphasis so far has been on the manner in which self-disclosure allows for maintenance and creation of self-elements, an extremely important reward, self-disclosure provides each partner with information concerning other outcomes as well. Persons learn what kinds of behaviors have reward value to each other and which behaviors are costly. This information, in turn, can be used as a guide in arriving at mutually satisfying patterns of exchange that become a part of the structure of interdependence that constitutes the relationship. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
As you get to now a person who seemed to be commitment issues, you might begin to understand that person has a lot going for one’s self, and just needed to meet someone who is trustworthy. That individual might be optimistic, loving, and a sincere individual who wants to settle down. People are capable of changing, but not until they are ready to understand how things are controlling their lives. It requires both willingness and openness to new insights and new activities before one is able to take the first step in successfully challenging relationship issues. God has given us the capacity to exercise faith, that we may find peace, joy, and purpose in life. However, to employ its power, faith must be founded on something. There is no more solid foundation than faith in the love Heavenly Father has planned. Lord, make us an instrument of your peace. Grant that we may not so much seek to be loved as to love. God, who from among all your angels, chose the Archangel Gabriel to announce the mystery of the Incarnation, mercifully grant that we who solemnly remember him on Earth may feel the benefit of his patronage in Heaven, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Bless it be. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
Love if the Greatest thing in the World
Love is the greatest thing in the World. Friends and romantic partners tend to have certain characteristics in common, such as age, education, and even intelligence. Similarity related to attraction has a long history of empirical support. As covenant-keeping men and women, we need to lift each other and help each other become the people the Lord would have us become. Generally, persons are attracted to others who are similar in social background characteristics and value. The idea that romantic partners or friends would be similar seems pretty intuitive. Studies of friendship suggests that people also have a preference for leisure activities with others who are similar to them. The degree of similarity with respect to opinions, personality traits, and social background characteristics of stimulus persons has for the most part supported the similarity-attraction relationship. Agreement with another leads the person to anticipate rewarding interaction, and where it actually facilitates joint pleasurable activities, it also can be expected to lead to attraction. Agreement in activity preferences, attitudes, and values not only ensures that persons will hit upon mutually satisfying activities, but that they will be able to carry them out with a minimum of friction. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
Next to inspiring talks, music, TV shows, food, and prayers that always touch our hearts, persons are attracted to others who agree with their opinions, but dislike others whose views are divergent. Agreement is rewarding and disagreement punishing, either because liking an agreeing other and disliking one who disagrees provides a balanced cognitive state—one that is psychologically pleasant and comfortable. Or because agreement satisfies a person’s affectance needs, the need to feel secure in dealing with the World. Another general explanation is the persons tend to anticipate that individuals who are similar to them will like them. Homogamy or similarity in social background characteristics and accompanying similarity in interests, attitudes, and values in marital partners is in part the result of structural aspects of society that favor higher rates of interactions among persons similar in these respects, leading to increased chances of their forming a relationship regardless of these similarities. It is important to help create an environment where the Spirit of the Lord can abide. We need to work together to lift each other up and the rising generation and help them reach their divine potential as heirs of eternal life. We should be able to rejoice with each other as we try to become our very best selves. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
There is so much more of happiness to be had when we can rejoice in another’s success and not just in our own. Similarity appears to have stronger effects in the early stages of a relationship because of the kinds of rewards and costs persons experience at later periods in their relationship. Similarity is a filtering device, as it influences each person’s anticipation of future rewards in general, and in particular the reward of being liked. One of the strongest associations on attraction is the correlation between liking and the perception of being liked in turn. People are insecure concerning their acceptance by others, similarity appears to be more powerful factor in influencing their choice of associates than when they feel more secure. We want to feel like we are a precious gift, and would like to express our love for our companions. Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity. Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity. Like all gifts which come from above, words are sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit. Attitudes seem less important at later points in a relationship when there are other bases for reciprocity of liking. In the long run, the need for a relationship with someone we love is so strong that it overcomes differences. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
Physical attractiveness has been shown to have effects similar to central traits or master statuses when it comes to dating. Physical attractiveness accounts for a large part of the variance in dating partners’ responses to each other, including the desire to continue the relationship. Physically attractive people are liked. Attraction may result from the rewards of esthetic satisfaction. Persons may receive rewards from others as a result of their forming a relationship with an attractive other, either because this conforms with a cultural norm that persons toward whom one is attracted is supposed to be physically attractive or because one’s ability to form a relationship with an attractive or because one’s ability to form a relationship with an attractive other attests to one’s own desirability in the eyes of others. Studies have shown that for males at least, that a male romantically involved with an attractive female enhances his status. Both males and females attributed personality traits of higher social desirability to pictures of attractive persons than to pictures of those of average attractiveness or those judged relatively unattractive. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
