I am just an average man who loves writing, thinking and trying to inspire kindness, love, understanding and Compassion in others and try to find them within myself.
I always had the question of why am I here and what is the purpose of my life? Many years I pondered on that question, sought out the question through self-examination and discovery. Always coming up short and lacking the definite answer. Now in my mid 40’s I think it finally hit me, I am here to be the best me I can be, to live my life to the fullest for both myself and god. The meaning of life is life itself, the purpose of life is to be the best person you can be.
For I see the physical life as a classroom for the soul, a place for us to learn to be compassionate and to learn to overcome the great obstacle of the Ego. The ego is the part of oneself that is selfish and seeks out its own gratification. It is the presence of the flesh and thus it wishes to satisfy the flesh’s lusts and desires. The true self is the living spirit god gave us, it’s the part that feels compassion, love and is always selfless in its actions and in its intentions. It longs for peace, happiness and for harmony in life. Life is the battlefield between these two parts of our consciousness and the purpose of life is to learn from the battle and from the mistakes and or correct choices we make.
Well enough about that, Blessings to you all
Raymond Barbier
” I am more than the sum of all my experiences” ~ Raymond Barbier
I have noticed that letting go is one of the hardest actions to perform, be it letting go of your mistakes in the past or the mistakes of others. I find it so much easier to forgive others than to forgive myself for the mistakes and poor choices made in the past. Seems I am harder on my own self than on those I know and care for. Don’t get me wrong I can be a butt head sometimes to others but in general I have the live and let live attitude. Even when I am able to forgive myself for the wrongs I had committed it still takes a long time for me to forget and let it go.
Though I know my mother wasn’t the first to coin the phrase let go and let God but she is the first one that told me that. Letting God take it all is easy only if I can let it all go, I know in God’s hands I am safe but still I find letting it go hard. Slowly but surely I am learning to turn over my fears, desires, doubts and the mistakes of my past to the will and love of God. As I do the past becomes just that and it is no longer having the influence it used to over my present. The grace of God is what helps me let go of the things I can’t seem to let go of and his love and mercy helps me get through this harsh world we all live in.
We all sin, we all fall short of the glory of God, But through his son Jesus we are granted a pardon for our sins and through such grace we are shown the magnitude of God’s love. Jesus tried to teach us to love one another, to share each others burdens and to avoid being judgmental. Compassion not only towards family and friends but even those we see as enemies. He tried to show us a more enlightened path as well as a more humane way of existence. He loved us and believed in our potential enough to die and save us from the sinful nature within us all. He set an example for us to follow both in his teachings and in how he lived his life.
May God bless you all and the Light of truth guide you on your life’s journey
Raymond Barbier
I was just sitting here thinking about how my grandparents lived without running water, electricity and lived off the food they grew / raised. My grandmother was born in 1902 and she lived through 2 world wars along with Korea, Vietnam, the first gulf war and many other little wars / conflicts our nation had been involved with. She told me of how her dad would be gone for months doing odd jobs and how her and the rest of the family would live on the vegetables from the garden and on what eggs and game they could raise or trap. I really wonder how many of us could survive now days if we had to live off the land and have to garden, forage and hunt or trap our food. To live without central heating / air conditioning or running water. Mend or make our clothes out of what material we can find, cook on campfire since most of us do not have a wood burning stove like my grandma did. Live without light since most of us don’t have enough candles or even a kerosene / oil lamp nor oil to burn in them.
For the most part our grandparents or great grandparents were quite self-sufficient and lived a sustainable lifestyle. They knew the correct way to prioritize and how to manage their resources what little they had anyway. To be honest we can learn a lot from our grandparents and those who lived in the 19th to early 20th century. If my grandmother was alive today and a catastrophe struck she would be the one id run to. she would know exactly how to survive on the bare necessities and would know all the old remedies etc. Modern technology and conveniences has left most of us without the knowledge and/or tools to survive a long-lasting disaster. Good thing is that it’s still not too late to educate ourselves and prepare a little for the uncertain future.
Well enough babbling for now Peace and Love to all Raymond Barbier
Have we become too dependent on mass-produced foods and the chemicals they contain? Our modern lifestyle seems to push us more into an unhealthy diet and very inactive if not stagnant daily routine. Our body requires activity of mind and body as well as a healthy and natural diet. Our body was not designed to consume artificial sweeteners, preservatives and chemicals. Anything our body sees as unnatural is classified as a type of toxin so it tries to filter it out via the liver which causes the liver to become overworked which eventually leads to many liver dysfunctions and health issues. Our digestive track becomes clogged with processed flour along with the toxins and other by products of the processed foods we consume.
