Forbidden Knowledge: A Desperate Gamble
A young woman, Laira, confronts a heartbreaking situation. Modern medicine fails her Nana Rose, leaving Laira with a difficult choice. Will she turn to her family's forbidden knowledge, a legacy of herbal remedies and a touch of magic, or watch her grandmother fade away? #familylegacy #medicalmystery #cliffhanger
Laira's family apothecary, once bustling, is shrouded in dust. Can she unlock its secrets to save Nana Rose, or will the price be too high?
Find out at https://ancientw.substack.com/p/ancient-secrets-healing-brews
The Delphi Murders
A Turning Point: Light After Darkness
"The Delphi murders trial is more than just a legal battle; it's a microcosm of the collective human struggle to confront darkness, grapple with past wounds, and ultimately, achieve healing. The astrological influences at play suggest a potential for profound transformation. By acknowledging these themes and navigating this situation with respect for truth, fairness, and responsible communication, we can move towards a resolution that honors the victims, upholds the justice system, and sheds light on the hidden truths of this case."
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It's been a long time since I posted anything here. Longer than I imagined. You can find me on Substack these days. Here is a link to my writing: click here
Walking Away From Destructive Behavior
Even if you are not a football fan, you have probably read or heard news stories about NFL players being arrested for an assortment of reasons including animal abuse, spousal abuse, armed robbery and even murder. Most of us shake our heads and wonder how a young person given the opportunity to make the type of money that an NFL player commands can be so stupid. Others wonder why the NFL condones such behavior by allowing these players to continue their careers in the NFL.
Baltimore Raven's linebacker Rolando McClain recently retired from the NFL, after three seasons, at the age of twenty-four. McClain decided to walk away from his NFL career and re-enroll at the University of Alabama because he was concerned about his self-destructive behavior and feared he might eventually do harm to another human being.
McClain told ESPN Magazine that he had dark thoughts. “I felt like Aaron Hernandez,” the former linebacker said in the article. “Like I just wanted to kill somebody.” According to ESPN, McClain felt overwhelmed by the stresses of the NFL. He was angry as well. He told reporters that his friends and relatives asked him for money and that he spent over $600,000 on them after signing his rookie contract.
McClain's life has not been an easy one. He was born July 14, 1989 in Decatur, Alabama. He grew up in the projects in Decatur. At age 15, he had to get a retraining order against his mother, Tonya Malone, after she beat him and threatened him with a knife. She was later arrested after threatening his entire high school which resulted in a lock down. She was later diagnosed as bi-polar. Although McClain's father was awarded custody of Roland, he ended up living with several different families during his high school years.
McClain signed a $40 million dollar contract with the Oakland Raiders in July 2010. He was released from the Raiders in April 2013 and then signed by the Baltimore Ravens before deciding to retire from football in May 2013. During his stint in the NFL, McClain was arrested several times. He was arrested December 1, 2011 for third degree assault, menacing, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm inside city limits, all misdemeanors, and for a shooting incident the night before. He was found guilty on all counts. He was arrested again on November 18, 2012 with charges being dropped after the victim agreed to a financial settlement. He was arrested a third time on January 8, 2013 after Decatur police pulled him over for a window tint violation and e gave the police a false name. He was arrested once again on April 21, 2013 for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
McClain has apparently done some soul searching as he decided to walk away from a $700,00 contract with up to $400,000 in incentives after realizing he is full of anger and walking a self-destructive path. He told ESPN, "I felt like Aaron Hernandez, like I just wanted to kill somebody."
McClain should be applauded for his decision. How many young men, or people for that matter, possess the self-awareness needed to realize they are headed down the wrong path? How many are strong enough to walk away from that kind of money and the life style it can buy?
Watch this video on espn http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9882568/nfl-former-oakland-raiders-alabama-linebacker-rolando-mcclain-self-imposed-exile
Baltimore Raven's linebacker Rolando McClain recently retired from the NFL, after three seasons, at the age of twenty-four. McClain decided to walk away from his NFL career and re-enroll at the University of Alabama because he was concerned about his self-destructive behavior and feared he might eventually do harm to another human being.