Respondents also predicted that more attractive people would have more favorable life experiences, including higher occupational status, more successful marriages, and in general greater happiness. Attractive people are more likely to win election, attractive university professors get higher evaluations, and attractive people are usually treated more leniently in the legal system. Physically attractive people are also seen as intimately warmer and more responsive, illustrating the effects of selective perception and perceptual accentuation. Research has also suggested that the effects of the cultural stereotype of the physically attractive are often to bring about behavior on the part of the perceiver that, in the manner of a self-fulfilling prophecy, elicits behavior on the part of the perceived person that further enhances the attractiveness of that person. When people are told that someone is attractive, they are more likely to believe it. Research also shows that small babies prefer to look at attractive faces than less attractive face. Further, children tend to prefer attractive child. And adults think that attractive children are more intelligent and successful. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
These findings show that people often attach beneficial qualities to attractive people. This is sometimes called the physical attractiveness stereotype—the tendency for people to assume that attractive people possess other socially desirable traits in addition to their looks. To some extent, this is true. Some research shows that physically attractive people are more popular and out outgoing. However, these small differences may be due, in part, to self-fulfilling prophecies: because being physically attractive is socially desirable, attractive people may become more confident and outgoing and so may be more confident and outgoing and so may be more popular with others. Also, it is important to note that physical attractiveness has its drawback. In particular, more attractive people are often the subject of unwanted advances and resentment from less attractive individuals. Nevertheless, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. God, strengthen us in the power of your might. Guide us against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the Heavenly places. Protect our soul and grant us discernment to recognize your truth. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
I Remember Looking through the Tears towards the Sky
You go off and leave me here with nobody home. The concept of compromising in a relationship is something that many people have to do. However, there is an emphasis placed on the instability of relationship involving persons of different choice status or popularity, the more popular person tending to leave the relationship because of the availability of more attractive alternatives or, when remaining, tending to exploit the person of lower choice status which encouraged the latter to leave. Overall, people tend to be attracted to those of similar desirability, at least in terms of physical attractiveness. Middle-class individuals of the dominant group take into consideration the satisfaction of socioemotional needs as being central to the relationship of marriage. The core features of emotional development include the ability to identify and understand one’s own feelings, accurately read and comprehend emotional states in others, manage strong emotions and their expression in a constructive manner, to regulate one’s own behavior, to develop empathy for others, and to establish and maintain relationships. Spouses needs for trust, stability, communication, intimacy, and interpersonal sharing must be met. When these needs are cared for, the marriage can become purposeful beyond its own parameters. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8
Housing prices have increased on average nearly 50 percent over the last decade, so among working-class couples socioemotional needs may not be as important as they are with middle-class couples. Parents, younger generations and those living in lower-income households report higher levels of stress than American overall, especially when it comes to stress about money. As a result, people with lower-incomes may put up with more socioemotional instability because they are struggling to pay the bills, as is, and need their partner to meet their financial obligations. However, that does not mean that just because people are suffering from an economic disadvantage that they will put up with abuse. Studies also show that many low-income couples are unhappy because of the financial hardships they face, so it may not be a problem in the love department. Also, low-income people living alone have higher living costs, which can make them bloody miserable. It can be an utterly horrid lifestyle, which may seem like a punishment on the socially inept and inadequate. They cannot afford holidays, nor can they afford to live anywhere better than what some might describe as student hellhole flats, as they do not have a partner’s credit to draw upon and furnish their place to a polished enough standard. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8
Disabled people are the World’s largest minority and because of that they are very much misunderstood. Not all disabled people get around in a wheel chair, some have injuries that are not visible, which might be the result of an accident or illness or they may have been born that way. Individuals who have invisible disabilities face discrimination and microaggressions. Financial exploitation of adults who are elderly or disabled is an increasing problem. It is good to look out and to help those in our communities who are elderly or have disabilities. After all, it is everyone’s business to stop adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation. 16.3 percent of adults have a physical functioning difficulty. There are 77 million adults aged 18 and over with at least one basic actions difficulty or complex activity limitation. To make sense of the World around them, they build upon their individual experiences and knowledge. However, performing daily activities may be challenging for these individuals. These challenges may interfere with social well-being and cause distress. Young adults with physical limitations are less socially active and have fewer romantic relationships than their peers who do not have physical limitations. It is through hardships of life that we grow toward Godhood as our character is shaped in the crucible of affliction, as the events of life take place whole God respects the agency of humanity. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8