The solution to the problem is to either grow our own food and or purchase organic foods along with becoming more active. Will eating healthier actually cure-all the ailments of the modern man? No. But it can sure make a big difference in the overall health of an individual. The idea of wholesome foods is not a new one, Sylvester Graham the creator of Graham flour is one of the earlier reformers of the American diet.
In 1829 he invented Graham bread, and the recipe first appeared in The New Hydropathic Cookbook (New York, 1855). It showed that Graham bread was made from un-sifted flour and free from chemical additives such as alum and chlorine. Graham argued that chemical additives in bread made it unwholesome. The use of additives by bakeries was a common practice during the Industrial Revolution to make breadwhiter in color, and more commercially appealing. Darker wheat bread was considered the fare of country rubes. Refined bread was a status symbol of the middle class because of its “purity and refinement” in its color and was purchased, rather than home-made. Graham believed that a firm bread made of coarsely ground whole-wheat flour was more nutritious and healthy.
Graham was also inspired by the temperance movement and preached that a vegetarian diet was a cure for alcoholism, and, more importantly, sexual urges. The main thrust of his teachings was to curb lust. While alcohol had useful medicinal qualities, it should never be abused by social drinking. For Graham, an unhealthy diet stimulated excessive sexual desire which irritated the body and caused disease. While Graham developed a significant following known as Grahamites, he was also ridiculed by the media and the public for his unwavering zealotry. According to newspaper records, many women fainted at his lectures when he aired opinions both on sexual relations and the wearing of corsets.
As you can see he was definitely a controversial character but he had the right idea on the wholesome food diet. Thanks to him we all had the opportunity to enjoy graham crackers. I love my convenient foods as much as next person and see no harm in occasional consumption of junk food or fast food as long as it is in moderation. We do not have to totally give up the foods we enjoy, we just need to either use healthier ingredients and eat the less healthy foods in smaller quantities and less frequently. The major downside to going organic / healthy and self grown foods is it will affect the economy since we would be buying less of the mass grown / manufactured foods from the grocery stores which will affect the profit earnings of commercial farming and the grocery stores as well. Guess there is always a downside to every good idea. Though now days the majority of our so-called fish produce, fish and even some meat and poultry comes from other countries and that makes me ask the question how safe is the food we are consuming? What kind of regulations do these foreign countries have on their agriculture production?
I think the saddest part is most people do not even know what they are putting into their bodies when they eat or drink. Most people do not even know the country of origin of the food they eat. Read the labels, check the facts, look for healthier alternatives as well as local sources if not grow / raise your own. Choose wisely what you put into your body and the body will perform better and last longer.
Just an interesting study on chicken eggs, they state the cholesterol in free range is like 1/2 of that of caged. The free range lives on a diet of grasses and insects vs the caged being fed corn and hormones etc..
Once again the congress is in the process of taking away more benefits from our seniors. They always seem to aim at the seniors when it comes to budget cuts. Medicaid and Medicare are an important part o a seniors ability to financially survive. The fat health insurance is still unaffordable for the average Joe and the retired middle class it makes no sense to cut the Medicaid and Medicare programs. There are so many programs the congress can cut besides the programs that we have paid for through the F.I.C.A / Social Securitytaxes. To be honest I would rather pay a little bit more out of my paycheck to keep Medicare, Medicaid and social security off the cutting block in congress.
We may have to impose a national sales tax that only applies to luxury items similar to the V.A.T. of Europe to help deal with the national debt. The congress really needs to put aside their political parties agendas and get down to business. A big part of our economical problem is that the United States has became too much of a consumer economy. We consume far ore than we produce, most of the product bought in the U.S. is from foreign countries. We need to make it more profitable for companies to produce in the U.S. and American products more affordable to consumers.
The bottom line is that the congress is going to have to come up with a balanced solution to our national debt and economical situation. they will have to find a good balance of budget cuts and tax increases to accomplish the task at hand. But as long as they stick to political party agendas and are unwilling to compromise the chances of a true economical recovery is very unlikely.
Well Added another gadget to my man cave / computer room. After getting the Sansui 19 inch hdtv I purchased the Insignia NS-BRDVD4 1080p HD Blu-Ray Player w/ Networking for Netflix/Cinema Now/Pandora. It was under 60 us dollars due to it is a refurbished model and the newer model coming out with wireless internet access. Though this unit is hardwired network it is an excellent player. The Netflix option is the one I am using the most at the moment and the quality is even better on the insignia than on my actual pc.
Quick look at the Insignia NS-BRDVD4 Blu-ray player: For high-definition movie playback with resolution up to 5 times greater than DVD. Watch films in stunning high-definition just like you do on the big screen.
Up convert DVDs: Delivers greatly enhanced video performance of standard DVDs by up converting their video resolution to HDTV-compliant 1080p via the HDMI interface.
Connect to the Internet: Access movies, TV shows, music and more.
