Manns Medium

When you hear someone say that they are in complete control of their lives and no one tells them what to do, take a closer look at the actions that they take if you truly want to know if they are telling the truth or lying.  You have to look for actions because none of us is endowed with the power to judge whether anyone is truly right or wrong simply because what may be one person’s truth may not be another’s.  We must try never to minimize another person’s struggles, beliefs and feelings so allow them to feel what and when they do remembering that when it is your time, you would want to be treated the same.  Now there are millions of ways one could tell if a person is indeed in complete control of their lives and their decisions but we have only listed what we believe is the top 5 here. 1.         When your decisions are not based on what is best for you but how others may see it: Ever had a decision to make but were more concern...

Been hearing this phrase being thrown around and finally got a few people to tell me what this is supposed to mean.  They tell me that it's simply watching what you say and where you say it because it could be considered offensive and if anyone or any group considers what you said or what you do as offensive then by default it is.  While this may work and make sense for many, it does not to me and therefore I call “stupid” on it.  Not because I do not care about the feelings or others or that I have not been the victim of offensive language directed toward me.  I call “stupid” on it because like being sin-free, it is virtually impossible to be and stay politically correct based on that definition. It’s impossible because in order not to offend, one must then have complete control over how their words or actions are taken by another person or a group of people.  Since none of us possess that power, how can you expect to be politically correct in all and ever...

Back in the day, the most celebrated holiday was Christmas but now it seems to have been replaced by others thought up by particular groups.  Christmas could be found in every single home with all proudly displaying bright lights, candles and good cheer.  Not so much today as now we wish to make it seem we must celebrate  Kwanzaa  and others like it instead.  It’s as if we have to choose between one and the other to prove something to someone much more important to us than we are to ourselves and that is a shame. Could it be that many who was first taught to believe in God, stopped and therefore felt an urgent need to replace it with something that they could celebrate?  Could it be that commercially we began to sell out our beliefs for what we were being told by a television show or advertisement?  Could it be that we gave up on what I believe the true meaning of Christmas is so that we may fit in with the majority or those we thought was the maj...

So many times in our lives, we look back and count the number of times that we made mistakes.  Some mistakes are obvious while others take a little more time to figure out but all of them may cause many a period of regret and we all know that regret is not a good feeling.  We also should know by now that regret can easily lead us into other directions which is far worse than simple regret.  Before we begin to cross the line between a regret and more other serious situations, let us consider using another word that may not cause us such a high rate of pain and discomfort.  Let’s try using the word miscalculation instead of mistake for no other reason than it hurts less and is much easier to fix in most instances. The definition of a mistake is an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong while the definition of a miscalculation is an error or misjudgment.  Both sounds quite similar but when spoken the word mistake sounds much more harsh and in many insta...

American exceptionalism is often defined as “the theory that the United States is inherently different from other nations” but to some this many not make sense.  Why is not that they may be questioning the truth of this statement but simply because many can’t remember what the word inherently means.  Inherently is defined as “something that is built-in or a part of the makeup of a person or thing”.  I believe that once we understand the word and how it fits in the above definition of the phrase, we then began to restore our pride in being an American and living in a nation truly viewed by others as exceptional.  Others think that this is what makes others seek asylum or any other excuse to come here, they may believe that it is because we are called the “land of opportunity” and they are seeking just that.  They may believe that it is because we are one of the richest nations in the world and one of the most powerful but the truth may surprise even those Americ...

Atheism is defined as “a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods” and the most famous of all is Bill Maher who currently a show on HBO has called “Real Time with Bill Maher”.   For years he has made it a point to say to anyone who will listen how corrupt religion is and how silly we are for believing in an all-powerful being that we cannot see.  While his take on the subject is funny and some of what he says is true, the idea that there is no God, I strongly believe is false.  Now make no mistake, this does not place me at odds with anyone who thinks differently than I nor does it make Bill Maher and others my enemy.  What is does do is allow me an opportunity to present my case either in their presence or not as to why there is a God and why we all should stop pretending and start being honest with ourselves. The number one argument that I hear is “if there is a God, why do he let bad things happen”.  Now when I was firs...

