Color-Vision Deficiency

Do you have Color-Vision Deficiency? 1 of twelve guys and 1 of every 200 girls suffer from this condition. Most sufferers have difficulty distinguishing between yellow, green, orange, red, and brown. This defect can make it hard to see green mold on brown bread or on yellow cheese or even distinguish a blue-eyed blonde from a green-eyed redhead.

Defects in color vision are usually inherited and are present at birth. Because schools often use color-coded teaching tools, especially in the early grades, parents and teachers might think that a child has a learning disability when, in fact, they have a color-vision deficiency.

Although there is no known cure for this condition, it neither worsens with age nor does it increase the risk of other defects. Still, color-vision deficiency is a disability that can be frustrating.

Spirituality

“Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need!”

People everywhere recognize the need for spirituality in their life and assume that once found, it will bring them happiness. What, though, is the meaning of the term “spirituality”?

One dictionary defines spirituality as “sensitive or attachment to religious values.” Just about every religion claims to know the path to spirituality; the directions to spirituality given are about as numerous as the religions themselves. A Protestant claims to be saved at a revival meeting, a Catholic seeks communion with God at mass, a Buddhist pursues enlightenment through meditation, a Hindu strives for release from the cycle of rebirths through self-denial, and a Christian finds it when they belong to a church. Spirituality can mean, to some, to believe without belonging (that is to believe in a god or deity or anything without belonging to a “church”).

Spirituality refers, not to a religious experience but to a desire for inner peace and meaning in life. Those seeking spirituality need not look to religion at all. You need to look inwardly, to your innermost feelings. One writer said: “True spirituality is something that is found deep within oneself. It is your way of loving, accepting, and relating to the world and people around you. It can not be found in a church or by believing in a certain way.”

Clearly people differ greatly in their ideas about spirituality. As far as their being a correct path to follow (the best path) I don’t agree with the idea that there is only ONE way. Everyone has their own view on being spiritual. Some people want to join spirituality and religion into one, and that’s fine … if that is what you want, but let me define both of these words.

Religion is a set dogma, there are sets of rules and behaviors that one should follow; religion has an organization to it. By definition, it involves belief in a deity or worship of a deity. Religion is the personal set or institutionalized attitudes, beliefs, practices, or a cause. Most religions tend to follow a certain format of worship or service in a manner that brings about a feeling of unity. So, it would be safe to say that most religions are manmade institutions where individuals with the same religious attitudes gather in order to achieve a sense of harmony with that which they consider to be divine.

Spirituality, on the other hand does not place the emphasis on rules, ideals or textbooks. Spirituality is what you feel without being told and without having to belong to something in particular. It does not (necessarily) have anything to do with religion... it has to do with self-realization. It is the search for one's own spiritual truths. Many spiritual seekers choose not to join into an organized type of religion, but prefer to discover the answers from within themselves rather than through manmade rituals.

Religion often tends to build walls of mistrust, fear, and even hatred through its rigid, in most cases, adherence to the “rules.” Spirituality, on the other hand is free of dogma, and allows tolerance and discernment to others beliefs, rather than intolerance and judgment.

This is not to say that religion is bad and spirituality is good. Religion by its very organization promotes a sense of unity, and spirituality can have a down side when the seeker starts relying on leaders who profess to have all the answers and they just end up leaving us confused.

In my opinion, religion and spirituality don’t fall hand in hand; you can’t use these two words interchangeably like most people do. I am not saying in any way that either is more logical than the other, I am simply expressing my thoughts and feelings.

Where's Mandela?

"I heard somebody say, Where's Mandela?' Well, Mandela's dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandela’s," – Bush

Those were the exact words Bush used when speaking at a press conference; his intent was to explain the sectarian strife in Iraq and defend his administration's Iraq policy. Sometimes I wonder if Bush thinks before opening his mouth to speak, Nelson Mandela is still very much alive!

When I read this I remembered an episode of America’s Next Top Model (Yes, I watch that show from time to time … don’t judge). The girls were taken to see Nelson Mandela's cell. Keenyah, who feels a “stronger” connection because she is black, cries when hearing of Mandela's ordeal for democracy. Before that she knew nothing about Mandela, still, she manages to talk about how great Mandela is. Then she turns and asks one of the girls if he is still alive.

