Gregoire Today is live Friday, March 5th at 1:30 pm ET / 10:30 am PT

Suzanne Scurlock-Durana, CMT, CST-D has taught internationally about conscious awareness and its relationship to the healing process. For over 25 years, Suzanne has masterfully taught her step-by-step practice of present moment awareness. The more fully you inhabit all aspects of yourself, the more capable you are of listening to that quiet voice within.

The practices of Full Body Presence give you the ability to accomplish this and to help you find a deeper awareness in the moment, even in the midst of chaos, family and work demands, or the pressure to perform. This deeper awareness also brings a fuller sense of trust and confidence in yourself, and in the world.

Visit Suzanne at www.FullBodyPresence.com

Full Body Presence is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and a bookstore near you!

Years after losing his lower right leg in a motorcycle crash, Robert Kull traveled to a remote island in Patagonia’s coastal wilderness with equipment and supplies to live alone for a year. He sought to explore the effects of deep solitude on the body and mind and to find the spiritual answers he’d been seeking all his life.

With only a cat and his thoughts as companions, he wrestled with inner storms while the wild forces of nature raged around him. The physical challenges were immense, but the struggles of mind and spirit pushed him even further. Chronicling a life distilled to its essence — the fundamental mechanics of daily survival — “Solitude” is also a philosophical meditation on the tensions between nature and technology, isolation and society. With humor and brutal honesty, Kull explores the pain and longing we typically avoid in our frantically busy lives as well as the peace and wonder that arise once we strip away our distractions. He describes the enormous Patagonia wilderness with poetic attention, transporting the reader directly into both his inner and outer experiences.

Kull went into solitude fishing for enlightenment, seeking The Answer, but came back empty-handed. Wilderness, he found, is a place to clearly see the insanity of denying that the world is as it is. He discovered that life itself teaches us all we need to know — once we pause to really listen.

Solitude is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and bookstores everywhere. You can find Bob Kull at www.BobKull.org.

Why do we put people on pedestals during the Olympics?

Team USA's Evan Lysacek (Yuri Kadobnov/Getty Images)

Because they’ve placed in the top 3 positions in the world - within a particular event, within a particular sport. Tiger Woods was placed on a pedestal by many of us for the same reason – because he was the dominant player in the world – within a particular sport.

For Tiger, and the Olympians, that is the only reason that they’re on the pedestal: dominance within one event or one sport – they were not put there for any other reason.

They may have other very strong  traits or qualities in addition to their athletic ability but, we usually don’t know much more about the person except for their one, dominant skill. Each person that you and I have placed on a pedestal was put there because they were good at some THING.

What do we do to athletes, musicians, actors and politicians whom we’ve placed upon a pedestal when they show vulnerability in another aspect of their lives?  We crucify them!  We act as if we expect them to be perfect role models in every area of their lives – husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, role-models  – just because of their proficiency in one particular area.

How long would you and I last if we were one of those placed upon a pedestal by others?

Should we be placing people on pedestals above us in the first place?

Is it fair that we quickly push people off their pedestals and begin belittling them as soon as they reveal that they’re human and imperfect in other areas of their lives?

My name is Bob and I’m not perfect. Phew! I’m glad that I got that out of the way so that your expectations will be lower.  It’s so easy for me to say that because, despite my daily efforts, I understand that I fall short of what I’m capable of becoming. I’ve been given a tremendous amount of potential and I have NOT utilized all of it – yet.

Although I wouldn’t mind being put on a pedestal because of my relatively medium height (I’m short!), I don’t belong there.  If each of us were to be put  on the ideal pedestal, it would be one which automatically adjusted so  that each of us would be at identical heights. Can you picture each of us at exactly the same height looking eye-to-eye with Tiger, Gold Medal Olympians, musicians, politicians and other people whose internal value is exactly the same as yours and mine?

You see, although we have different jobs, incomes, faiths, languages and skills, we all have the same internal spiritual value.  We’re all part of the same universal spirit. Each person’s spirit is valued equally by the only One capable of putting a value on you.

We’re all part of the same universal spirit. We all came from the same creator.

We’re all being drawn and called toward our creator and spiritual perfection like a flower is drawn toward the sunlight.  We’re seeking the light. We’re seeking love. We’re seeking a feeling of unity and oneness.

My position in the world is not above you.  It’s not below you.  It’s beside you walking hand-in-hand.