There is not much that can get my dandruff up more than seeing an official abuse their authority or say one thing while doing another.  You see this a lot in politicians, promising one thing on the campaign trail but seemingly to quickly forget their first few hours in office but they are not as closely related to the community as a whole than those elected to sit on our benches in our courts.  Most Americans see this place as the only place left on earth where they can get a fair shake and the impartiality of those wearing that robe would listen, hear and understand their plight, provide them with a sense of belonging and even help where ever they could.  Today’s justice is not benched with judges such as these but people with their own agenda, their own bias and an overwhelming mixture of self-importance.  This can clearly be seen in the case reported by an article titled “ Florida judge berates domestic abuse victim, sentences sobbing woman to jail ” by Melissa C...

One of the greatest mysteries of living in the flesh and the most ignored of truths is we think that everything we do will not see the light of day so all we need to do is be more careful of the wrongs we commit.  This is drummed into our heads by those who thrive on doing things under the cloak and cover of darkness and only after we are exposed does the truth of this matter ever get a second glance.  It is not enough that the Holy Bible clearly tells us that all that we do is seen and shall be revealed, we still refuse to accept this truth and is therefore surprised when what we thought was very well hidden is suddenly exposed. Classic example of this is an article written by Rob Price for the Business Insider titled “ Compromising details on thousands of military personnel have reportedly been leaked in the huge Ashley Madison hack ” in which he details a story about how a website designed to aid in the sin of adultery has had its well protected information exposed to ...

When it comes to the old saying that there is “more than one way to skin a cat”, it may be truer than we think.  Let us examine why this could be so and while we accomplish this finally understand why the differences between right and wrong has changed so much and so quickly. In this world of billions of people there are those who claim that there is only one right way to do anything but if we patiently take a look at history, we may be surprised to learn that there has always been and will always be another right way.  It may be as simple as what is right for one may not be right for another so does that mean that the one who accomplished their goals using the method was wrong because that same avenue did not open up for you or could it be as simple as the avenue they attempted was set for them and only them while you must now use a little bit of what they did, add in something a little different for yourself in order to discover what will work for you?  If this is...

I am sure you have heard the saying, be careful for you wish for.  Well the voters of Illinois are probably regretting their strong support and vote for Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner now.  Since taking office, many of the planned projects designed to better equip Rockford to join the 21 st Century have been put on hold as well as programs designed to help those struggling families of the Stateline being cut under the guise of balancing Illinois budget. Never mind that over 3 million dollars, which could have been used to fund many of the programs Rauner is, has or thinking about cutting was used to upgrade the governor’s mansion.  Supporters say that was because that money was slated for that cause so my question becomes hy then is he justified with taking the money slated for those services and using them for other purposes? Classic example is an article found on WREX.com from the Associated Press titled “Democrats to hold hearing on Rauner education czar's sa...

There are many driving forces that feeds our lack of understanding and because of that, many of us just give up totally on trying to even come close to figuring out what the other person means.  We can’t seem to get it and because we don’t get it, we don’t get them.  Not getting them means you have to rank them somewhere so human beings “catch-all” column for anything or anyone they do not understand is the ignore list.  So why do we do this and how valuable is this list? We do this because when we talk about values we lie because there are only really two values and no one human being is equipped with both so basically each of us that wear this meat suit will either possess and display one value or another.  The two values are being right and doing right.  Now for many of you, your first thought is that you can have both and there we must agree to disagree.  There is a very huge but single difference between being right and doing right.   ...

Please don’t get it confused, I do not protest to be the sharpest tool in the shed but even I can see why bad things happen to good people.  This has always been one of the most important questions asked but never answered.  The other was why this world is going to hell in a hand basket.  I think I can answer both those now. As it is my nature, I am going to answer both these questions in the most simplest of terms I can as well as with one point.  That point is, bad things happen to good people and this world is going to hell in a hand basket because good people are sitting too long on their brains and not standing up for what they know is right fast enough. Imagine that police officer who wrote letters to his superiors in Fenton Missouri where that young man, Michael Brown was just shot and killed.  He waited several months before even doing that because he feared losing his job or being retaliated against.  At what point does fear of retaliation...

The word enemy is thrown out frequently and often means the same to everyone who hears it but what would you say if I told you that we all had it wrong.  That those we consider our enemy is nothing but a person with a different view of things.  That the outcome which often accompanies that label “enemy” is not necessary in all cases and often times is unwarranted in many. The true definition of an enemy is something or someone you know whose only intention is to cause you pain, suffering, injury or death.  Something or someone you know who harbors nothing of value except for the value that they place themselves within, far and above the value that it or they place upon others similar but different than them or it.  Something or someone who is consistent in their loathing or anything or anyone that exist within their sphere or vicinity.  This enemy can be one or many and even sometimes may not even exist in reality at all. Just because you fancy yourself...