The physical impairments may limit the ability to participate in actives with others. And also, because young adults with physical disabilities are already suffering from problems, they often spend every day thinking about how will condition affect them as they age, and will their situations become too much for them to handle when they are senior citizens because they may not be as strong as they are not. Because of that, some people may feel frustrated, angry, or sad as a result of having a physical impairment, especially if they believe those impairments pose challenges to finding a significant other or living independently. Also, a person may not like the place they live, but because of their conditions, unlike most everyone else, they cannot go pick up more hours at work and earn more money to upgrade their lifestyle. And because these people are vulnerable and they may be good at certain things, unscrupulous individuals may use them for their talents, promising rewards, but give nothing in return. However, when the person with the physical limitation stops assisting the individual(s), they may then try to extort that person in order to keep receiving their services for free. People with disabilities do look for opportunities, but are sometimes taken advantage of. The journey through life has had bumps, detours, twists, and turns, mostly as the result of life in a fallen World that is mean to be a place of proving and test. #RandolphHarris 4 of 8
It is important to keep the commandments of God. With love and prayers with can help others learn the compassion and grace of God. Because they suffer from a disability and experience undue hardships and are sometimes are prevented from reaching their dreams, it causes some people to wonder why they are here? This is why we must teach people the love of God. When people really feel the love of God, even though they are experiencing a lot of difficulties, they will be truly happy to be alive. One young man said, “I may not understand why my life has turned out the way it has, and I have no idea where it will go, but serving God is really the best thing ever. There is nothing as wonderful as this. I am so happy. What a joy and marvelous light I behold; my soul is filled with joy as exceeding as is my pain.” As we accept our difficulties and trials with patience and faith and find joy in our covenant path, we are comforted in knowing the Lord knows us. He knows our struggles and concerns. God knows of our desires to serve him with devotion and ambition. And he will guide us and bless us as we do so. Please never feel that you are some kind of second class citizen no matter your limitations. In the Kingdom of God there are no second-class citizens. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8
People who have integrity of heart are people to be trusted—because trust is built on integrity. Earning the Lord’s trust is a blessing that comes through great effort on our part. Trust is a blessing based on obedience to God’s laws. When we keep our promises to the Lord, his trust grows. The rewarding internal state of enhanced self-esteem and the reward of approval from others are also involved in generating attraction in still another way. To gain and maintain the status of normality, persons are expected by others and themselves to have friends and intimate relationships. Regardless of the features of the relationship or characteristics of the persons involved, the fact of having a relationship, such as marriage, validates one’s personal adequacy, heterosexual normality, and personal maturity in the eyes of others as well as of oneself. Although recent trends toward greater acceptance of the single state for adults in our society may indicate a relaxation of normative pressures in this direction, they still exist. Whatever your circumstances or the reasons for them, how wonderful you are. Along the way, you will obtain compensatory blessings, even if they are not immediately apparent. However, we are reminded that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8
Hold out the best hope for the World, including for your future happiness. Self-supplied rewards are not only involved in conformity processes influencing behavior in the early stage of a relationship, they are implicated in other ways as well. Contemporary social learning theory recognizes that persons can, through their control over their own cognitive processes, administer rewards and punishments by imagining certain consequences of their behavior. It is probable that persons contribute to early growth of a relationship by imagining future rewards and by recounting and, in a sense, replaying their imagination early pleasurable contacts with their partners. The considerable preoccupation of each partner with the other during the early stages of the courtship relationship probably involves a good bit of this self-rewarding activity. Although you often feel alone, in truth you are never totally on your own. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8 As you move forward in patience and in faith, providence will move with you; Heaven will bestow its needful blessings. Your perspective and view of life will change when, rather than being cast down, you look up. Feel the sense of greater acceptance of yourself and life, with an understanding heart, and deeper gratitude for what you have. Lord,we earnestly seek after you, we seek your kingdom, your will that Heaven may come to Earth and your presence would be known by all. We lay our plans before you, please rearrange them as you see fit, God. And lead us in everlasting way. We give you the desires of our hearts, our ambitions, and surrender them all to you. God, please anoint them for your purposes and glory. We give your our whole being, our gifts and our character, please come and sharpen our skills and transform our hearts this and every day. Bless it be. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8
Randolph Harris II International Institute 