War

I’m having issues with my neighbor. One little thing led to a bigger thing and now it’s a full blown mess. Ayayay! Where’s the United Nations when you need it?

It’s easy to shout “make love not war” and flash the peace sign when you’re not involved. But when bullets whiz past you and you call in for back up, all bets are off. It’s a fight for survival.

WWJD
It’s the perfect time to ask “What Would Jesus Do?” Well, he certainly had his enemies … enemies that actually orchestrated problems like … I dunno … maybe something called a “crucifixion?” He was compassionate with the little guys who had nothing. But, boy, did he berate the powerful and the entitled — calling them a “brood of vipers!” He shared the story of the Good Samaritan teaching that sworn enemies (blinded by hate) should (instead) open their eyes to a fellow human being in need.

There is also the story of the prostitute who was caught in the act and dragged in front of Jesus. But instead of stoning her, as was legally required, he challenged them: “those of you who are without sin, cast the first stone.” I imagine these macho self-righteous men picking up their stone. Then Jesus starts writing on the ground with his fingers (obviously the roads weren’t paved). Upon reading (whatever it was he wrote), one by one (from the oldest to the youngest) they put down their stone and walked away. Then Jesus, alone with the woman (who was probably staring at the pile of rocks that should have been on top of her), asked her “where are your accusers?” She doesn’t see anyone … except Jesus. Was Jesus going to cast the stone? Nah! To her surprise, he says “Go on home … sin no more.” Oooooh!

Just because you could, doesn’t mean you should. Just because it’s the law, doesn’t mean you cannot be compassionate. Just because my neighbor is a complete, total, certified jerk doesn’t mean I should blast him off the face of the earth … maybe squirt him a bit with a Holy Water pistol … Wait! Wait! Do I really have to do that?! Boy! It’s tough when you’re a Christian, huh? We are to follow the beat of a different drummer.

School Brawl
Did I tell you that I got into a fight when I was a kid? Back in the days, the teacher would appoint a handful of the students to clean the blackboards, mop and wax the floors (yup! you better believe we did that!). I don’t remember exactly why … I think my classmate and I were just in a bad mood … but I remember we were fighting over who got to use the coconut husk to polish the floor and we were rolling on the floor trying to out-wrestle each other. As in most fights, we both walked out of the room with our soiled white uniform shirts holding on to the little pride that was left. I remember my Mom looking at my disheveled appearance when I got home and asking me if I got into a fight. I lied and said I was just playing. I know she knew better but even I knew, at that age, we boys were sworn into secrecy. Seeing my classmate the next day was a little awkward. Did he report me to his Mom? Was I going to get into trouble? Fortunately, days of peace passed and we both surmised neither of us squealed. The next thing I remember we were hanging out and we never ever talked about it. To this day we are in touch and are still friends. In fact, I greeted him a happy birthday a few days ago.

Conclusion
Life is full of conflicts. The lines have been drawn between good and evil. No one wants to be on the bad side but obviously one has to be on the wrong side. Take your pick: Republicans vs. Democrats. Abortionists vs. Pro-Lifers. LGBTQ warriors vs. Rabid Homozexuals. Gun controllers vs 2nd Amendment Freedom Fighters. Those who hang their roll of toilet paper over vs those who hang the roll under. Difficult as it may be, I think we are placed here in this world to learn to deal with conflicts and practice tolerance and compassion. (Of course there still has to be justice and of course, we should ‘sin” no more — but that’s for another story.) Once the stone is cast, both sides lose.

We aren’t perfect … we may actually be wrong. And, as the brawl with my classmate taught me, foes can turn into our best friends.

But this is just me. TGIF people!

Raoul

“Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time.” — Anonymous

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” — John 8:11

“On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” – Romans 12:20

“People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes.” — Abigail Van Buren

JOKE OF THE WEEK

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA

Video of the Week

Thanks to Bryce of Rhode Island for this hilarious prank

Parting Shots

Thanks to Benny of Chicago

There isn’t a joke. I just thought it was interesting for you Beatles fans.

Thanks to Thomas of Australia

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA
(Not a joke. Just an interesting trivia)

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA

Thanks to Drew of Anaheim, CA

I found these:

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with this.

SUBSCRIBE

The post Senior Facebook appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress to defend the privacy breach of Facebook. Some say the senators were soft on him while others say they treated him badly. I say “it’s about time!”

It’s easy to get lost in the details so I stepped back and I think I saw what was really going on. It’s the law catching up with technology. Mark and his Social Media geek buddies have been toying with people’s lives for so many years and now the adults have finally stepped in to regulate their fun and their greed.

Sadly, the Social Media game has had real consequences. People’s lives have been impacted — good and bad. Social Media is akin to the mythical Pandora. Once you open the box and free the evils of this world, they ain’t going back in. Just like nuclear weapons, the threat will keep on growing. What a comfort to know your nerdy graduation mug shots and indecent photos are immortalized to guarantee shame and horror to your grand kids..

I’m glad I consciously avoided Facebook. Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. as much as I could. I knew it would be addictive and a privacy nightmare. I control them. They do not control me.

The Facebook trial made me realize that the tech world is run by young selfish, wealthy and powerful kids who lack life experience and  knowledge of history. I don’t think they’re evil … just misdirected. That means they’re going to make a lot of unnecessary mistakes at our expense. And they have a new toy called AI.

Isaac Asimov, the famous Sci-Fi futurist warned us back in the 70s about AI (Artificial Intelligence) taking over so he proposed guidelines for robot programmers to adhere to in order to preserve the human species. (You can see his theories played out in the movie “I Robot.”).

Isaac Asimov’s 3 Robotic Laws:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Pretty insightful, huh? But brilliant as he was, Asimov failed to propose something more basic. You see, he was also an atheist. He avoided an ancient instruction manual called the Bible. If he read it and spread the wisdom in it, he might have written guidelines for moral decency and common sense. When they took out the Ten Commandments from our schools, it’s no surprise we’re in such a mess.

I believe in that ancient manual. And my hope rests in the promises therein — that good will triumph evil — the hackers, spammers and Identity thieves.

But this is just me.

“Common sense, common courtesy and common decency really do have a lot in common. They all disappeared around the same time.”
— Susan Gale

TGIF people!

Fun Facts

Shared by Tom of Pasadena, CA

Impossibilities

1) You can’t count your hair.

2) You can’t wash your eyes with soap.

3) You can’t breathe through your nose when your tongue is out.

Put your tongue back in your mouth, you silly person.

Ten (10) Things I know about you.

1) You are reading this.

2) You are human.

3) You can’t say the letter ”P” without separating your lips.

4) You just attempted to do it.

6) You are laughing at yourself.

7) You have a smile on your face and you skipped No. 5.

8) You just checked to see if there is a No. 5.

9) You laugh at this because you are a fun loving person & everyone does it too.

10) You are probably going to send this to see who else falls for it.

You have received this e-mail because I didn’t want to be alone in the idiot category.

TGIF Videos

Four Highly Strung Ladies
Sent by Don of Kelowna, B.C.

Here are 4 glamorous musicians who make playing their instruments while making fun of themselves seem so effortless.

Watch Video

Difference Between Dumb Ass and Smart Ass
Sent by Rodney of Manitoba, B.C.

We use the term “ass” literally so don’t get offended. Interesting to see there really are asses who are smarter than others.

Watch Video

AI Can Kill Us

Shared by Raoul

Disturbing facts about Artificial Intelligence. We already know that it has surpassed human thinking and capabilities — but what’s scary is the way it’s already being employed today. This guy’s kinda “gloom and doom.” The comments are pretty interesting.

Parting Shot

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C. who shared this photo

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