OMG, The Gorilla in the Room

May 9, 2016May 9, 2016 / Penny L Howe / 4 Comments

I’m an American. Just one person, but I feel as if the “gorilla in the room” has not only grown to gigantic proportions but has taken over intelligent rational minds, many of whom I never would have expected to belittle themselves by spreading fear and hate (or passively going along) with the use of vularity and bullying tactics.

I am proud to be an American, but am very worried about the direction we Americans are allowing ourselves to be herded towards.

Whether it is apathy, indifference or some other thing it is horrifying and more than a little scary.

I, for one, am hopeful more Americans wake up from this sick unreal “reality show” that so many are currently living with their guidance (dependence) for how to behave directly related to the deceptive and artificial media and social media world.

Just so scary … I mean really!!!!

Penny L Howe, 2016

I Don’t Know About You But …

May 3, 2016 / Penny L Howe / 4 Comments

… Freedom Of Speech (while not coming with a specific caveat regarding good manners and acceptable social behavior) does indicate that it should not be intrusive or take away from another citizen(s) and yet (I shall repeat this) …

AND YET … voicing your right to express your opinion now obviously includes the right to be openly cruel, petty, malicious, mean, insensitive, and judgemental to others not in agreement. (That IMO is frequently voiced because of not adequately understanding/ misinterpreting facts or a situation, or just plain feeling the need to be obnoxious to get attention).

Whether it be any social media source or any news media source, rude behavior seems to have become the acceptable norm.

Verbal personal attacks are horrible examples to pass on to children and each other. It achieves nothing positive of value, in fact it would indicate our values are currently residing in the gutter.

Do I have a point, other than the obvious diminishment of self worth and respect for/from others? Yes, because it is just as important in our ability to come together (inspite of differences) as a country for the good of all of us for improvement and advancement of our lot in life.

The sad thing is I don’t anticipate much reaction from this except some head nodding in agreement because for the most part … WE have accepted this current status quo, meaning … We The People of this awesome country … are as guilty as those who actively participate in rude, crude, cruel and mean bullying behavior. Because we’ve accepted it, which, as you know is painfully obvious each and every day!

Oh, and one other thing, being strong does not mean being brutish and insensitive to other people … EVER!

That’s it.

Imagine There’s No Meanness!

December 5, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 13 Comments

“A child learns through ‘experience with’ and ‘observations of’ the behavior of others.” ~ P

Imagine if being mean was inconceivable.

That no one anywhere on the planet understood the concept, much less had the desire to do anything mean.

Being nice isn’t really all that difficult. It takes far less time to be nice than it does to be mean and when people are nice to you, you want to spend more time around them.

So what does being mean “mean”? To me it’s when one perceives a hurt or cruelty from another. This sound ambiguous, because in a way it is. Many times we hurt others accidentally with poorly considered choices in what and how we say or do something. But if a true understanding of “no meanness” was there and one sensed a hurt, the other would be quick to apologize.

For the most part we have pretty good instincts, however, and know when someone else is being mean and cruel, with intent, through their words and actions.

When we’re mean all those other negative emotions can really take hold (hatred, cruelty, greed, avarice) when we’re nice to each other a different set of emotions rule (tenderness, caring, sharing and love)! The choice should be the one that has universal appeal ~ most certainly for the benefit of all mankind and life on this wonderful planet of ours. Let’s work on it, shall we?

Have a wonderful weekend, filled with love and caring.

~ Penny

Why there are rude, nasty people out there today!

June 25, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 33 Comments

It’s because they have forgotten author Robert Fulghum’s wise words regarding what many of us learned as kids.

“These are the things I learned (in Kindergarten):

1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don’t hit people.
4. Put things back where you found them.
5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.
6. Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
7. Say you’re SORRY when you HURT somebody.
8. Wash your hands before you eat.
9. Flush.
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11. Live a balanced life – learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.
12. Take a nap every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Stryrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
15. Goldfish and hamster and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup – they all die. So do we.
16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned – the biggest word of all – LOOK.”
― Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

I think we’ve got the “Looking” part down pat, but most of the other rules, the ones related to good behavior seem, for many, to have gotten lost. And it feels like the more we stress “social correctness”, the more we see the breakdown of basic, good, everyday manners. Our politicians and other “people in the news” are certainly among some of the worst. But we’re (the private individual) not far behind them. Just go online for any subject, in any social media to find the very worst of how humans can be.

Don’t get me wrong, the very best is out there too, but there are those days when it seems we have to wade through the negative to get to the positive. Come on guys, knock it off. We’re better than that.

When we’re out there making a positive difference and helping others we illuminate the best of who we can be. And sadly there’s not an “app. for that”, so it’s up to us. Let’s be more focused on what’s right and less on what’s wrong.