The only person who can see you as less valuable than any other person in the world is YOU. It’s not our financial net worth that matters.  It’s not our intellectual net worth (IQ) that matters. It’s not our physical net worth that matters most either. The only thing that is lasting and permanent that we’ll take with us upon our departure from this earthly realm is our spiritual net worth.

How much time are you investing on a daily basis in your spiritual capital?

When we accept the idea that our spiritual value is the same as every other person’s, we begin looking at every person in the world as a peer – as a spiritual brother and sister.  Each of our brothers and sisters has received some sort of spiritual gift but, that gift does not make them any more valuable than any other person.  Your spiritual esteem allows you to see each person as one who complements you.  Our unique gifts and talents complement those of the people around us.

When joined together in one spirit, humanity becomes complete and whole. When we stop fighting each other, this will be the end result.

Why do we resist what we truly desire?

So, although we can recognize that each person has gifts and some people excel in a particular area, no one belongs on a pedestal above you. Each of us is allowed to be an imperfect human who is striving for perfection.  How do we accomplish this quest for spiritual perfection?

It becomes very easy for us to notice, recognize and acknowledge the spiritual beauty that’s in others once we realize it in ourselves. We develop and nourish our souls by feeding them with soul food – silence, meditation and prayer. We move toward perfection as we move into unity with our souls.  Moving toward unity with our soul is a deliberate move toward oneness with the God within.

Our souls need to be nourished, fed and nurtured much like our bodies and minds. The soul food which is digested on a daily basis, brings our bodies and minds into oneness with our souls and into oneness with our Creator. Once this occurs, we feel a very strong sense of connectedness to ourself, to God and to all other people.  We move from a state of competition into one of cooperation.  We move from states of envy and despair into ones of compassion, love and joy.

Although I exercise on a daily basis, I know that eventually my body is going to die. This is guaranteed.

Although I exercise my mind on a daily basis through recitation of affirmations and through learning, I know that my mind will eventually fade away or die with my physical body. This too is guaranteed.

I feed my soul on a daily basis because this is the piece of my being that is truly me. Our soul is the only part of our being that will be with us forever.  Because of this fact, this is where I spend a disproportionate amount of my time. I’m intentionally investing in that part of me that will never die – guaranteed.

When my soul is healthy, I feel good about myself, the world, and all of the people in the world. It is a feeling of joy and oneness with God and with all of humanity.

You and I became the recipients of Gold medals at birth – our souls.  We must become silent and go inside ourselves in order to find, retrieve and nurture this gift. Once this gift is acknowledged, you’ll notice the Gold medal worthiness inside of all people just waiting to be recognized.

Team Germany's Eric Frenzel (Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images)

Recognize the vibrant, living soul inside yourself first and then you’ll see it in others quite easily.

No one deserves to be on a pedestal above you and no one deserves to be in a position below you.

The goal is to be united in spirit with one another.

Our souls are longing to be acknowledged by us and united with God.  Once this occurs, we’ll then seek unity with all beings.

I was recently asked to be a guest on my childhood friend Rich Hancock’s radio show. During the interview, I was asked a seemingly simple question: Why do you read the Bible and study other faiths?

My seemingly simple answer: I don’t know what I don’t know!  But there’s so much more to it:

Although I’m reading at least one entire book every week, I can’t learn enough information fast enough to satisfy my lack of knowledge.  How do I explain this: am I simply thirsting for more information or hungry to learn what I haven’t yet in the first 48 years of my life?

Growing up as a Catholic in the northeast, I was never strongly encouraged to open a Bible at my Catholic grammar school or at home (or I didn’t pay attention to that wisdom).  We were taught by nuns and priests at school and we learned from listening to the scripture readings at church and from the priests’ homilies on weekends.

I thought that I was way ahead of the curve. Although I may have been, I was nowhere to being as close in my relationship with God as I could have been. I wasn’t close to being as good a person as I was capable of becoming.

Faith is relative |  Health is relative |  Wisdom is relative |  Kindness is relative

Reading the Bible allows me to understand the faith into which I was born in the context of history – from the Old Testament to the New Testament.  Whenever we’re truly trying to learn and change, repetition of key concepts and ideas allows the new trait or behavior to become deeply imprinted in our minds and being.  When we hear things in church or on the radio or television, we might say to ourselves, “that makes sense” but, do we imprint that information so that it becomes our second nature?

