IN LIFE NEVER GIVE UP BECAUSE YOU FEEL REJECTED.

THIS IS SO TOUCHING!!! George McLaurin, the first black man admitted to the University of Oklahoma in 1948, was forced to sit in a corner far from his white classmates. But his name remains on the honor roll as one of the three best students of the university. These are his words: "Some colleagues would look at me like I was an animal, no one would give me a word, the teachers seemed like they were not even there for me, nor did they always take my questions when I asked. But I devoted myself so much that afterwards, they began to look for me to give them explanations and to clear their questions." ©African History

• 

What does the Bible say about a man marrying an older woman? Is it acceptable?

What does the Bible say about a man marrying an older woman? Is it acceptable?  

The Bible places no requirements for age in marriage. Since the Bible is silent on this concern, all believers have liberty in this area, meaning a man of any age may marry a woman of any age so long as both are old enough to enter into marriage by law and custom and both have consented to the marriage.

Teaching found in some cultures and churches asserts that an older woman may not marry a younger man, but such teaching is not based on scripture. It is a man-made requirement only, and if it is presented as if it is a biblical requirement, then it is a false teaching. For example, some teach that because Adam was created first then the man in every marriage must always be older than his wife, but this is not a proper interpretation of scripture. . 

The Bible never suggests that because Adam was created first that the man in every marriage should be older than the woman. This is an example of confusing description for prescription. Furthermore, it is a ridiculous use of the text of Genesis. Taken to its logical conclusion, if we hold that all marriages must mimic Adam and Woman's marriage in every respect, then we would also conclude that every man must find his bride from a part of his own body just as Adam did! Clearly, this is faulty logic.

Proper interpretation of scripture must distinguish between prescription and description. The creation story of Man and Woman is descriptive. It describes how these two came into being, however this story is not a prescriptive for all people or all believers. The Bible does not prescribe how all marriages shall begin, and it is entirely silent on the age of individuals entering marriage. Not all marriages form with a younger woman and an older man. and there is nothing sinful when a woman is older than a man.

Proper interpretation of scripture is essential if we hope to live it out properly. 

By: Dg_woks 

Never push loyal employees to the point where they no longer care.

Employees are your Most Valuable Asset!

Employees are your most valuable resource. Yet many companies ignore and treat their employees poorly. Our system has fallen into a self-reinforcing command loop construct as follows: Increase shareholder value at all costs without regard for the human factor. Sadly, if you do not cure the cancer in the root of the tree, not only.

Employees are your most valuable resource. Yet many companies ignore and treat their employees poorly. Our system has fallen into a self-reinforcing command loop construct as follows: Increase shareholder value at all costs without regard for the human factor. Sadly, if you do not cure the cancer in the root of the tree, not only with the branches and leaves die; but so will the the tree. Unhappy employees cost companies billions of dollars each year in lost revenues, settlements and other damages. The loss of revenue can send even established companies into financial distress, with some even filing for bankruptcy.

Financial Losses can result from:

Decreased Productivity. According to research conducted by Gallup, disengaged employees cost companies $450-to-$550 billion in lost productivity each year as a result of poor performance and high absenteeism.

Put your staff first, your customers second & your shareholders third ~Richard Branson

Employee Negligence: When employees are put first, they feel a sense of ownership to the business. Such employees will always take the initiative to solve problems before they get worse. On the other hand, an unhappy employee will just move along and not care as an issue escalates. It is also common for dissatisfied employees to neglect to complete tasks or make mistakes. This leads to poor quality control standards, unsafe products and dangers to consumers. Cases of serious injury or death, caused by company negligence often results in hefty settlements being paid out to those affected.

Tarnished Reputation: Employees interact with customers and could say anything negative about the company’s culture, products and services. The actions of one individual can bring down a company or uplift it.In an age of social media, individual employee actions can have dire effects on an organization. Video accounts of poor customer service experienced by a consumer can go viral on Facebook with similar hashtags on Twitter calling for a boycott of the company. This story can then be picked up by mainstream news bringing negative press resulting in companies having to settle lawsuits.

Employees are the branches of the tree that makes a company grow. Research has found an economic link between employee satisfaction and company financial performance. Employees who genuinely like coming to work every day may have a positive impact on a company’s stock performance. A happy workplace culture does translate into better stock returns. Happy Employees = Happy Customers = Happy Shareholders.