McClain told ESPN Magazine that he had dark thoughts. “I felt like Aaron Hernandez,” the former linebacker said in the article. “Like I just wanted to kill somebody.” According to ESPN, McClain felt overwhelmed by the stresses of the NFL. He was angry as well. He told reporters that his friends and relatives asked him for money and that he spent over $600,000 on them after signing his rookie contract.
McClain's life has not been an easy one. He was born July 14, 1989 in Decatur, Alabama. He grew up in the projects in Decatur. At age 15, he had to get a retraining order against his mother, Tonya Malone, after she beat him and threatened him with a knife. She was later arrested after threatening his entire high school which resulted in a lock down. She was later diagnosed as bi-polar. Although McClain's father was awarded custody of Roland, he ended up living with several different families during his high school years.
McClain signed a $40 million dollar contract with the Oakland Raiders in July 2010. He was released from the Raiders in April 2013 and then signed by the Baltimore Ravens before deciding to retire from football in May 2013. During his stint in the NFL, McClain was arrested several times. He was arrested December 1, 2011 for third degree assault, menacing, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm inside city limits, all misdemeanors, and for a shooting incident the night before. He was found guilty on all counts. He was arrested again on November 18, 2012 with charges being dropped after the victim agreed to a financial settlement. He was arrested a third time on January 8, 2013 after Decatur police pulled him over for a window tint violation and e gave the police a false name. He was arrested once again on April 21, 2013 for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
McClain has apparently done some soul searching as he decided to walk away from a $700,00 contract with up to $400,000 in incentives after realizing he is full of anger and walking a self-destructive path. He told ESPN, "I felt like Aaron Hernandez, like I just wanted to kill somebody."
McClain should be applauded for his decision. How many young men, or people for that matter, possess the self-awareness needed to realize they are headed down the wrong path? How many are strong enough to walk away from that kind of money and the life style it can buy?
Watch this video on espn http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9882568/nfl-former-oakland-raiders-alabama-linebacker-rolando-mcclain-self-imposed-exile
What the World Needs is a Little Empathy & Compassion
Empathy is the capacity to recognize, or feel, the emotions that another person or being is experiencing. Compassion is an emotion that we feel in response to the pain and suffering of another being. A little bit of empathy is needed in order to experience compassion.
In an article titled "Empathy & Compassion," Betty W. Phillips, Ph.D., Psychology writes "In the last few years you may have noticed the increase in warfare, divisiveness, unbridled profit seeking and budget cutting on the backs of the poor, sick or elderly, all examples of lack of empathy and compassion. Quality of life and happiness indices are falling rapidly in the USA, more rapidly than in other countries. Yes, they are related."
In a well researched article titled "The Compassionate Instinct," Dacher Keltner discusses the collective beliefs that humans are selfish, greed is good, altruism is an illusion, cooperation is for suckers, competition is natural, war is inevitable and the bad in human nature is stronger than the good. Keltner points out that such beliefs have been perpetuated from the time of Plato, who "compared the human soul to a chariot: the intellect is the driver and the emotions are the horses. Life is a continual struggle to keep the emotions under control.," to the present day.
Keltner writes, "Even compassion, the concern we feel for another being’s welfare, has been treated with downright derision. Kant saw it as a weak and misguided sentiment: “Such benevolence is called soft-heartedness and should not occur at all among human beings,” he said of compassion. Many question whether true compassion exists at all—or whether it is inherently motivated by self-interest."
Keltner then goes on to discuss recent findings and studies that indicate that these old and outdated beliefs have no basis in reality. "These studies support a view of the emotions as rational, functional, and adaptive—a view which has its origins in Darwin’s Expression of Emotion in Man and Animals. Compassion and benevolence, this research suggests, are an evolved part of human nature, rooted in our brain and biology, and ready to be cultivated for the greater good."
Keltner then provides the reader with a good amount of information supporting the idea that "compassion is deeply rooted in our brains, our bodies, and in the most basic ways we communicate."
If this is the case, then why do so many people people seem to lack empathy and compassion ? Why the wars, the greed and the divisiveness? Although we are born as empathetic and compassionate beings, our beliefs are conditioned by our environment, culture, society and parents. If we are to make the world a better place, we have to collectively work on changing our collective beliefs and value systems. We have to learn to cultivate and develop the empathy and compassion that resides within us. We have to start with ourselves and then those around us.
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