The Uncommon American

                                The Uncommon American

            STEPPING OUT OF THE COMMON INTO THE UNCOMMON REALITY  

There is a harsh and silent attack on stillness and peace of mind.  The definition of for this theft or robbery is called “Cognitive Distortion.” Harvard Health and Psychology Department define it as; (An internal mental filters or biases that increase our misery, fuel our anxiety, and make us feel bad about ourselves). Why does this matter? It is at three o’clock or four o’clock in the morning, the world is a new creation, fresh and clean. Fresh with new air, new opportunities and new attitudes.  Clean with no distractions, anxieties, or stresses to clutter the mind. I turn on the coffee pot for a fresh brew of coffee and than turn on my classical music station from Apple Music.  

As I approach the kitchen table, I gaze at the array of books ready to be reed for the month.  For they are gathered there each morning and each month for my advantage. I take stock of the instructions these lovely authors are spending with me this morning and throughout each month.  I am at awww. . . with the time, and energy it takes to finish some books opposed to others.  I am engulfed in the content or material within them that would fill the hearts of those in football stadiums.  Yes… reading books has become my charge in life. I consider myself addicted to information because I have uncovered the truth — that information changes the situation.

“All I have learned, I learned from books.” _ President Abraham Lincoln

I have finished 68 books this last year.  I know this is uncommon among people today, but who cares right?  Wrong!!  My family cares.  My students and fellow teachers around the world care.  But most importantly, I care for myself.  Every book is a mysterious new world filled with perseverance, perspectives, experiences, and lessons for everyone to enjoy and to share.  I have researched complex books and articles that helped me discover more about myself than anything else — they have been the answers to strategies, practices, and methods for ten years now! Of course, nothing opened my mind more than Dr. Norman Vincent Peales and Dr. Smiley Blantons co-book; “Faith Is The Answer.” I was WOW!! By there collaboration and experience on multiple subjects. A must read folks.

I know that common people will never pick this book up to read for themselves, but it was filled with answers from two different spectrums.  One of those spectrums was from the faith base and the other from the psychological perspective.  You see a Gallup poll shows that Americans’ faith in God Almighty has hit an all-time low. In fact, you can Google this information at your convenience.  Nonetheless, there are accounts of Christian faith leaders around the world that have said; “We must take in the variety of factors.”  What are those factors?  Let's start with the plandemic.  A set of lockdowns and restrictions that contributed to the decline.  The decline of faith believers and the decline of traditional readers.  The decline of hope, faith, love, kindness, and focused attention.

“We control our reasoned choice and all acts that depend on that moral will. What’s not under our control are the body and any of its parts, our possessions, parents, siblings, children, or country. Anything with which we might associate.” — Epictetus 

So, now the question — Why are there so many people faithless in America?  Why have so many people lost their hope in a bright future? How do we get back to loving our neighbors, and ourselves? Is faith the most genuine and authentic answer for America?  Can faith truly change the behavior of people?  And lastly, should faith be an important factor in helping America the next generation change into a great nation again? 

To answer these questions. We mustn’t forget the laws that exist in our pursuit to answer — The law of conviction. The Natural law. The law of God Almighty. The law of human will, and the law of morality. In fact, you can even add the law of thought (logic) into this spectrum.

I will never forget one of the great essential stories from my experience of being a life-learner, leadership instructor, and self-taught philosophers. This story was from the great Dr. Albert Schweitzer. For those of you that don’t know him, I suggest you reserve sometime to learn about the man and his mission on earth.

Nonetheless, Sir Reynolds once said; “There is no expedient to which a man will not resort, to avoid the real labour of thinking.” And that’s where the story begins and ends for us.

The year was 1952 and Dr. Albert Schweitzer was giving a lecture in London. When at the end of his lecture — a young journalist by the name of Sir Joshua Reynold asked the great doctor an exquisite question; “Dr. Schweitzer… What’s wrong with men today?” The charting and voice within the hall went silent. The seed of thought and logic became reality for Dr. Schweitzer. It was only a few seconds, but I am certain it felt like hours for some in that hall. But the great Dr. Schweitzer replied:: “Men simply don’t think.”

“To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.” — President Theodore Roosevelt

Now the ‘How to apply’ moment for this blog — Aim in 2023 to regularly take time to reflect on what you watch. What you read. What you think. What you listen too! And how you react to situations!! If we’re to step out of being the common or average mined person in America, we mustn’t become so common that we tend to forget how to think for ourselves. We all have the innate ability or potential of thinking for ourselves. Of course, it is when we allow external factors to ruin our responsibility of managing our choice, our will, and our mind. So, Mind it well or we will lose it.  

                                  Coachingbeyond LLC, 2023