Most of the time (at least for me) the answer used to be no.  Many great ideas have slipped through my cranium because I didn’t write them down and repeat them so that they’d stick.

Whenever I am struck with a thought, quote or concept from scripture (or anywhere else) while reading, I immediately grab a 3 X 5 index card and write it down so that I can repeat the thought and assimilate it into how I think and act on a daily basis.  This process allows me to change and become the type of person being spoken about in scripture.

That is the whole idea behind religion.  It’s an organized way of teaching us how to live, think and behave in a God-like fashion.

I decided to increase my knowledge of other faiths because I realized that all of the major problems that we’re facing on our planet are the result of ignorance – lack of knowledge.  Many of the  problems that are going on in our world are because everyone is acting based upon the limited knowledge that he or she has and that knowledge is always incomplete. If all of my knowledge of God is related to Christianity, I am therefore ignorant as to how billions of loving, devoted people of other faiths have  come to know God.

Seek first to understand.  Then seek to be understood. Thanks, Mr. Covey!

I wanted to understand other faiths because it’s become very evident that there is a lot of fighting and killing going on today in the name of religion.

True knowledge of God will result in kindness, compassion and love – not in anger, hatred and killing.

The reason that so many people are so passionate about a particular faith is because it happens to be the one that they learned, studied and practiced since birth.  Because it’s the one that our parents or guardians gave to us, it must be the right one and therefore, everyone else of a different faith is completely wrong.

Is it possible to know God, love God, pray to God, listen to God and act in a God-like fashion incorrectly? I don’t think so.  I’ve come to believe that there are many ways in which we can deepen our knowledge of and relationship with God.  By studying other faiths, many things are happening to me:

• I am deepening my own relationship with God.
• I am solidifying my own faith.
• I am developing very strong respect and understanding of people from other faiths.
• I am developing very strong respect and understanding for people without faith.
• I am reinforcing the belief that there is only one Creator and that there are numerous ways in which we can come to know that Creator.
• I know that once we understand any differences that we have with another person – or group of people – that person is no longer a threat to us.

Fear is the absence of love

We’re threatened by the perceived differences which exist between us and others.  Any one who looks, dresses, worships, eats, speaks differently than we do is one of two things: This person is a threat to us and our way of life or this person is someone who has knowledge of things of which I’m ignorant and therefore is someone I can learn from.

Every person that you and I encounter has something that they can teach us (unless we’re know-it-alls!).  Each person is the way he or she is for very good reasons. Each of us is a product of our environment and education.

The more that I learn about people from every faith and from every culture and from every country is that we’re all the same.  We’re all beautiful sons and daughters of God whether we know it or not.  We’re all trying to make sense of today and this lifetime.  And if we’re very fortunate, trying to figure out the spiritual sides of our being which we’ll return to completely in the future.

We all want to love and be loved. We just show it in different ways – because we don’t know any better.

Seek to understand.  Once we do, we know that all people are good on the inside.  There may be layers of hatred, hurt and  anger which have grown on their exteriors which may cause them to be unpleasing at first glance. They’ve just grown those ugly layers to protect themselves from being hurt any more.

Inside each of us is the same loving soul that longs to unite with other humans and with God.

We’re complete and whole when we’re united with each other and with God. Until that happens, we’re all feeling incomplete.

Thomas Matus has dedicated years to the search for analogies of experience between Tantric yogis and Christian mystics. He has traveled widely in India and made frequent retreats at the Ashram of Shantivanam, where Bede Griffiths taught. Aside from meditation and some sacred rites, Matus’ spiritual practice is threefold: At all times and in all things: Give thanks; Judge not; Love enemies. Says Matus, “my teacher is the wounded surgeon, with healing in his hands. He sends us the public defender, with comfort for our hearts. She keeps me mindful of my practice, and when I am not, she reminds me (most often through others). Matus lives in the hills above Berkeley, California, in a modest, low-profile monastery called “Incarnation.”

My 16-year old daughter came home from school for the weekend and notified us that she’d forgotten her iPhone charger at school and that her phone had died.  She was forced to spend a half a day at work without her lifeline to the entire world.  She was lost.

Those of us who use technology of any kind know that if we do not charge the device, it dies completely.

