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