Take good care of your employees, and they’ll take good care of your customers, and the customers will come back. ~J.W. Marriott

Employees are your best brand ambassadors. Your brand position is determined by the customer’s experience. The experience is delivered by your front line employees. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the business. Your employees know your customers best. They use your internal tools and systems every day. They have the answers on how to improve customer service and your products. They have the solutions on how to improve systems which can save money by driving efficiencies.

Employees are the backbone of any organization. In order to remain strong in an industry, employees have to be kept happy. Happy employees are always willing to do more, they will go to great lengths to help the company grow. Charity begins at home. If you want to get the best out of your employees – Put them first.

Leading the Workforce of the Future provides concrete advice and best practices on how to engage and retain top talent. It addresses several areas to focus on to future proof yourself and your business. The future is no longer some far-off destination; it is already here. Don’t be caught off guard!

Thank You. 

Dg_woks

Protests across US as cop charged with murder of George Floyd

Demonstrations erupt in major cities as thousands defy Minneapolis curfew to protest against unarmed Black man's death.Protests have broken out in cities across the United States calling for justice following the death of George Floyd in police custody when a white officer in Minneapolis pressed a knee into the unarmed Black man's neck for several minutes.

In scenes both peaceful and violent across the country, thousands of protesters on Friday chanted "no justice, no peace" and "say his name. George Floyd." They hoisted signs reading: "He said I can't breathe. Justice for George."

More:

• George Floyd protesters: No justice unless all four cops charged

• Derek Chauvin charged with murder in death of George Floyd

• Brother of George Floyd: 'I just want justice'

The demonstrations came as Derek Chauvin, the officer involved in Floyd's death, was arrested and charged with one count each of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Graphic video footage taken on an onlooker's cellphone and widely circulated on the internet shows Floyd - with Chauvin's knee pressed into his neck - gasping for air and repeatedly groaning, "Please, I can't breathe," while a crowd of bystanders shouted at police to let him up.

The video reignited an outpouring of rage that civil rights activists said has long simmered in Minneapolis, the largest city in the state of Minnesota, and other towns and cities across the country over persistent racial bias in the US criminal justice system and the deaths of Black people in police custody.

Peaceful demonstrators observe a moment of silence outside the US Bank Stadium during the fourth day of protests after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US on May 29, 2020 [Nicholas Pfosi/Reuters]

The charges brought by Hennepin County prosecutors came after a third night of protests in which protesters set fire to a police station, and the National Guard was deployed to help restore order in Minneapolis. 

Authorities had hoped Chauvin's arrest would allay public anger and avert continued unrest. But defying an 8pm curfew imposed by Mayor Jacob Frey, thousands took to the streets for a fourth night. A heavy contingent of National Guard, state troopers and police moved in, some on foot and some in vehicles.

"We saw a confrontation between a number of demonstrators and state police ... [that] ended with tear gas," Al Jazeera's John Hendren, reporting from Minneapolis, said. 

Protester Naeema Jakes told AFP news agency she needed to be on the streets so she could verbally confront officers.

"I need you to look in my eyes and feel me," Jakes said. "This is pain, this is hurt."

Some cars were set on fire in scattered neighbourhoods, while a pair of restaurants and a Wells Fargo branch were also set ablaze. 

A person walks amid two fires during a demonstration against the death in Minneapolis police custody of African American man George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, May 30, 2020 [Lucas Jackson/ Reuters]

A group of protesters rally around the Fifth Police Precinct on May 29, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota [Stephen Maturen/Getty Images via AFP]

Among the cities with larger protests on Friday were Atlanta, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles and Louisville.

After hours of peaceful protest in central Atlanta, some demonstrators turned violent, smashing police cars, setting one on fire, spray-painting the logo sign at CNN's headquarters and breaking into a restaurant. The crowd pelted officers with bottles, chanting "quit your jobs".

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms pleaded with the crowd to go home.

"This is not a protest," she said. "You are disgracing our city. You are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country. We are better than this."

But the violence continued, prompting Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp to declare a state of emergency to "protect people & property in Atlanta".

Kemp said 500 members of the state National Guard would be deployed to quell the unrest.

Demonstrators paint on the CNN logo during a protest in Atlanta [Mike Stewart/ AP]

Protesters also gathered outside the White House, with President Donald Trump inside, and some tried to push through barriers set up by the US Secret Service along Pennsylvania Avenue.

In New York City, an initially peaceful demonstration spiralled into chaos as night fell. Protesters skirmished with officers, destroying police vehicles and setting fires.