And let’s be polite and show respect (this includes politicians of all parties). We’re getting darn tired of our politicians behavior, and I believe I speak for most Americans, even though we may individually disagree on a given issue, we all expect better of those we’ve elected to represent us in our government.

So that’s all – just so very weary of negativity. Hopeful for lots more positiveness, which is when things really do happen – for the better.

Have a positive “rest of your week”,

~ Penny

Love – nothing is more important!

November 18, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 46 Comments

My favorite word in the whole vocabulary of all the languages on our planet is Love. It means the same thing no matter where you are. Love is universal. It sums everything up. Just this one word!

It brightens the day, makes the impossible seem possible. The bad – not so bad and is the very foundation that hope rests upon … the one word … LOVE!

I send love to everyone today. It is an especially hard Monday/Tuesday today for many many millions of people on our planet, Both nationally and abroad.

Perhaps, today, we can point a few less fingers, blame a few less people, think not so many petty, selfish or greedy thoughts and instead think about love and loving! I guess news “talk show hosts” are getting paid (now, when they voice their opinions) to say and broadcast petty and mean things and …

Politically speaking (USA), my message to all of you politicians out there is … GROW UP, you are all acting like spoiled children (all parties) instead of responsible, polite and well-mannered individuals. Our government will always have those with varying agendas but NO ONE has to be mean (nasty) during discussions and the manner in which they conduct their public activities.

The three main political parties in this country are Republicans, Independents and Democrats and since acronyms have become so popular please note that the acronym for these three parties is R.I.D., which is how many Americans are starting to feel about you and how you’ve been governing in Congress. so STOP IT!

Do you job. Get it done, but with the dignity and honor that your position deserves. And another thing, Our President is the duly elected President of our United (all of them) States and as such Dignity and Honor should be extended to him as well, or our current political parties are really of no value to us Americans any more. And getting rid of the current political parties (R.I.D.) might be the best way to change things!

Life is too short (yours included) for the behavior I and millions of others witness daily (while nothing is getting done) and ALL AMERICANS ARE SICK OF IT!)

Most especially when now we should be seeing what we can accomplish together as a UNITED States of America (and yes there are 50 states, not one or two or 13) and not the horrible nastiness that we’ve been exposed to.

We need jobs, an improved infrastructure, fairness and equality but mostly we need a HUGE change in attitude and how we conduct ourselves.

We are all of various ethnic, genders and backgrounds (every single one of us) and we are all citizens but when bad weather hits anywhere, then we are reminded that which we should be ALL THE TIME! Human beings in need of love and support and each other – and nothing else is more important than that! Nothing!

Penny L Howe, 2013

Don’t Let Them Win!

August 25, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 61 Comments

We Are A Caring Blogging Community!

The Facebook, easy going or in your face attitude, that can include a “lack of manners” mentality seems to be infiltrating WordPress. I have been to several excellent blogs in the last few days whose authors have been considering leaving their blogging friends because of extremely rude behavior by a few bloggers who follow them (in most cases these other bloggers also have Facebook media pages).

Being rude and inappropriate seems to be the norm on many Facebook sites. But up until recently I had not found this sort of nastiness in the WordPress Blogging Community.

It saddens me and I encourage others who have been encountering this sort of behavior to block, remove and unfollow these (hurtful and mean) individuals but most importantly – keep on keeping on with your blogging, inspiring the rest of us as you have been.

It only takes a few rotten apples to spoil the barrel. Let’s not let that happen here. We are a creative and supportive family and community of bloggers who are sensitive, caring, loving and most of all responsible with manners for proper behavior when being interactive, commenting and appropriately sharing with some one else’s, hard earned and welcoming, creative blog site!

If this is happening on your blog to you – reach out to other bloggers, they do care and will be supportive. That’s what the blogging community is all about, in my opinion anyway!

~ Penny

What are meaningful “action” words?

July 14, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 11 Comments

And how do you use them?

*

Love, Hope, Give, Honor, Care, Trust, Believe, Forgive, Value,

Such small words. Such huge and wonderful meanings. When we use small words with big meanings do we feel big feelings? Do we think big thoughts?

In the English language of things, these can all be “action” words (verbs)! Are they action words (in your life) when you say them or are they simply words connecting other words together in a sentence. Words written or spoken in daily platitudes but not our personal attitudes.

I know when we use small words that are negative …

fear, hate, fault, blame, mean, hurtful, cruel, greedy

… we are very action oriented! Look around, it’s rather obvious isn’t it? Violence, meanness, cruelty, selfishness, greed are everywhere (in abundance)! Why is that?

The human heart has such a giant capacity for LOVE and LOVING!

Today, written and spoken words are being used as weapons, tearing apart and ripping through the potential of what we can become: something far greater than the sum of our individual parts. Please use those action words that help bring us – all – closer together. Not further apart. And yes! You do make a difference! Every single human being on the planet does!

Each life holds the capability of greatness from which something mighty may grow.