That got me thinking about the parallel between technology and humans.  With smart phones and notebook computers, all we need to do is plug them into an outlet on a daily or periodic basis and the device will remain charged.  What’s the best way to charge humans?

For humans to be our best, we require three distinct sources of energy to run optimally – mental, physical and spiritual energy.  Ideally, we would recharge each of these areas on a daily basis. By remaining fully charged in each area, we’re guaranteed to operate efficiently for at least the next 24 hours.

What happens when we’re not properly charged? Instead of just shutting down completely like a phone, we begin breaking down in one or more of the three distinct areas.  For many people, we think that these negative feelings are normal.  They are normal feelings for humans who do not understand how to properly maintain themselves. They are not normal feelings when we care for our high-performance bodies like they were any of our prized possessions.

Physical break downs manifest with symptoms like excess weight, loss of muscle, physical weakness, high blood pressure and feelings of fatigue.   Mental break downs  show up in our negative self-talk, criticism of others, cynicism and destructive emotions.  Spiritual breakdowns manifest themselves when we’re lacking in faith, hope and love (of God, self and others).

People who cherish their cars wash the exteriors frequently (care for our bodies), detail the interiors at least weekly (care for our minds) and make sure that the engine is serviced regularly by an authorized dealer (care for our souls).

Why do many of us seem to care more for things than we do for our own well-being? I think that it’s just a lack of knowledge because we receive more education in school about language, math, history and science and very little about  how to care for our self.

On a daily basis, I see people investing time, energy and resources into their professions and into their families but, they neglect to spend enough time investing and charging themselves.  Neglecting our minds, bodies and souls on a daily basis is like heading out the door with a poorly charged cell phone.  We will only last for so long before we stop working.

Most of us know how long we need to plug in the computer or cell phone so that it is charged enough to service us for the day.  Do you know how long that it takes you to fully energize your soul?  your body? your mind?

Would it be unreasonable to allocate 1 hour in each 24 hour day to take care of yourself?  If you think that’s a large amount of time to invest in yourself, how much time do you spend working each day?  Would you consider yourself to be in peak physical, mental and spiritual condition?  Do you have any idea how you would perform every minute of your life for yourself, family and others if you were in peak condition in all three areas?

Technology comes with a manual that tells us how to care for the device.  Humans don’t come with a written manual so, we’re forced to figure out how to care for ourselves on our own.

Here is the short version of the Human Owner’s Manual:

Body: Congratulations on the choice of your earthly body.  The body that you’ve chosen has been designed to last for a minimum of 100 years with proper care. Below is the summary of how to maintain your body in peak condition.  Details can be found later on on the manual.

• Sleep for  6-8 hours each day
• Exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes each day to keep your body in prime condition.
• Eat 5-6 small meals every 3 hours so that you do not overeat from being too hungry

Mind:  Your mind was created as a receptacle to hold thoughts about yourself, others and about the beautiful world in which you live. Like a tape recorder it records literally every though that you have so PLEASE be very careful about how you speak to yourself.  You create your own self-identity with your thoughts.

• Spend 15 minutes (or longer) per day creating the thoughts that you wish to dominate your life.
• Convert all of the goals that you have into one-sentence, present tense affirmations and read them as if you’re sculpting the ideal being because you are.
• Try not to give sanction to the negativity in the world and please dispute the information that is coming your way from other humans and the media.

Spirit/Soul: You are s spiritual being that is temporarily making residence in a human body.  It is critical that you maintain your soul on a daily basis because it is your connection to God and to every other human in the world. The best way to maintain your soul is by maintaining a strong daily relationship with God as you would any other person – by talking (prayer) and listening (meditation).

• It is highly recommended that you spend at least 15 minutes per day in conversation with your Creator.
• 5-10 minutes of prayer for yourself and for others allows you to remain connected to the source of your spiritual being.
• 5-10 minutes of meditation per day allows you to silence your 60,000 self-centered thoughts that you create per day long enough to be able to listen to God. This practice will allow you to remain focused on your really long-term goals (after your life inhabiting your early body ceases)

By allocating 60 minutes per day to your mental, spiritual and physical health, you will remain happy, healthy and peaceful during your time on earth.  For questions about your mental, spiritual or physical health, please address your questions in the form of prayer to your creator.  All responses will be responded to on a first-come, first-served basis during your meditation time.