In Brooklyn, activists who had marched from Manhattan chanted slogans against police brutality and pelted officers lined up outside the Barclays Center with water bottles. Police sprayed an eye-irritating chemical into the largely diverse crowd multiple times, then cleared the plaza.

Numerous people were arrested and police brought in buses to carry them off.

"We have a long night ahead of us in Brooklyn," Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted. "Our sole focus is deescalating this situation and getting people home safe. There will be a full review of what happened tonight. We don't ever want to see another night like this."

People take part in a protest over Floyd's death in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, US, May 29, 2020 [Brendan McDermid/Reuters]

In Houston, where Floyd grew up, several thousand people rallied in front of City Hall. Among them was 19-year-old Jimmy Ohaz, who came from the nearby city of Richmond, Texas.

"My question is how many more, how many more? I just want to live in a future where we all live in harmony and we're not oppressed," he told The Associated Press news agency.

In Detroit, a 19-year-old man was killed after someone in a vehicle fired shots into a crowd of people protesting Floyd's death. Police said an officer was not involved in the shooting and the suspect had pulled up in a Dodge Durango and opened fire at the protesters.

Tensions also rose in several cities on the US's west coast as night fell and protesters blocked highways in Los Angeles and Oakland. Demonstrators in Los Angeles scuffled at times with police, with a few protesters arrested and one officer receiving medical treatment, police said.

The unrest was the worst the US has seen in years. The AP news agency, citing three anonymous sources said the Pentagon ordered the army to put military police units on alert to head to Minneapolis on short notice at Trump's request.

A protester holds his hands up as police officers enter Lafayette Park as the officers keep demonstrators away from the White House during a protest in Washington, DC, US, on May 30, 2020 [Tom Brenner/ Reuters]

Trump said on Friday he had spoken to Floyd's family and "expressed my sorrow". 

He called the video of the arrest "just a horrible thing to witness and to watch. It certainly looked like there was no excuse for it".

Earlier in the day, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said a key piece of evidence in the case against Chauvin was the video clip showing Floyd lying face down in the street, with the officer kneeling on the back of Floyd's neck - Chauvin had his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, according to an autopsy report.

"We have evidence, we have the citizen's camera's video, the horrible, horrific, terrible thing we have all seen over and over again," Freeman said.

He added the investigation into Chauvin, who faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, was ongoing and he anticipated also charging the three other officers, identified by the city as Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng.

All four were fired from the police department on Tuesday after the video surfaced of Monday's arrest.  

The 46-year-old Floyd's relatives welcomed the news of Chauvin's arrest as a "step on the road to justice". But they said they hoped for tougher charges and action against the other officers involved in Floyd's detention and death. 

"We want a first-degree murder charge. And we want to see the other officers arrested," they said in a statement.

"The pain that the Black community feels over this murder and what it reflects about the treatment of Black people in America is raw and is spilling out onto streets across America."

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

Place your order and get a discount.

There are two ways to judge people both are useless.

Personal Growth

Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash

There Are Two Ways To Judge People — Both Are Useless.  We all do it. You do it. I do it. Your friends do it. We judge.

At the grocery store, we silently judge people waiting in line. We secretly rate our family members by how much they support us, our friends by how fast they call us back and our coworkers by how cocky they are. But we also make more subtle judgement calls. Ones we’re barely aware of making.

When we eat, our gut signals to us what’s safe to put in our mouths and what’s not. When we meet someone new, we can instantly tell if they’re attractive or not, without having knowingly sorted them into either category. When we’re in danger, we make split second decisions about where to jump, which corner to turn. Much of this is natural. It allows us to exist.

Judgement, both conscious and unconscious, is a fundamental part of the human experience. We all do it around the clock because it’s a necessary function of moving, acting, and living in a dynamic world. And while we can’t do much about the beliefs we form without actively contributing, we all have our own systems of how we evaluate others.

Sadly, most of those systems are fundamentally flawed.

Actions Or Intentions, Which One Is It Going To Be?

How we judge others is mainly affected by how we’re raised. The two most commonly ‘taught’ approaches are based on how people interact with us: one on their actions, the other on their intentions. The goal of either is to make human behavior comparable.

When you grow up in a home where little emphasis is placed on outcomes, where you feel that your best is always good enough, chances are, you will hold others mostly to their intentions too. Your boyfriend got you a terrible gift? No problem, it’s the thought that counts.