Ethernet port: For wired connection to streaming content and firmware updates (Ethernet cable not included).
Playable formats: Include BD-R/RE discs; backward compatible with DVD, DVD±R/RW, CD and CD-R/RW discs for a variety of media choices.
Built-in Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS Digital Surround decoders: For high-quality audio playback via a compatible audio system.
1 HDMI output:HDMI cable not included. High-speed HDMI cable is the only connection that can deliver a Blu-ray experience with a full 1080p picture and digital surround sound.
I purchased this unit from gearxs.com a very reliable web store I frequent.
I went out and bought this little gem last weekend and got it for around 119.00 and seems to be worth every penny. The picture quality is excellent when playing Blu-ray or pc, my local cable is analog and doesn’t have the best signal but on the clearest channels it looks good. using my pc at the moment to watch Netflix via the vga input on the TV. Haven’t had a chance to try it over hdmi as of yet but the quality is good but limited to 1024×768 via vga cable.
I would recommend this unit for a computer room / den or bedroom set of course its smaller size of 19” limits the distance between the viewer and the set but for 119.00 its a bargain. Sansui actually impressed me this time, I have used Sansui products before and they usually are average at best but it seems the company is putting out some better quality electronics for a good price now days. One thing I will say about Sansui is that every electronic device I have purchased by their company always had a pretty good lifespan.
Though this unit is listed for about 139.00 online at Wal-Mart it usually sells for around 119.00 at their stores. If anyone who has one of these TV’s and experienced any problems or had a good experience with it feel free to comment.
The path of Righteousness, a path seldom followed and is not an easy path to travel. To be selfless, humble and full of compassion for both your friends and your enemies. To put everyone else before your own seems to be against the nature of most people. To put aside judgment of others so that you will not be judged by the same conditions as well as not seeing your possessions as your own. To seek wise counsel and avoid being deceived along the way.
“(Proverbs 3:3) Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart”
it seems so much easier to be selfish, greedy and full of loathing. It is far easier for one To take instead of give and to hurt instead of heal. To take care of your own and let others suffer in hunger and poverty seems to be the safest route. Yes to live in lust and partake in all the pleasures is far more entertaining than to refrain from such things. To enjoy the pleasures of your spouse is good but to enjoy the pleasures of others is not. It is a betrayal of not only your spouse but of your own self and the vows you made.
Our Lord and Savior died and paid for our sins so we could be redeemed not so we could be careless and be foul. Sure no man can be without sin, It is in our very nature to sin and it is also within our power to abstain from sinning. We must do our best in avoiding sin and we must repent for the sins we commit when we fall. Teach righteousness and avoid being judgmental of sinners for you will be judged by god in the way you judge others.
“Matthew 7:1-3 Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you, for God will judge you in the same way you judge others, and he will apply to you the same rules you apply to others. Why, then, do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the log in your own eye?”
In a world so full of injustice and a world lacking in love and compassion we must live. We have a choice to either be like the world we walk in or to be like the one who saved mankind from its sinful nature. Our hope is in Jesus Christ and without it we could not have the promise of salvation or being worthy of Heaven.
“(Colossians 2:13) And you, being dead in your sins and the un-circumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.”
I hear a voice, a voice calling out from the concrete wilderness. A voice warning us of our possible demise, warning that if we don’t wake up we may not have a chance to do so later. A solitary voice trying to get the message through that we are heading down the wrong path. That the path we follow will most certainly lead us to a very hostile future. A future in which our home mother earth will not be able to support life or the needs of the human race.
I hear the voice calling out to us as I watch us all sleep through the beginning of a future nightmare. It cries out about how the few are leading the many into a dark and dismal future. How greed and lust for power has corrupted the ideals of the people of earth, So few people seem to have so much control over what is and will be. We seem to let those few choose the destiny for all of us without any care or protest. The few that rule and run this world rape the land for wealth and allow children to starve as well as the old to live in poverty. They worry over their own positions and their own agendas but not about the welfare of those they rule over. The very few among them that do care either are ignored or eventually give in to the corruption.
The Voice that calls out from the concrete wilderness call to all of us, those few that rule to change their ways and to the rest of us that seem to be sleeping while our world becomes more violent and unbalanced before us. Hopefully the few will find wisdom and we all wake up to see the truth that is before us. Human beings as a species can achieve some amazing things when we join together as a whole. And I believe it will take a world-wide effort to make the changes needed to save our wonderful blue planet called earth.
I always had the question of why am I here and what is the purpose of my life? Many years I pondered on that question, sought out the question through self-examination and discovery. Always coming up short and lacking the definite answer. Now in my mid 40’s I think it finally hit me, I am here to be the best me I can be, to live my life to the fullest for both myself and god. The meaning of life is life itself, the purpose of life is to be the best person you can be.
One Lifetime Blog 
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