CNBC named Nance Rosen, “America’s Top Job Coach.” Investor’s Business Daily features her in their Managing for Success column. She’s a former marketing executive with The Coca-Cola Company, the number one most recognized brand in the world. She teaches business development and presentation skills on campus at UCLA. She speaks around the world to business audiences on the topic of Personal Branding.

Currently, she’s the Executive Publisher at PegasusMediaWorld, publishing gurus and manages the career trajectory of up-and-coming thought leaders.

She leads a mentoring program for young managers, called the Do-It-Together Club because “success is not a DIY, do-it-yourself” project. Find out more at DITclub.com. Visit www.NanceSpeaks.com for more about Nance’s topics.

Read her blog at NanceRosenBlog.com or follow her on Twitter @nancerosen. Nance’s new book is Speak Up! & Succeed: How to get everything you want in meetings, presentations and conversations.

Most companies, especially the larger ones are great at creating job descriptions for new and existing employees.  If you’re not familiar with them, they spell out in black and white exactly what the roles and responsibilities are for each position within a company. This minimizes the it’s not my job syndrome.

If the position were for an Executive Assistant, it would say things similar to:

• Handling the calendar for Chief Operating Officer: Scheduling of all meetings, calls, appointments and trips
• Screening and filtering of all incoming telephone calls and e-mail messages
• Creation of Word Processing, Spreadsheet and Presentation documents
• Office hours from 8AM-6PM: will frequently be asked to start early and stay late as requested by the COO

In the business world, we use the term role clarity in a positive light so that each person within the company knows how she/he will be measured at the end of the day, week, month, quarter and year. Role clarity minimizes ambiguity. When roles are clearly defined, employees can relax a little more knowing that they’re meeting expectations as clearly determined by the document created by Human Resources and/or management.

Should we consider creating job descriptions for our roles at home: husband, wife, son, daughter, father, mother, partner, roommate, etc.? If it’s the norm within the business world, maybe we should make it the norm at home?

Why might we consider doing this?  Are you certain that you’re meeting the expectations of the person or people with whom you share shelter?  Is your significant other meeting or exceeding your expectations?  If not, are you giving them clear and nurturing feedback or just keeping these negative feelings hidden?

Who sets these bars?  We usually set them, but we force the other people to figure out exactly what our standards are.

Keep jumping | Nope, not high enough |  Try again | Nope

Do I really want to know if I’m meeting expectations as a husband and father?

Do I really want to try as hard at home as I do in the outside world?

Feedback stings.  That’s why most of us do whatever we can to avoid it.  If I never ask you how I’m doing, I’ll never be disappointed with your response.  I’ll just keep going on in the ignorant splendor of missing the marks that have been set for me by others.

I think that this is where problems surface within our relationships at home.  What is frequently good enough for the other person is not good enough for us – or vice versa.

The problem at home is that most of us have no idea about exactly what the roles are and how we’re going to meet the expectations of the other person.

Here are some of the areas in which people have differing beliefs on what’s right and how things should be done at home:

Tidiness of the home

Is it okay to leave things on chairs or the floor?

Do dusting and vacuuming have to occur if we’re not cleaning for company or a party?

Why do I have to make the bed, I plan on using it again tonight?

I thought that you were responsible for the dishes and the laundry?

Tidiness of the home

• Is it okay to leave things on chairs or the floor?
• Do dusting and vacuuming have to occur if we’re not cleaning for company or a party?
• Why do I have to make the bed, I plan on using it again tonight?
• I thought that you were responsible for the dishes and the laundry?

Language used

• Critical versus nurturing environment: I only (criticize) speak this way to you because I love you.  I rarely or never criticize strangers.
• Is it appropriate to swear when it’s only us?
• Why don’t you speak to me as nicely as you do to your clients?

Sleeping schedules

• What is the right time to go to bed?
• What is the right time to get up?
• How late do we sleep-in on the weekend?
• Am I supposed to sleep on your schedule?

Entertainment

• How often should we go out together?
• How often do we go out as a couple? With other couples?
• How often should we vacation? How often with the children? How often without children?
• How often is it okay for me to go out without you (with friends)?
• Do we spend any time together at home when there is not a computer, television or smart phone distracting one or both of us?

Money

• Do I spend too much?
• Do I save too little?
• How much can I donate to charity?
• Why aren’t you making more than you are?
• I didn’t know that you expected me to be earning more than I am?
• Is it my job to pay the bills?