If you’re raised under the motto of “actions speak louder than words,” however, it’s usually the result that matters. No second-place trophies. You either showed up to your friend’s birthday, or you didn’t. You score the client or you don’t.

Both systems have their advantages and drawbacks, so it’s hard to declare one superior to the other. Placing importance on intentions allows you to be patient and kind, while focusing on actions is a great motivator to try hard and hold both people and yourself accountable.

Problems occur, however, when we accidentally mix the two. There’s a saying that we tend to “judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions.” This gap, if present, creates a double standard. When you criticize a coworker for being late to a meeting, but let yourself off the hook for ‘really trying hard’ the next time you’re stuck in traffic, the outside world will label you a hypocrite, maybe rightfully so.

Regardless of which philosophy you grew up with, the message is, when choosing your own system as an adult, be consistent. Judge others the way you would judge yourself. It is here that the real predicament begins.

Both systems, even if practiced to a tee, put you under constant pressure to remain rigid in a world of permanent change. No matter which basis of judgements you choose, you’ll quickly run into instances where you’ll want to change that basis. If only just for a single occasion.

Maybe your girlfriend cheated on you, but you really want to forgive her. Or your son played an awful match of tennis, but man, he tried so hard you’d love to give him credit. Whenever we are uncomfortable because we don’t want to contradict ourselves, it’s usually a sign that the arrangement we made with ourselves was too inflexible to begin with.

Maybe we need a new way to make sense of people’s behavior altogether.

What We’re Really Looking For

If we want to develop a more accurate sense of judgement, one that leaves us feeling more comfortable in our own skin, we first have to look at why we feel we need an explanation of why people do what they do. I think it’s to help us streamline our interactions with others and improve our relationships.

Life’s events are hard enough to navigate as they are, so by detecting other people’s desires and reasoning, we reduce complexity. We want to find out who to engage with and who to avoid. In a business negotiation, clarifying the wants of all involved parties is the quickest way to close a deal. Knowing the one person in class who likes you the least makes it easier to find your clique.

The problem with comparison approaches, like actions or intentions, then, is that they neglect that much of who we are is contextual. Because so is what we want and why we want it. By pinning a small sample of observations on other people’s character, we render the contrast void before we even make it.

In science, this is called the fundamental attribution error. It’s our tendency to point to people’s identity when explaining why they do what they do. I guess this kind of flaw is to be expected from a brain that runs on lots of heuristics.

We judge as a shortcut to make sense of the world. We label the lady who cuts in line at the grocery store as egoistic and add a checkmark. Understood. But actually, we’ve understood nothing. We’ve merely skipped the effort of even trying when it’s precisely that effort that would give us what we want.

What if, instead of adding a period at the end of “she is disrespectful,” we added a question mark? What if we replaced instant judgement with instant curiosity? Wouldn’t that allow us to interact with others based on what’s going on, rather than who we think they are?

Because the only way we can really understand why people act the way they do is by assembling a picture of the context that they acted in. Was their choice one they made voluntarily? Or one they were forced to make? Or maybe one they felt they were forced to make, even if it wasn’t so?

Getting a grasp on the many factors that went into other people’s choices is a process of discovery. A process impossible to start from a conclusion, because then you’d only select the information that fits your preconceived idea.

Just like it’s impossible to be curious and judgmental at the same time.

The Yardstick That Never Fails

Making assumptions is part of life. In most cases, nature does a good enough job at getting us to make the right call. But when it comes to interacting with other humans, our basic wiring often fails us.

A yardstick is only as good as the number of things you can measure against it. That makes both actions and intentions poor yardsticks for judging others. When we use them, we’re too quick to jump to conclusions rather than the right questions, and we’ll always feel uneasy about our own, inner conflicts.

Curiosity, however, is universal. In refusing to judge people, we’re prompted to judge their circumstances. And since the circumstances of even the smallest decision are vast beyond what we could ever perceive, we’ll often find ourselves unable to make any judgement at all. What a wonderful way to live.

Replacing judgement with curiosity forces you to keep asking questions. It allows you to react to the same act by the same person in an entirely new way, if the situation demands it. And it’ll never squeeze you into the discomfort of contradiction, because contradiction is condoned, even necessary.

We can’t choose what belief systems we’re raised under, but we can update those systems once we discover them. If we’re curious enough to figure out what they are, we might actually change them — and us — for the better.

By Daniel Wokson (Dg_woks).