Like I said before, he IS alive. Mandela is eighty-nine; he retired from public life in June 1999 and currently lives in his birth place Qunu, Transkei. He was jailed for 27 years for fighting white minority rule, and in 1994 Mandela became South Africa's first black president. He won a Nobel Peace Prize for preaching racial harmony and guiding the nation peacefully into the post-apartheid era. Mandela accepted the Nobel Peace Prize as an honor to all people who worked for peace and stood against racism. It was as much an award to his person as it was for all South Africa s people.

“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die,” Nelson Mandela

OBESITY

Kids, teens and adults continue to get heavier. One-third of children and teens in the USA (about 25 million kids) are either overweight or will become over weight. Even babies in the USA are heavier than they used to be. Being obese means having so much body fat that your health is in danger. When you take in more calories than you burn off, you gain weight. How you eat, how active you are, and other things affect how your body uses calories and whether you gain weight.

For the “busy bee’s” it is easier to reach for prepared foods, go out to eat, or go to the drive-through. What do all these alternatives have in common? They are all high in fat, high in calories, and are usually more than what we should eat. We are all aware that we must burn more calories than we take in, and still we wonder why we get bottom heavy when we do very limited physical activity.

FINAL WORD (KIND OF RANDOM): Illinois is the only state that requires daily physical activity for grades K-12.

Faith, Part II

Faith can be interpreted in many different ways. Some people would say that faith is the basis of all knowledge. According to Hector, faith is defined as: “the adoption of one believe wholeheartedly and completely, such a definition is idealistic, dangerous and foolhardy.”

I don’t consider myself a religious person, but I am very knowledgeable when it comes to the bible. One of my favorite scriptures is Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Pursuant to what Hector wrote in his essay regarding Mother Teresa and her faith I have a personal response. I quote him, “They cling to their ideals, fearful of allowing themselves to act and think and feel the way they were born to, as human beings.”

Why would someone who has faith in something, anything, be considered to be afraid of allowing themselves to be human? (This sentence still refers to the quote above, inserted from Hectors faith essay.) There are many different interpretations of this word; it all depends on who your demographic audience is.

God gave human beings free will; no other living creature has this quality. It is what makes us such complex mechanisms. First of all, does free will even exist? Many will fight that it does not. I argue it does. I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness. I have never practiced any other religion. I was not baptized as an infant; rather I was given the choice to decide when to dedicate my life to God … so to speak. God does not force his/her power over individuals; we are given will and the freedom to choose. Each and every one of us is responsible for our own actions, which requires free will. However, Hectors essay is not about free will, it is about faith. (I got a little carried away ☺) So let’s get back on the topic and focus. Like I said before, faith can be considered the basis for human knowledge.

I used to only know what I was told by my parents or teachers, but I have looked for answers and I have researched topics that interest me, such as this one. This doesn’t mean I don’t have faith, I most certainly do! The idea of "faith seeking understanding" was set forth by St. Augustine in his statement "Crede, ut intelligas" ("Believe in order that you may understand"). That is what I am going to base my argument on. If we don’t believe in anything and have some sort of faith in either a person, place, thing or idea then how do we expect to understand anything? It does not necessarily have to apply to the idea of religion but rather the totality of knowledge.

Hector said something about children being taught to believe in things such as Santa, the Tooth Fairy, etc. Well, don’t children typically hold parental teaching as credible? When our parents tell us something we usually believe it, it becomes a foundation upon which future knowledge is built. Not everything our parents tell us will be correct, of course some things are said to scare us or refrain us; some of what we learn will be wrong, and some will be rejected. When we have no other sources of information our parents become our teachers. Of course, it is irrational to cling to everything we were taught but it is the foundation of our future knowledge.

Faith can be applied to merely anything and everything. For example, how many people have faith in a specific sports team, a parent, a lover, or most importantly themselves? Faith must be present in order to know anything. In other words, one must assume, believe, or have faith in the credibility of things in order to have a basis for knowledge.

We also base our knowledge to "authorities." Sometimes we just don’t have time to evaluate all the details so this is were "faith" is used instead. Faith is a commitment. "Faith" can be used in the sense of "fidelity." For a lot of people, faith or the lack thereof, is an important part of their identity.

I agree with Hector when he said that we sometimes say to know something “simply because everyone around us claims to know the same fact,” and “we might not even review the legitimacy of the idea.” We should always ask questions and find our answers but being faithful in something does not mean we are naïve. I want to leave this clear, asking a question does not mean we lack faith in any way, shape, or form; it is simply a way of strengthening our faith and becoming more knowledgeable.

Until we possess all knowledge in totality, we will need faith in order to believe something to be correct or incorrect.