Work

• Will you please put down the iPhone and pay attention to me?
• I’m expected to be home for breakfast and dinner with the family? That eats into my work time!
• How often is it okay for me to be away on business travel?
• I didn’t know that you expected me to work.

Children

• Do you want any?
• How many is enough?
• Will we focus on the children or on each other as our main priority?
• Is it okay to let our relationship slide because of our devotion to the children?

Health

• Did you really expect me to keep the same body that I had when we were dating?
• When am I supposed to find time to exercise?
• I don’t really drink that much or that often.
• I’ll make getting the physical a priority next year.
• If we had more money, I’d eat healthier.

Faith

• I thought that you were going to take on that role with the children.
• I did that growing up but, it’s just not a priority in my life at this time.

Chores

• Who mows, weeds and shovels?
• Who does the dishes, laundry, dusting and vacuuming?

Relationship

• How nice to we have to be to each other at home?
• How often do we date?
• Do we treat each other as well as we treat people outside the home?
• Do we spend enough 1:1 time with each other?
• Are we really listening to each other?
• Are we showing the same level of love to each other that we’re showing to the children?

Maybe we should write out our own role descriptions for our roles at home and share them with the people who share our homes with us?

Maybe we should give the other person feedback on exactly what we’re looking for in our relationship with them?

At the end of your fiscal year, the document can be updated in order to take the relationship to the next level in the coming year.

We’re either growing together, or we’re growing apart.

Growing together is a joy.

Growing apart is painful.

After the roles are defined, negotiated and agreed to by both parties, we’d have a living document that would be reviewed on a periodic basis – monthly, quarterly? Each person would give the other person candid but, nurturing feedback on where things are going well and where there is room for improvement. In my case, I’d receive detailed feedback from my wife and children with a total score of meets, exceeds or failed to meet expectations in every area. Carolyn and the kids will receive detailed feedback from me on where they are meeting, exceeding or failing to meet expectations.

Wow! You mean that we’d all have to perform at home as well as we’re expected to at work or school???

Does that mean that I have to be as nice to the people at my home as I am to my co-workers and customers???

Companies do this so that they can document performance levels that are less than what is required to remain in a particular role.  Documenting the performance levels against the levels of expectations agreed to prior to accepting the job makes it easier to terminate an employee who fails to meet clearly set expectations.  Frequent feedback at work gives the employee the opportunity to improve and meet the role expectations.

Don’t the people that we love at home deserve the same feedback and consideration that we get and give at work and school?  Isn’t there some level of communication that should exist on a very frequent basis between our uttering of the worlds I do and  I do not know if I want to continue in this relationship? Of course there is.

At home, no matter how much we do, say or contribute, we all feel unappreciated at times.

Lack of appreciation from the people we love can sometimes lead to feelings of resentment.

When people are not living up to the expectations that we have of them, this too can cause us to begin resenting the other person. One of the problems with resentment is that only one person is hurting if the other person doesn’t know that he or she is not living up to the expectations of the other.

Although the creation of job descriptions for the our roles at home sounds a little sterile and formal, it would result in the setting of clear expectations for each individual and result in agreement on what a mutually beneficial relationship would look like.  It would create a process for constant communication and continuous feedback.  It would allow us to address issues on a regular basis so that we’d have the opportunity to live up to each other’s expectations and make changes while the problems are still fresh.

The problem that I see in many relationships is that expectations are not being set or met and there is little or no communication about it until the problems are serious enough to require professional help.

If we had to choose whether to treat our families or people outside the home better, wouldn’t it make more sense to treat our families impeccably?

How about getting into the habit of treating all people with love and kindness all the time?  You’ve got the potential to do it!

Drawn from the extraordinary true story of a family’s survival of Siberian exile comes One Life to Give: A Path to Finding Yourself by Helping Others

In the winter of 1939, five-year-old Andrew Bienkowski was exiled to Siberia with his family. The two years of struggle that followed—especially his grandfather’s amazing act of sacrifice during their first long, cold winter—have informed the rest of Andrew’s life. Thanks to his devoted mother, his quick-witted grandmother, and the unexpected kindness of strangers, Andrew established an approach to life that emphasizes helping others as the essential path to finding our greatest human fulfillment. Andrew is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force who served in the Korean War. He has worked as a psychologist for 40 years, designing and implementing mental-health programs and working directly with patients. Co-author Mary Akers is also the author of a short story collection titled “Women Up On Blocks.” Her fiction, poetry and non-fiction have appeared in many journals and anthologies.

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and a bookstore near you

There was an article in the January 25th edition of USA Today submitted by the Associated Press, Bin Laden praises attempted Christmas attack. While Bin Laden is praising the heroic warrior Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab who unsuccessfully tried to blow-up a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day, the article quotes him as saying, “If our messages had been able to reach you through words, we wouldn’t have been delivering them through planes.”

I wonder if he truly means it?  I wonder if he tried speaking with us and we either didn’t listen to him or we just heard what we wanted to hear?

Is it possible that each of us is part of the problems which exist on a global basis?  Are we isolating ourselves from problems that exist around the world?  Do we tend to focus too much on ourselves and the interests of our country?

We all want to be heard. Humans will do anything to receive attention. Although we’d prefer positive attention, if we can’t get enough of it, we’ll accept negative attention. Is terrorism a way of getting attention from people who appear to be living in isolation?

Have you ever had to yell, scream or punch a wall to get somebody’s attention?

Have you ever ignored what a child or spouse was saying to you because you were pre-occupied with something else that seemed more important than another human?

I wonder if Osama Bin Laden would try speaking with us again?  I wonder if he’d meet with me in the location of his choosing to have a civil one-on-one conversation about how to stop the killing in the world by replacing hatred with love?

What I know about Islam is that its’ followers profess tremendous love for Allah.  Devout Muslims pray 5 times per day. Islam is an Abrahamic faith that has much in common with Judaism and Christianity.  It is a faith which demonstrates tremendous love and compassion for Allah and others.

Many despicable acts have been accomplished throughout history in the name of religion.  Religion, like a tongue, can be used to bring love or to bring hatred.  Neither religion nor the tongue is bad – it is how it is used by the owner. Development of God-like loving and compassionate thoughts trains our tongues to be instruments of peace.

How can any person who professes to love God, kill in that God’s name?  Probably in much the same way that parents and children hurt each other on a daily basis with their words.

Each of us is being called to do the exact opposite of killing in God’s name: each one of us is called to love in God’s name.  It is love that is our true being and at the heart of our souls.  It is God’s love which created us and sustains our very life on a daily basis.  It’s only when we’re shielded from God’s words and God’s Spirit that we act un-Godly. It’s when we intentionally separate ourselves from our Creator that we become hateful, selfish, miserable and hurtful.

Would Osama Bin Laden really like to put an end to the wars in the world?  I would.

Would he like to discuss how we can begin educating the world so that ignorance would stop breeding hatred? Would he like to replace the hatred which exists in the hearts and souls of people with love?  I would.

Would he like to bring knowledge about God’s love for every single human to each of our 6.7 billion brothers and sisters?  I would.

Would he like to eliminate the doubt which exists in the minds of millions with a faith that only brings joy and love to self and others?  I would.

Would he like to replace the darkness that is clouding the souls of millions of people with a light that comes from the love of God?  I would.

Our planet is way beyond the point of  thinking and acting locally and selfishly.   It is our small minds and selfish thinking that have the world in the state in which it’s in today.  Each of is is a part of one Global Tribe.  We are one huge family.  Yes, many of us are not speaking with each other.  Yes, many of us are waiting for the other family member to admit that he or she is wrong.  Yes, many of us are turning our heads to the realities that are being faced by our family members.

Each of us has the potential to admit that we’ve been wrong and are part of the problem.  Once we admit that we have a global problem, we can commence with the global solution.  Selfish solutions from one country or one faith will not work in solving universal problems.

Each of us was created in the image and likeness of God. No one of us is more valuable in God’s eyes than another just because of a particular name, faith, family or net worth.  Each of us is a child of God and deserves to be treated with love, dignity and respect.  Together, each of us makes up one global family.  Each of us is a member of this family.  When one of us suffers, we all suffer.

Like a small paper cut can bring tremendous pain to us even when the rest of our body is healthy, any individual or groups of people who are in pain across the world bring pain to our global body.  Our global body is covered with numerous band-aids and many of our minor cuts are now seriously infected.

In a global body, amputation of an individual, country or faith is not a realistic remedy.  Love, compassion and understanding are the remedies to solve this body’s wounds.